Occidental College
Campus Conversations
50 Days at Oxy
Blogger: Maddy Farkas
Today is my 50th (day) anniversary of officially being at Occidental. Which, if the school was my husband and days were actually years, would be considered the Golden anniversary. I guess today was pretty special, as my friends and I just drove past President Veitch in a golf cart and he told us to come by his house to take his Oinkster order next time we make the trip. (You can hold us to that, Pres.). But as for those other 49 days…they were pretty special, too. 
My name is Maddy and I’m currently a freshman at Oxy. To anyone in my class, you probably know me as “that Facebook girl.” Honestly, if I had tallied the amount of times someone came up to me during the first two weeks of school and said, “Oh my gosh, you’re Maddy Farkas from Facebook! I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity!” then I would be a very rich woman. Alas, I am a broke college student and my being Facebook famous is clearly not going to change that. Over the summer, I was very active on our ‘Class of 2016’ Facebook page, trying to help everyone out and answer as many questions as possible, while simultaneously creating friendships before physically arriving at the school. My method of making friends thankfully proved beneficial, as everyone I spoke with online was just as awesome in person.
What I have noticed since being at Oxy is how easy it is to talk to people, and how willing everyone is to make new friends. Maybe it’s the fact that we were all forced upon each other and getting along was the only way to not drive ourselves crazy at school. Maybe we are all just genuinely amiable people. Whatever the case, finding my place at Occidental came easier than I could have ever imagined.
Feeling at home didn’t come gradually over the 50 days of living here. It came the first time I visited the campus, in August of 2011. If I recall correctly, I tweeted (twit? twittered?) something along the lines of, “Occidental smells like peaches. I’m in love,” and from that moment on I was set. I applied to the school through Early Decision, and my acceptance letter came in the mail in early December, about a month before my other apps would have been due. Now, I can’t say that the school has smelled like peaches since I’ve been here, but it is living up to all of my other expectations! Not one of my classes exceeds 30 students, the food is delicious, and there is always something to do, whether it go to a movie screening or sneakily watch a wedding rehearsal.
Adjusting to the surplus of kids from the Bay Area and their use of “hella” is probably the toughest part of Oxy life. Although I live a short 45-minute drive from campus and have the perk of going home when I need to, being homesick seems nearly impossible. Even my friends from other states have seemed to be doing fairly well, and I have to give it up to Oxy for really embodying the “small school” vibe and creating a quaint, comfortable community environment. Other than that, I have quit complaining about the lack of a 24-hour shuttle up to Braun Hall and accepted that the walk will, at the least, tone my legs.
In other news, today was the first day I was cold while walking to class. I got to break out the jeans AND a sweater; my roommate and I even elected to turn off the air conditioning. I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life and I can’t remember a summer heat ever being this miserable. Today, however, on this lovely 50th (day) anniversary, it felt like autumn. Just in time to relax with a cup of tea, wrap myself in a blanket, and write three midterm essays. Oh, President Veitch, give me strength.