Saying “this is so cringe” while smiling the whole time.
SAYING “THIS IS SO CRINGE” WHILE SMILING THE WHOLE TIME.
Follow for more dives into the quirks of campus life!
Remember those first few weeks? A dizzying whirlwind of new faces, unfamiliar halls, and an almost overwhelming sense of expectation. Then came the traditions. Oh, the traditions. The mandatory icebreakers where you had to share a fun fact, forcing a strained laugh at someone’s questionable hobby. The overly enthusiastic group chants that felt performative, even a little cultish, under the watchful eyes of beaming upperclassmen. Or perhaps the earnest, slightly off-key singing of an alma mater you barely knew, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of complete strangers.
We all did it. We stood there, internally screaming “this is so unbelievably cringe,” while a tiny, undeniable smile crept onto our faces. We rolled our eyes, exchanged knowing glances with newfound dorm mates, and scoffed at the sheer, unadulterated earnestness of it all. Yet, there was something undeniably powerful in those shared moments of awkwardness. Something that started to stitch us together, thread by tentative thread, into a community.
These weren't the intellectual challenges we’d spent years preparing for, nor the groundbreaking research we dreamed of. These were the raw, slightly uncomfortable rites of passage, designed to break down barriers, even if through sheer, collective embarrassment. Looking back, those “cringe” moments were often the first whispers of belonging, the secret handshake that welcomed us into a world far grander than any single classroom. For alumni, they’re the stories we tell, the inside jokes that instantly connect us, a reminder of when we first truly found our place. It was cringe, yes, but it was our cringe.
#IvyLeagueLife #FirstYearExperience #CollegeTraditions #StudentLifeUSA #AlumniStories #CampusCulture #HigherEd #IvyAlumni #OrientationWeek #ThoseWereTheDays