Let's start school! Old and new in the new semester

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It is always sad to bid farewell to the summer vacation, but getting registered as a university freshman is not that depressing for many.

With the arrival of autumn, many high school graduates have packed their luggage and set out for a new life in their colleges and universities. There are always stories during this season of old traditions tangled with novelties.

New outlooks for a new semester

The most eyeball-catching freshman around the world is Malia Obama, who was recently spotted by her schoolmates having arrived at Harvard, accompanied by her parents, Barack and Michelle Obama, the former President and First Lady of the US.

Snaps of Malia Obama talking to friends at Harvard University. /Photo via ‍Twitter

The snaps have not only sent Harvard into a frenzy, but also lingered on Sina Weibo, the Chinese social media platform for days.

Another duo who have gone viral on the Internet are Skylar Bantz and Adeline Vela, who completely transformed their dormitory as soon as they moved into Texas State University. They have changed the interior decoration of their dormitory from an ordinary dorm room into a stunning-looking, princesses' room.

Skylar Bantz and Adeline Vela's dorm after decoration. /Photo via Instagram

It took them only 10 hours and cost some 2,000 US dollars, but according to the girls, they talked about it for a whole summer after meeting online and decided to become roommates for the next four years.

Skylar Bantz and Adeline Vela's dorm before decoration. /Photo via Instagram

It seems a little bit of creation and DIY skills will always make life better.

Old and new in China

China's top Tsinghua University welcomed about 3,000 freshmen on Tuesday, who are always considered as the most brilliant ones. They will be the last generation of freshmen born in the 20th century.

The so-called "millennium babies", who were born after the year 2000, have also started to arrive at universities, and according to Tsinghua University, their youngest student this year is only 13 years old.

Freshmen entering college in China. /Xinhua Photo

Chengdu University in southwest China's Sichuan Province welcomed students with a "gift bag" sent out through social media platforms of WeChat and Weibo, which contains the registration procedure, instructions of the campus, and even guidelines against online fraud.

Freshmen and their parents walk on campus at Tsinghua University. /Photo by The Paper

Cellphone applications have been widely used among the universities, which greatly simplified the registration procedure. Freshmen were able to book their dormitories online, to contact their classmates and teachers, as well as get their pre-school reading homework on the applications.

What has changed?

Many Chinese people could not help to cast a nostalgic look at the past and memories of them being a freshman.

A news report says "40 years ago, when the Gaokao (university and college entrance examinations) was resumed after the 10-year 'Cultural Revolution', the freshmen entered college with only a basin, kettle and quills. But now, the 'three-piece must' have changed to cellphone, notebook and iPad."

Freshmen entering college 40 years ago. /File photo via Sohu.com

A Ms. Li who entered Sun Yat-sen University in south China's Guangdong Province in 1977, said that during that time, students who had a wrist watch would be admired by the whole school. During the 1980s, watches became common, and those who could afford a recording machine attracted the most attention.

Today, a set of Apple products, including an iPhone, a Macbook and an iPad, are considered by most students as the most wanted things to be packed in their luggage. A single-lens Reflex camera will add the charm.

Apple productions. /Xinhua photo

But there are also freshmen who think differently.

"I am not planning to bring many things with me, and a smart phone will do" said Lu Yan, a student poised to enter Xiamen University of Technology. "I have already put a lot of things in my online 'shopping cart', and they will be sent to my dorm by express upon my arrival."

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