From football, to new friends, to failure, the class of 2026 felt all of the excitement and nerves that come with the first month of college. Some had a positive experience.

“It’s been super fun so far,” said first-year pre-business major Cole Madden. “I’ve been getting to meet a bunch of new people, I love all the academics like all of my classes are really fun and really interesting and I don’t know, it’s been a blast.”

Others had a rocky start.

“[It’s been] harder than I expected honestly,” said first-year movement science major Cassandra Sifuentes. “Literally just took my first biology exam yesterday; kind of cried about it but it’s okay.”

One thing most students had in common, however, was their excitement to get involved in all TCU has to offer. From campus events, to student organizations and especially football, many said they were eager to do it all. 

“I’m excited to play the good football teams. I know the last time it was a little sad, so I’m excited for good football teams,” said first-year history major Emerson Koren.

Getting involved in everything is exactly what some upperclassmen advised.

“For first-year students, I think you should just try to join every club you can, and just do it all and then find out what you like,” said junior management and entrepreneurship major Lawson Orradre.

Many upperclassmen said part of the TCU experience is finding a community and a sense of belonging.

“My biggest advice would probably just be to get as involved as possible on campus,” said senior biology major Alex Caron. “I know like you have a lot going on with classes and everything, but it’s really important to form some of those social ties because that’s really what I think TCU is all about.”