It all begins at Mustang Corral. Yes that is a cliché, but it is quite literally true. Many young Mustangs’ first experience with the SMU family occurs at corral, and boy, is it an experience.

For myself, Mustang Corral was a baptism, literally, into Texas heat and college life. I spent three days at a Jewish-owned summer retreat camp with intermittent air conditioning, which for someone who is used to a cool California ocean breeze (yes I’m one of those people,) made me feel like I was about to melt.

Compounding upon the Texas weather was the numerous icebreaker games we all were forced to endure, which are always awkward and nearly never fun despite how hard I know the Corral leaders tried. At times all I wanted was to be back in my nice, cool dorm room. One could easily say my corral experience was torture at times.

But the story doesn’t end there; I did not sit down to write this article to convince you to try and avoid corral. I highly encourage everyone to go, and actually participate, because for me the people that I met and the connections that I formed more than made up for the fiery Texas heat and awkward encounters.

Yes, icebreakers are awful, and yes, you’re sometimes going to feel like a child going to summer camp. But while I can’t promise you that Corral will always be fun, I can promise you that it is 100 percent worth it if you participate.

No one is “too cool” to pass on making a first impression on classmates and forging important friendships at Corral. The people I met there, I see every day in my classes and commons.

Beginning college with connections like those will certainly come in handy, regardless of whether you are trying to get notes from the class you missed or figure out which party is going to be the coolest this weekend. If I had thought that I was above participating, I would have missed out on the opportunity to meet new people, take on some school spirit, and make some lasting friendships.

So while there are certainly awkward icebreakers in store for the Class of 2019, I would encourage everyone to make the best of it. On the bright side, this year’s Mustang Corral has a slightly different format from years past last and now there are new traditions to pass down with the Residential Commons system more firmly entrenched in its second year. I hope that you enjoy your corral experience and decide to make the most of it by participating. And for the times when it’s not fun, just remember that classes, tests, and “normal life” as a Mustang are just days away; make the best of the unique experience of Corral while you can!