First Week has ended and the Class of 2017 is beginning their classes as college freshmen here at Millikin University.

“I really enjoyed my first day of class, it was pretty laid back,” Meaghan Grady, a freshman nursing major and soccer player, said. “I feel being a freshman again is a chance to find out who I really am and make new friends from all over the world. Starting at the bottom of the chain is always nerve racking, but it’s been an amazing experience so far.”

This year’s freshmen consist of 45 percent men and 55 percent women. This year more students came from out of state than in previous years. From Illinois, 42 percent came from the Chicago area, 34 percent from Central Illinois, and 7 percent from the Metro East and Southern parts of Illinois. The top major, with 34 percent among the freshmen, is Professional Studies. Arts and Sciences and Fine Arts each have 23 percent of the students. 43 percent of the freshman class is also participating in athletics during their first year of college.

The First Year Experience Mentors (FYEMs) were given a handout with 75 fun facts about this year’s freshmen titled, The Mindset List for the Class of 2017. According to the list for this generation of college students, Kurt Cobain, Richard Nixon and John Wayne Gacy have been dead their entire lifetime. The class of 2017 has always lived in cyberspace and The Real World has stopped being polite and started getting real on MTV. They have lived in an era of instant stardom and self-proclaimed celebrities, famous for being famous.

As the class of 2017 embarks on their first semester in college, Heather Banks, a freshmen musical theater major, is eager to get to work. “I can’t wait for this first year,” Banks said. “I know how important it is and I can’t wait to absorb every moment and learning opportunity.”