Cristina Foglietta
Staff Writer
LIU Post welcomed the class of 2016! There is a diverse group of new students from New York, out of state and countries all over the world. They all have one thing in common; they are all freshmen. There are 950 freshmen students this semester said Rita Langdon, the Associate Provost and Director of Public Relations. This is an increase of 41 students from last year said Langdon.
Forty six of the freshmen have a parent or grandparent who attended LIU, states Dr. Reginald Ross, Associate Provost and Dean of Admissions. Twenty eight of the freshmen have a sibling at LIU Post that is either a cur¬rent student or already graduated, said Ross. Joe Alvarez, a freshman Music major, said that he picked LIU Post because he liked the Music program and his sister is a senior who is studying Journalism here.
These students are furthering their education and experiencing life on their own. Marie Lisa Alessia, a freshman who has not yet decided upon a major, is nervous because this is the first time she has lived away from home. Some freshmen have feelings of worry and excitement no matter where they are from. Alessia said Post is the perfect distance from her home in the Bronx, about 30 minutes. Many freshmen are anxious and nervous about starting a new chapter in their lives. “I hope I make new friends and have good experiences here,” said Alessia.
Several students are eager to be a part of LIU Post and experience college life. “LIU Post was my first choice; I wanted to come here since my junior year of high school,” said Alessia. She said she wants to take core classes now while she is undecided on a major. Lang¬don stated that the most popular majors of this freshman class are Criminal Justice, Psychology, Education and Business. Another student who is excited to be starting at LIU Post is Alvarez, who said he is already getting involved on campus. “I expect a good education and memories that I can have for the rest of my life, good ones not bad ones,” said Alvarez.
There are 400 freshmen who are com¬muting, said Ross and there are 550 freshmen living on campus, stated Jessica Hayes, Associate Provost for International Student Services and Community Development. Some students feel that they need to live on campus to get the full college experience.
“My mom wanted me to commute but I always wanted to dorm,” said Yihua Xuan, a freshman IT Management major from Bayside, New York. Xuan said the beautiful campus made LIU Post stand out from other universities. She said she is half nervous and half excited. “I am looking forward to the campus events and a great college life,” Xuan said.
Xuan lives in Suffolk Hall with room¬mate Jessica Wong, a freshman Pharmacy major from Carmel, New York. The roommates talked to each other through email before living together. “I’m nervous about my classes, meeting people and how people see me,” said Wong. She said she thinks that showering close to others in the communal bathrooms in her dorm building will be awkward. Wong said she is also nervous about getting sick since she is around many people inside a dorm building.
Ross said that there are freshmen students from 24 states and there are 94 fresh¬men from outside of New York. He said that there are freshmen students from California, Georgia, Hawaii, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Is¬lands, among many other states. Dr. Ross said that there are many freshmen from the New York and Connecticut area.
“LIU was the best University in New York that accepted me,” said Jakob Carter, a freshman Theatre major. Carter is from South Carolina and wanted to study theatre in New York. He lives in Riggs Hall and moved in before his roommate. Carter attended the Ice Social Event on campus, which was held the night of freshmen move in day on September 5th, which helped me make new friendships.
There are 100 international freshmen this semester from 26 countries, Hayes stated. Hayes said there are freshmen students from Austria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Canada, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and Vietnam.
LIU Post has a wonderful, big campus and a lot of international students,” said Teresa Ndong, a freshman International Business major. Before attending LIU Post, she visited the campus and liked what she saw. Ndong is an international student from Equatorial Guinea. She lived in New York with her family for a year before attending LIU Post and applied to different universities in the U.S. “I want to make American friends and have a normal college experience,” said Ndong. She says she gets along with her American roommate and lives in Queens Hall.
Ndong attended school in Madrid with Ignacio Alda, also a freshman International Busi¬ness major. “Ndong recommended LIU Post to me and I trusted my friend’s judgment,” said Alda. He said even though he has lived away from home before, he is nervous about starting at LIU Post. Alda wants to make a lot of friends from all different places.
The class of 2016 consists of a broad range of students from all over the world. Nervousness is a common emotion this week but all the students are excited to embark on this new journey. The class of 2016 will be formally welcomed into the LIU Post community at the Convocation on September 19th at 12:30 p.m. in the Tilles Center of Performing Arts. The Division for Student Success and the Provost’s Office are hosting the event. Good luck freshmen!
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