What a great idea to have a Colgate class of 2018 Facebook page, right? A place to post all of your college anxieties together, bond as a class, stalk future classmates, get answers to all college questions and get excited for college together. Class pages are generally known to be a place to find classmates with common interests. This would be why the generic “Hi my name is ____, I’m from _____, planning to major in _____” posts are created, and we all may or may not be guilty of posting such an introduction. The more cringe-worthy, awkward aspects of the page tend to happen over the summer, when the over-posting begins.

If you scroll down the feed, you’ll find the typical announcements, aforementioned introductions, tips from upperclassmen and posts advertising the endless opportunities at Colgate. Then we get into the more interesting posts: the hysterical memes conveying frustration over our housing assignments (or lack thereof), the occasional controversial opinion leading to intellectual banter over the course of 20+ comments and, of course, the notorious posts from “over posters,” people well-known to anyone who has been part of a first-year class page.

By no means am I claiming that class pages on Facebook are bad. I’m not afraid to admit that I am one of the people guilty of posting on the class page (only once, may I add), and as a result I found my roommate. These pages are good for networking within the class and could almost be considered, dare I say it, reassuring. No, you aren’t the only one who hasn’t gotten your housing assignment. Yes, it’s okay to be freaking out, just like the other 700+ people on Facebook! When class schedules come out, everyone posts their courses, and if you are dedicated enough to go through the posts that have been blowing up your Newsfeed, you may be able to find your classmates! This sort of interaction definitely adds to the excitement of college, not to mention getting a notification a day ensures that the Colgate Class of 2018 is never far from your mind.

I’m sure that I am not the only one who has had the classic “So have you talked to your roommate, anyone in your hall or classmates yet?” “Yeah.. I mean we message on Facebook.” The class page, while simultaneously notorious for awkward posts yet helpful for meeting people, has brought a large majority of our class’s interaction onto Facebook. It’s finally the beginning of our first year of college, and it’s time to meet people and probably forget their names, or recognize them as a member of our class who posted in the class group. (Isn’t it funny how people look different in real life?). Regardless, as a large majority of those who took the leap and introduced themselves on the class page say – I can’t wait to meet all of you!