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They come from Nebraska's small towns and from the state's largest city. Some come early, and others come just in time to move in before classes start.
They come for big reasons and for small ones. Maybe parents remember being here years ago. Maybe it's the only place they could ever imagine themselves going after high school. Maybe it's just the first step to going somewhere else.
They are the freshmen, newly arrived at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and they all have their own stories to tell. Here are five of them.
After adjustments, Althouse feels at ease
UNL freshman Hannah Althouse, left, laughs with her roommate in the Neihardt Residence Hall courtyard. Photo: Natasha Richardson, NewsNetNebraska
Althouse became fairly familiar with the campus in high school when she came to Cornhusker football games at Memorial Stadium and visited her older sisters who were attending UNL, she said.
"I actually knew exactly where all my classes were (on the first day)," said Althouse, a general studies major from Waverly, Neb.
Althouse also felt at ease after only a short time on campus because it was easy for her to make friends, both through Rush Week and through her residence hall, she said.
She and her roommate clicked right away, Althouse said. They live together in Neihardt Hall, which Althouse said she prefers over the other residence halls.
"It's cool, because it's so old-fashioned, and you can really feel the history there," she said. "It seems more personal, I guess. Some of the other ones feel kind of cold."
Althouse has had to make some adjustments, however. Finding time to eat, given all her commitments, has been tricky, and she's still catching on to some aspects of dormitory life.
"The worst is when I'm in my room, and then I'm like, ‘Oh, I'm going to go to the bathroom,' but then the bathroom's being cleaned," Althouse said. "And you're like, ‘Ugh. I have to go down a whole two floors.' It's not really that awful, but it feels that way."
Classes also present a new challenge, she said, especially because of college's heavier reading load and the added emphasis on exams.
"I'm already worried about exams," Althouse said. "I'm not used to having them play so much part in the grade you get. Like having it be 40 percent of your final grade, or something like that, when I'm used to having it be 10 percent."
But Althouse remains optimistic about her ability to succeed.
"I think I'm going to survive (exams)," Althouse said. "I think I can do it." Story by Natasha Richardson
Zepf feels she's off to a good Start
For Carrie Zepf, college is a perfect place to meet new people.
She came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a freshman participating in the NU Start program, an opportunity for new students to come a month before fall semester to earn credits and find friends.
Carrie Zepf has set her sights on studying abroad. Photo: Anthony Troester, NewsNetNebraska
Zepf is finding Lincoln to be quite a change from her small hometown of Creighton, Neb. But through NU Start, Zepf has quickly settled into her new home in the campus dormitories and has started her life at college.
Zepf chose UNL in part because her mother is an almuna. "I also have grandparents that live in Lincoln," Zepf said. "I've already gone to church with them while I've been here. It's nice to have relatives close—the free food is nice, too."
Zepf credited her personal ambition and desire to see the world as the rest of the reason for coming to the university.
"I really want to study abroad through UNL," Zepf said. "You know, see how I like it. I think I want to end up living (in Europe)."
Like many freshmen, Zepf is taking mostly general education classes and keeping her options open for a major. Her interests include music and radio, European history and media.
So far the college transition hasn't been too hard for Zepf. "I haven't been homesick at all," she said. "I mean, I miss my friends from my hometown, but I've been going to the downtown coffee shops with some NU Start people."
Zepf listed another great thing about UNL: Husker football.
"I've always been a huge fan," she said with a laugh. "I can't wait to go to the games. That's pretty much why I was so excited to come here this fall."
When Zepf isn't at the Husker games or socializing with friends, she plans to be studying hard. College isn't just a fun, new experience to her, but an opportunity to excel in a career and study abroad.
"It's only been a week," Zepf said, "but it's been a good first week." Story by Anthony Troester
Being a freshman is only part of Zimmerer's challenge
If you think it's hard being a freshman and adjusting to the rigors of college, try being a student athlete on top of that.
C.J. Zimmerer is trying to balance his first year of college while playing football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
C.J. Zimmerer takes a break from practice. Photo: Natalie Sorensen, NewsNetNebraska
"C.J. Zimmerer was the best overall athlete I have ever coached," said Shelby Sweetmon, offensive coordinator at Gross High School. "More important than his physical ability was his leadership style. He is a big-time athlete who, at the time of his senior year, already had a full-ride scholarship to NU."
Zimmerer received one of two in-state scholarships the Huskers gave out for the 2009 recruiting class. He is continuing his athletic career as a running back for the Cornhuskers this fall.
It seems Zimmerer has transitioned nicely into collegiate athletics.
"In the beginning, he struggled as all freshmen do," said Shawn Watson, offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "It's like being in China, with new plays and words you've never heard before. But C.J. caught on quickly. He came here with a good work ethic, which helps him close that freshman gap."
