Four Students, Four Perspectives on Freshman Fall
By Isabella Cary and Sophie Hamill
Student Across Class Years Share Their Freshman Year Advice
By Isabella Cary and Sophie Hamill


Hindsight is 20/20. If you could go back to your first day of college, what would be the first thing you would tell yourself with the knowledge you possess now?
To find out how perspectives change throughout our years in college, we interviewed one student from each grade level, freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior, and asked them for their advice to themselves and to others.
While each student’s experience was different, several common themes emerged. Students repeatedly pointed to the importance of getting involved, building meaningful relationships, and staying true to yourself while adjusting to college life.
One of the intersecting points of agreement was the value of taking advantage of opportunities early on. Freshman Ryan Jenks said she would encourage both herself and incoming freshmen to become more involved as soon as they can.
“I would definitely give myself the advice to really expand on clubs here and really choose more interests,” Jenks said. “And try to meet more people.”
Continue readingOne night at Red Rocks
The slideshow shows the experience of traveling to Red Rocks with friends for a night of house music featuring Cloonee. Rather than only focusing on the concert itself, the story follows the full progression of the night, including the drive up to Boulder beforehand, getting ready with friends, taking the party bus to the venue, and experiencing the atmosphere at Red Rocks. The photos and clips aim to show both the excitement of live music culture and the social experience that surrounds concerts for many college students.
I chose these photos and videos because they helped create a sense of movement throughout the story and reflected the atmosphere of the night. I organized the slideshow chronologically so viewers could experience the buildup naturally, starting with preparation and travel before reaching the concert itself. I used audio from an interview to make the slideshow feel more personal and immersive, while the music and text helped connect different parts of the story together. One thing I learned from the process was how important pacing is in a slideshow, especially when matching visuals with audio and music transitions. If I were to do another project like this, I would try to gather even more close-up and crowd shots to create additional variety in the final edit.
Isabella and Brooke’s outdoor Spring adventure! Huzzah!
What went well was the camera settings, we think it went great and the shots we got were very visually interesting. We definitely needed to work on our audio quality and generally the steadiness of the camera. I think keeping the camera steady and level is going to be something to consider for our video projects, since it took a little bit of manual steadiness to get it steady. There is always consideration of lighting too. The lighting was great today because it was a cloudy, yet bright day and that gave us good coverage for even lighting. I found this experience somewhat informative in terms of how much we were able to discern are important to keep in mind in our upcoming projects.
Rainy spring day, 45 seconds to lofi & chill to
Group: Dylan, Lucas, Nick
A rainy spring afternoon
Ella Lannan & Avery Hakstol
A calm spring afternoon
Joe and Aidy’s outdoor excursion
Colin & Marc | B-Roll
We thought the sound went really well, and being able to get the camera to focus. One thing that worked well was being able to capture unique shots of animals and other objects, like cars, to best support the sound as well. One thing we could be better at is capturing more unique shots of animals or other subjects in the park.
IM soccer at DU: An inside look
Intramural soccer at the University of Denver is an essential part of many student’s college experiences. It provides an opportunity to unwind every Sunday with the sport they love most.
This shared love of competition and the beautiful game is what brings players together. My photos look to capture this bond. I wanted to show the sidelines, where the faces of the game truly shine.
I wanted to show the emotions that IM soccer brings, as well as the relationships that are built through it. To do so, I added two interviews from players that dive into the bond with their team as well as the game itself.
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