King’s College welcomes large, diverse freshman class

WILKES-BARRE — Fall classes at King’s College are back in session, as many Wilkes-Barreans have probably already noticed. Around this time of year, both sides of Main Street become hot spots for foot traffic. On the north side, you can thank the students and professors of King’s for all of that activity.

More specifically, a lot of the foot traffic comes from the freshman students, each of whom is tasked with adjusting to their new academic and social lives. This fall, there will be over 500 freshmen at King’s.

According to statistics provided by the school, the class is diverse in terms of background, race and geography. One-fifth of the new freshman class is Hispanic, 10% are Black, 3% are Asian, and an additional 4% identify as two or more races. Geographically, 13 states are represented in the Class of 2028, which was described as King’s College’s “largest and most diverse incoming class in four years.”

One of those out-of-state freshmen is Samantha Dix, who hails from Delran, New Jersey. She chose King’s because the school offered her an opportunity to continue her cheerleading career and because of its famous physician assistant program.

In regards to academics, the first two days have been fast-paced.

“I think the first day was a little overwhelming,” Dix said. “My chem class went right into teaching on syllabus day.”

The college experience is swift and all-encompassing, but Dix is starting to find a system that works for her.

“I’m just trying to find a balance between work, learning the new teachers and how they teach, and then learning college in general.”

The complexity of a college class schedule, as opposed to the rigidity of the high school system, has been the biggest challenge for Dix thus far. Luckily, she’s not going through it alone.

By Samantha’s side at King’s College is her twin sister. This has been a great advantage, especially when it comes to making new friends and managing the social aspects of college life.

“On the first two days, we met a pretty good group of seven girls, so we’ve been hanging out, doing homework together, or walking to classes together,” said Dix.

Stephen Petty, a freshman from Mountain Top, also has a familial connection to King’s. During his college decision, and in choosing to be a finance major, Petty kept that in mind.

“My brother is an accounting major,” said Petty of his ultimate college decision, “and I’ve always liked finance.”

Petty was also interested in the William G. McGowan School of Business’ AACSB accreditation. That acronym stands for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and only five other schools in Pennsylvania share that accreditation with King’s.

King’s rolls out an extensive orientation program for incoming students in the days directly preceding the first day of classes, which, in 2o24, fell on Monday. The first weekend spent on campus for the students is, if nothing else, an opportunity for them to get more comfortable with their surroundings.

“I got to meet new people… and I got a taste for where stuff is on campus,” Petty said of the orientation days.

The first two days of classes were rather easy for Petty, as the syllabi and ice breakers have taken up the majority of his class time up to this point. His schedule consists of both finance and core classes, or those that do not directly fall into the student’s primary discipline of study.

Still, the ice breakers have given Petty the chance to meet some of his classmates. In some cases, the professors have split the students into pairs to encourage conversation.

Socialization is key in the early days of college, and that can manifest in a number of ways for students. For Petty, socialization was baked into the King’s College system. For Ashlynn Fields-Clarkson, a freshman from Bensalem, camaraderie has been found in the people she is surrounded by as a dorm resident and as a theatre minor.

“I’m auditioning for the musical and the play that we’re hosting,” said Fields-Clarkson. “Honestly, I’m really excited. I haven’t auditioned since I was in, like, seventh grade.”

The musical and the play Fields-Clarkson is referring to are “Lunch with Steve: A Sondheim Review” and “Waiting for Godot,” respectively.

Fields-Clarkson has a unique academic career ahead of her. She has paired her theatre minor with a major in criminal justice.

Her interest in solving crimes dates back to watching “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” with her mom, but her respect for the process has since advanced. She has become more aware of true crime over the years, culminating in her focused approach to choosing a major.

“To be able to actually solve cold case files and all these crimes would be an absolute dream of mine,” Fields-Clarkson said. She added that solving crimes would allow her to “change peoples’ lives” for the better.

In her dorm — which she has already caught herself calling “home” — Fields-Clarkson is building relationships.

“We always stop by each other’s rooms, and we have these hang-out sessions, basically,” Fields-Clarkson said of her dormmates. “We have lunch dates and all of that.”

That’s not bad for someone who’s been on campus for, essentially, a long weekend.

“I’ve already made a bunch of friends even though I’ve only been here for four days,” said Fields-Clarkson.

A year from now, today’s freshmen like Dix, Petty, and Fields-Clarkson will likely return to King’s College as sophomores with new perspectives. One of this year’s sophomores, Averi Osborn of Dickson City, can already feel the difference between her first and second years on campus.

“I think it was definitely more comfortable coming back,” said Osborn, reflecting on her freshman experience compared to today. “I didn’t have the pressure of making friends; my friends are my friends now.”

Osborn, who is in the physician assistant program, has a psychology class this fall with many freshmen students. With that in mind, she knows what kind of influence she can have by exhibiting good habits.

“Raising my hand might make them feel a little bit more comfortable to raise their hand, too,” Osborn said of her younger classmates.

Still, Osborn has challenges of her own this fall. The coursework ramps up in difficulty, and it becomes increasingly relevant to the student’s major course of study. But Osborn is largely unfazed, as her studying habits, friend group, and familiarity with the pace of college life have strengthened over the past year.

In other words, the lessons Osborn learned during her freshman year have prepared her to handle the tasks in front of her.