As the spring semester comes to a close, there's nostalgia in the air about the year being over.
This year was an important one. Sun Devils framemogged Clavicular, watched Tempe Tavern get raided, welcomed new professor will.i.am and saw bbno$ reading out of cookbooks.
Among all the impactful moments of this year, five events every college freshman goes through are the most resonant.
Join me on a trip down memory lane to revisit the good, bad and ugly moments the Class of 2029 had this year.
5. Meeting your best friends during Welcome Week and then never talking again
The magic of Welcome Week makes even the shyest freshman a social butterfly.
Everyone's door is open 24/7, and invitations to hang out are passed out like candy. But enjoy it while it lasts — alas, those "best friends" will soon turn into distant memories.
You may have shared your deepest, darkest secrets with your neighbors on night one, thinking you'd become pals forever. Or maybe you exchanged Instagrams with somebody who will stop responding to your DMs in a week.
The worst part is, nobody ever talks about it.
So when you see them in the hallway later in the year, you face the awkward situation of saying hi or pretending you never met at all.
Usually, I just duck my head and become really immersed in the zero notifications on my phone.
4. Running out of money halfway through the first semester
Did DoorDashing twice a week finally catch up to you?
Suddenly, eating at the dining hall doesn't sound so bad after all.
Grandma's grad money can only stretch so far, especially amidst books to buy, concerts to attend and Waymos to ride.
The real world is expensive, and now finances are entirely your responsibility.
It's actually kind of terrifying if you think about it for too long. Everything's always inflating. Gas was $6 last week. Don't even dream about buying a house anytime soon. How are we going to make a living in this economy?
Cue the mid-youth crisis.
The good news is that ASU is always hiring student workers. The bad news is that they take forever to respond, and $100 minimum is needed just to get through the week.
3. Getting sick during midterms
On one unsuspecting fall morning, everyone in the dorms wakes up with an itchy throat and stuffy nose. But, that's not all.
Don't forget, there's also five finals, three essays, friend drama and your boyfriend decided it's time to take a break.
All in the span of one week, while your head is pounding too much to form a coherent thought.
Being sick within the confines of a 12-by-18-foot dorm room is hell on earth. For some reason, the one thing nobody packs for move-in is NyQuil.
It's like the universe conspires to make everything go wrong during midterms.
Just be careful. Insisting that a cold is nothing might backfire when it turns out to be pneumonia. True story.
2. Going to the GLV to experience a real college party
Every young and naive freshman dreams of going to their first real party.
It's a rite of passage to step into the Greek Leadership Village and explore all the spectacular houses. Dancing with those older frat boys and beautiful sorority sisters is a bi girl's dream.
So, at 6 p.m. sharp, it's time to raid a friend's closet to assemble the perfect outfit for "touse." Make sure to snag pictures along the way for a college photo dump.
All that work only to arrive at the GLV and wait outside for hours because somehow every frat is full at only 9 p.m.
Turns out everyone else had the same idea, too.
Frat houses are actually smaller than they look on the outside. A hundred people probably aren't supposed to cram onto one staircase.
It's not exactly like the movies, but hey, close enough.
1. Attending every football game. Like, seriously.
All of a sudden, flocking to Mountain America Stadium is the coolest thing to do on a Saturday.
Do you even like football? Or is it just another activity to check off the freshman year bucket list you saw on TikTok?
Either way, the Inferno is doing something right. The student section sold out nearly every game this year, which is pretty impressive.
READ MORE: ASU fans pack stadiums, pummel records in Fall 2025 semester
The fireworks are pretty cool, and the Sun Devil Marching Band is always incredible. The heat, not so much.
At least Sun Devils got to enjoy Sam Leavitt (more like Sam Leftitt) before he abandoned ASU like a meaningless situationship.
Getting through freshman year of college is a feat in itself.
No matter what may have gone wrong, it's nothing to be ashamed about. It's all part of the perfectly imperfect college experience — we've all been there.
Editor's note: The opinions presented in this letter are the author's and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Senna James and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at ajanusee@asu.edu and follow @lexijanusee on X.
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Lexi Janusee is in her second semester with the State Press. She is a freshman studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Theatre. Lexi also works for Blaze Radio, and is an on-air host for Open Mic.
