Students from all over were welcomed yesterday to Montclair State University’s Red Hawk Country by a frenzy of festivities.

The day included socializing with other new students, as well as competing in the first College Olympic Games, which they hope to hold next year as well.

The relaxed atmosphere in the quad was refreshing, while new students mingled. Samantha Cox, a freshman, said MSU had a “good feel” and that the people were friendly. Students also said that Red Hawk Day set the precedent for the rest of the year.

Some things that attracted new students to MSU were the well-rounded community, diversity on the campus and good curriculum. Tina Schoenwandt fell in love with the campus’ beauty and size. New students Tess Stahl and Richard Jellison agreed.

This past summer a group of 12 Montclair State University students studied abroad in London, England for the month of July. Along with them, about 120 other students from all over America studied and lived in the town of Surbiton.

Classes were at Kingston University, which was a 15-minute walk from their apartments. I participated in this journey during which students were able to adapt to a new culture and have experiences that made them grateful to be able to study abroad.

“I didn’t want to leave,” said Anthony Pistono, a senior at MSU. “My roommates and I acted like a family. We went out together almost every night and had the best time.”

He lived in my “flat” along with senior Christa Bramante, graduate student Caleb Prewitt and junior Kelsey Beckert. We all took classes for our majors and went on field trips to places such as Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, Bath and Oxford. The classes were double sessions, which meant we went to class in the morning, took a break for lunch and then went back to class until four or went on a field trip led by the professor.

All students were placed in apartments in Surbiton called Seething Wells. Most were put in rooms with people who came from their state. This allowed students to bond with people that they could potentially meet up with when they returned home.

This also strengthened our group immensely, since there is a chance that we would not have met otherwise because MSU is on the larger side and we have different majors, like English and fine arts.

On the other hand, one student from our group, Matt Shalhoub, a senior at MSU, got placed in an apartment with students from Michigan State and spent the majority of his time with them.

“I would look over at our MSU group and feel like they should branch out more,” said Shalhoub. “I know they were having a good time, but I’m just really glad I got to meet so many people from another part of the U.S.”

However, because our courses related to our majors, I was able to meet other students from Georgia, Michigan, California, etc. and we still keep in contact today.

Meeting the locals was another fun experience for students since the pubs, grocery store and shops were conveniently located within walking distance of our apartments.

Many of the bartenders and older people in the pubs chatted with the students and asked how they were adapting to London’s culture.

“They were so down to earth and relaxed,” said Prewitt. “I felt comfortable talking to them about the places we visited while being there and they gave me some insider [tips] about other interesting places that we should check out in this large city.”

Transportation for the students was very accessible, since we were given an unlimited pass to use on the trains, buses and subways, better known as the “tube,” that worked for all six of London’s zones.

“I couldn’t believe how clean the tubes were,” said Kristen Brandoff, a graduate student at MSU. “I live in

New York, so it was a huge difference from the subways there, not to mention I felt a lot safer on the tube versus the subway.”

All of the MSU students were extremely excited to go to Abbey Road, made famous by the Beatles. Just by going to Abbey Road, we were joined by tourists from all over the world going to the same destination.

“The intersection was busy,” said Melissa Grant, a junior at MSU. “But the fact that you’re walking the same zebra walk the fab four did 40 years earlier gives you this incredible feeling that you’re a part of their world.”

Studying abroad in London allowed every student to return home with memories they will keep forever. The language may have been the same, but the culture was slower-paced, which allowed students to enjoy their time abroad seeing and learning a new cultural perspective.

One local I met at a coffee shop asked where I was from because of my accent, and he commented on how London is one of the most, if not the most, diverse city in the world.

At first we were worried that a month would be too long, but in the end we all ended up wishing that we had more time in this wonderful city.

These days, it is rare to meet someone who isn’t on Facebook. People of all ages are logging on and creating accounts for a number of reasons. According to Facebook.com there are currently more than 500 million active users, and about 70 percent of these users reside outside of the United States.

Facebook is known for being a network where you can connect with anyone, locate long lost friends or family members, meet new people and stay in touch with ones that live far away.

Facebook.com also states that 50 percent of active users log on to their accounts on any given day, and have an average of 130 friends.

That’s a large number of people sharing their personal information with the world, yet for the most part we assume that it is all in good fun. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and question, how safe are we when we log on?

People on Facebook are not always who they seem to be. There have been many crimes and cases where someone has created a false account to deceive others.

One of the most memorable tragedies is Ashleigh Hall, a 17-year-old Facebook user just like most people her age.

Hall began talking to a good-looking 19 year-old who she met on the website. Within a short period of time, the boy had convinced Hall to meet him in person.

That boy turned out to be 33-year-old registered sex-offender Peter Chapman. Chapman kidnapped, raped and murdered Hall.

It is hard to blame a child for falling into a trap such as this, but it is also difficult to blame Facebook itself.

In cases like this, it is best to just try to prevent similar things from happening in the future.

Facebook seems to be trying to do just that by improving privacy settings and creating a safety center.

It is also a good idea to look online for ways to stay safe. For instance, onsileo.com and hotindienews.com readers can find tips on how to protect themselves on social networks such as Facebook.

The Internet can be an enjoyable place to socialize with others, but it is important to keep staying safe a top priority whenever you log on.

Junior’s restaurant and bakery, located in the heart of Broadway across from the Marquis Hotel, is the perfect addition to any day in New York City.

Junior’s started as a little bakery in Brooklyn in the 1950s. Originally known for their cheesecake, Junior’s has snowballed in popularity and quickly became a New York landmark.

He Said

You know, I’ve always wondered about that question. What exactly is a nice guy? Who are these mythical men? If they are, in fact, so nice, why don’t girls like them?