I began to spend more and more time at the paper. I finished my comp, took a beat--women's and minority issues--and was soon too busy to worry about the whole niche business any more (presumably a sign that I had finally found one).

Probably I spent too much time at The Crimson my first year. Probably we all did. But some of the moments that shine the brightest in my already hazy memories of that year come from my involvement with The Crimson. The exhilaration of walking home late, late at night, tired but happy, through freshly fallen snow in the moonlight; the flush of confidence while reeling in a story, phone call by phone call; most importantly, the feeling, which had eluded me for so long, that I belonged somewhere.

The advice I have to offer incoming firstyears is brief, fragmentary and based entirely on what I did not do myself: Meet as many people as you can during Orientation Week, take advanced standing if you qualify and get your Cores out of the way as soon as you can.

And relax. It's okay to admit you feel new. Sooner or later, you will find, or make, a niche of your own, whether it is in academics, sports, journalism or one of the College's billion other activities. You may be surprised by what it is; be open to all the possibilities.

Who knows? A few years down the line, you may even find yourself doing something as unlikely as editing a newspaper and--even more unlikely--enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches from Tommy's.

Maggie S. Tucker '93 is managing editor of The Crimson.