Ah, move-in day. In college, move-in day is a crazy, packed day where all the new freshmen start to acclimate to their new life, and the upperclassmen are in the middle of all the craziness, help move things in and catch up with old friends. In Gatton, it is no different, though at a smaller scale.

Just like our seniors last year, we were tasked with moving in all 102 of the new juniors to the buildings. The day began relatively chill, as at 8:30 AM, we were served an amazing breakfast of donuts and orange juice. But next, the real work began. At 9:00, around 40 of us walked to the front of Gatton, eagerly waiting for the first batch of juniors to arrive.

The first car finally got here and it was immediately swarmed by a pack of 20 very eager Gatton students. The parents opened up their trunk and told the seniors their kid’s room number, and wa-la, all of the luggage went to the room. The rest of the day went similarly to this. Greeting parents, introducing ourselves to the new juniors, and moving fridges to rooms was the norm until about 2:30.

But for me, this brought back very nostalgic memories. When I moved into Gatton for the first time. I remember being very anxious the first day, not knowing what to expect at all. All of my things were brought safely to my room (Thanks seniors!), but even after I moved in, I had other things on my mind. How would my classes be, would it be ok to make friends here, and do people here just study all the time? Thankfully the answers to those questions were to my liking, but at the time they were very important questions I did not know the answer to.

So, my parting words of advice would be to take things slowly and one thing at a time. You won’t feel overwhelmed with everything you have to face if you just think about each thing one at a time and face it head-on. Gatton’s a place that you’ll grow into and get adjusted to as time passes. Try to fall into a good routine and definitely leave time for relaxation.

Rithik

Hey guys! My name is Rithik Reddy. I was born in the small town of Glasgow, but have lived in Bowling Green since I was 5. Here in BG, I attended Bowling Green High School where I was involved in extracurricular activities such as Beta Club and Academic Team.

The first time I found out about Gatton was in the 7^th grade when I came to WKU’s campus for a Duke TIP ceremony. It just seemed so far away, so I just pushed the opportunity in the back of my mind. Finally, sophomore year came around, and my parents encouraged me to apply to Gatton. I applied, not even fully committed to going, and luckily got in. With some reluctance, I decided to go, and I can confidently say that it has been one of the best decisions of my academic career.

Since coming to Gatton, I’ve made so many great memories, and I’ve come to admire the closeness of the community. My interests have been further clarified and my passion for STEM has only grown. Also, I’ve realized that there are more opportunities than I can think of. One of these opportunities is research. I was able to partake in two different research projects since coming to Gatton: a chemistry project in the fall, and a mathematics project since the spring. The project in mathematics, where I am studying a mathematical model for the healing of diabetic foot ulcers, even extended into the summer with a RIG (Research Internship Grant)! Another opportunity is study abroad. I was lucky enough to be able to go to England for three weeks, where our class studied English literature and explored various cities.

All in all, my junior year was an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store!

Rithik