Dear Wisecat,I just arrived to Villanova about a week ago and absolutely loved New Student Orientation. My group was great! We got along so well; I wish I were back hanging out with them at the Oreo. How can I move on after Orientation? How can I form that special bond elsewhere? Do I have to?Sincerely,NSO lover for life!

Dear NSO lover for life!Someone nearly as wise as me once said, “We are friends, and I do like to pass the day with you in serious and inconsequential chatter. I wouldn’t mind washing up beside you, dusting beside you, reading the back half of the paper while you read the front. We are friends, and I would miss you, do miss you and think of you very often.” I can only reference my four days of Orientation as a new student, when I felt like you. I felt like I had bonded with 20 other students who knew so much about me that no one else was able to find out in four days. Four days. I was tired, emotionally drained and missing home, until I connected with these people who just got me. They understood. We were in the same boat. Like you, we too left our homes to go on this journey that was unclear on where life would take us. Then before we knew it, Orientation groups were lighting each others’ candles at the ceremony on the last day. It was then that I realized it was time to go head first into the Villanova community and make it my Villanova.Pretend that you are back at the candle lighting ceremony on Sunday. Ask yourself what was I thinking at that moment. As you stated above, you probably were scared that you were leaving yet another comfortable place. It was time to make new friends. I have one question. Who said that you had to replace your group? Just simply add on. Who said that you have to move on from Orientation? I say have reunions; call each other to hang out; most importantly enjoy each other’s company. Lastly, every experience is specific to that one moment in time. You will never find the same exact bond that you once had during the four days with another group. Harsh? No, it’s a fact. Not one group or one person is the same as the next. Therefore, there is no moving on; just remember. Remember the memories. And as you join new organizations, look for those people who will make new memorable moments that you will look back on and simply smile.

XOXO,Tina