Zimmerer said he chose UNL because it was far enough away from home to get the college experience, but only a short ride home to see his family and friends. He also couldn't resist the opportunity to play football for the Huskers.
"I was raised a Husker fan," he said, "and it was a chance I just couldn't pass up."
Unlike most other freshmen attending UNL, Zimmerer reported to school on June 8 to start training for football and to take summer courses. His first few months were the most difficult: Studying for classes and trying to memorize his six-pound playbook.
Zimmerer lived in Selleck Hall during the summer and moved to Harper Hall before fall camp started. He was not fond of Selleck's food. "It's not anything good and gets boring after a while," he said. He prefers the food he receives at the Hewit Dining Center in Memorial Stadium.
"Nothing will ever beat mom or grandma's home cooking," Zimmerer added.
Of course, food is not the biggest concern. Instead he's worried about his newfound freedom. "In college, no one is telling you what to do," Zimmerer said, "and you don't have to do anything you don't feel like."
Forcing himself to study with so many activities going on around him is going to be his greatest obstacle.
"Having so many things to do, like sand volleyball and basketball that are right outside the dorms, makes it hard to focus on school," Zimmerer said.
With the schedule he received from the football program, however, he doesn't think he will have a problem keeping school as his No. 1 priority.
Zimmerer wakes up at 8 a.m. and is in class until 1 p.m. He fits in an hour of mandatory study hall and then grabs lunch. Then it's off to meetings and practice until 6 p.m. After practice, he eats dinner at the training table and has study hall again until 9 p.m.
"When I get home from study hall, I'll finish up my homework and probably just sleep," Zimmerer said.
His advice to next year's freshmen: "Take your time and enjoy things. Whether it is in the recruiting process or moving into the dorms, it all flies by so fast and you get caught up in things, you forget to enjoy them." Story by Natalie Sorensen
For Kodad, UNL feels like home
Katie Kodad and her roommate, Kelli Schumacher, check Facebook after the power was restored in their room. Photo: Adam Ziegler, NewsNetNebraska
For Katie Kodad, starting college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been a lot like being home.
Kodad, a freshman elementary education major, came from Schuyler, Neb., a town of slightly more than 5,000 people. Even though the 24,100 students at UNL make the university almost five times larger than the population of her hometown, Kodad said the school still maintains a small-town feel.
"Campus is like a small town in a big city," she said.
Kodad made the 70-mile trek from Schuyler to UNL because of her love for Lincoln and the campus. Kodad said she considered going to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. But after visiting both schools, she found Lincoln's atmosphere to be friendlier, and she thought UNL had more diverse options for entertainment.
"UNL just had so much more to offer," she said.
UNL's large number of clubs and intramural sports is what most impressed Kodad. In high school, the small number of students meant Kodad was a member of almost every club available, she said, a feat more difficult to achieve in college.
"There's like 4,000 clubs here, though," she said, "so you can't do that here."
Living in the Neihardt Residence Center has required some adjustment. Kodad said she has run into the same difficulties that trouble most freshmen—like learning to do laundry and dealing with loud neighbors—but she also has encountered some more unconventional problems.
Kodad and her roommate tripped a circuit in their room one night while getting ready to go out. Both women were using their blow driers, when all the room's electrical outlets stopped working. The unexpected technical glitch didn't derail Kodad's plans, however; she just got ready at the Harper-Schramm-Smith Complex instead.
In spite of some minor troubles, Kodad said she thinks UNL's small town atmosphere will make for an easy and enjoyable transition to college life.
"I'm going to love it here," she said. Story by Adam Ziegler
Wacker prepared so she wouldn't be surprised
When freshman Erin Wacker came to the University of Lincoln-Nebraska, she already knew what to expect.
Erin Wacker takes a break for a text message during a full day of studying. Photo: Sarah Tenorio, NewsNetNebraska
She had made sure she was prepared, even though she's a small-town girl, from Hooper, Neb., and she graduated from a high school with only 38 in her graduating class.
Everything was fine, she said of her first week of classes. The most nervous Wacker she was all week was when she had to make a speech in class, in front of people she didn't even know. Even that wasn't so bad, she said.
After all, Wacker, an athletic training major, describes herself as an outgoing person, and she said she has enjoyed meeting new people. When she is in the dining hall, she will sit with friends she played sports with in high school. They will introduce her to someone they met, then they'll introduce her to someone new, and so on.
In high school Wacker was always involved in something. She played volleyball, basketball and softball. She also ran track and cross country. She was involved in just about everything there was to be a part of: National Honor Society, student council, Spanish club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She even did musicals. Branching out of her comfort zone was always a goal, she said.
She also prepared herself by earning 20 college credits while still in high school. On the weekends when she didn't have something to do she would come to Lincoln and stay with friends in the dormitories to see what it would be like.
Now that she's all settled in, she said, the only thing left to look forward to is Husker football. Story by Sarah Tenorio
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