The transition from high school to college can be brutal. Incoming freshmen have been making introductions, navigating campus and trying to decorate without damaging their walls.

After move-in chaos and first classes, freshmen are forming their own opinions about Murray State University.

Eleanor Holder, freshman earth and environmental sciences major, came to Murray State from Louisville, Kentucky. She said she is already getting involved with organizations on campus as a member of Alpha Delta Pi.

“It’s actually kinda cool getting to meet a lot of new people,” Holder said. “Murray is a great, community-based place, so it’s pretty easy (to get involved).”

Clara Vargas, freshman communication disorders major from Brentwood, Tennessee, said being an introvert can make it challenging to make connections on campus.

“It’s hard for me to invite people sometimes, but if people invite me, I’ll definitely say yes,” Vargas said.

Riley Reeves, freshman graphic communications media major from Highland, Illinois, said she has had no problem finding her people in her new home.

“It’s a beautiful campus,” Reeves said. “It’s probably the safest area to be around for kids like us, and everyone is just so friendly.”

Dorm life means sharing space with a roommate and a bathroom with your floor. Holder said communicating with her new roommate is the biggest difference she’s adjusting to.

“I grew up with an older sister, but I’ve always had my own room … that’s definitely a big change,” Holder said.

Reeves said living with a roommate is different, but having to “commute for the bathrooms” on a communal floor has been a big change for her.

Holder said she is “a little all over the place” in terms of where she goes to eat, going to Winslow, Starbucks and occasionally eating microwave meals and snacks in her dorm.

Vargas said that she typically eats at Winslow once a day and will otherwise eat at the Curris Center or her dorm. She said her favorite spot so far is SubConnection.

While Reeves said she eats mostly at Winslow, Chick-fil-A is her favorite place to grab a bite on campus.

Resources and more information on all these campus topics and more can be found at @racerdining on Instagram for campus dining services, the Center for Student Involvement’s website and the Residential College information website for links to each college’s respective social medias.