Beginning a new chapter

College freshmen are getting their first taste of higher education today, with local community colleges and Vanguard University all opening their classrooms for the fall semester this week.

First up were the junior college students Monday, with more than 30,000 of them enrolled at either Orange Coast College or Coastline Community College for the fall semester. Enrollment is up 5% and 8% for the schools, respectively, compared with last year. Enrollment figures for Vanguard were unavailable Tuesday.

Diving into the entire college experience often means dorm life.

“I was kind of stressed out, but once you meet new people it gets easier,” said Amy Silva, an 18-year-old freshman living in Vanguard’s Laguna building.

Silva’s experience was shared by many of the freshmen roaming the campus the day before classes begin. Living away from home is initially an intimidating concept, they admitted, but the university does more than enough to ease the adjustment.

Four freshmen guys, towels slung over their shoulders as they headed to the beach, were impressed with the caring faculty they’d met in Vanguard’s “Welcome Week.” Their beach excursion Tuesday was the last summer hurrah.

“I was surprised in how much interest the faculty showed in us,” said Preston Axford, who transferred from a community college in San Diego.

UCI will begin classes Sept. 27, and residents will begin moving in earlier in the week.