Meet the freshmen, part two

Elisabeth Deogracias
18; Santa Cruz, California; majoring in journalism at New York University

You’re moving coast-to-coast. How do you feel?
Everyone keeps interrogating me and asking me why I want to be stressed in NYC. I had to defend that a lot.

What are you expecting once you get here?
Growing up in California, people are nice. If you’re in a bad mood, they ask what’s wrong. Nobody’s uptight and snaps at you in public. I wouldn’t say I’m sensitive to that, but I think in New York, there’s no personal reason for people to talk to you in a certain tone. We’ll see about that. Maybe it’ll toughen me up a little bit.

How was it growing up in Santa Cruz? Are you high right now?
I don’t really smoke weed anymore. It doesn’t go with my personality. It’s easier to get than anything else in Santa Cruz, but I’m probably one of the only nonstoners coming from there. It wasn’t taboo there, while other students in New York are like, “Oooh, weed!”

What else do you put in your body?
I eat healthy. I’m pescatarian. I don’t like meat, but it’s not an identity. I have vegan tendencies.

How’s the love life?
I kept entertained throughout the years, but nothing serious. Small schools don’t lend themselves to stuff like that. It’s not that I have really high standards or anything. I’ve heard that everyone going to NYU is gay, but I don’t really know.

Give us your personal ad.
First give me some places to scope out the boys! They have to be funny, they have to have some ambition. I like grounded guys and mama’s boys because that means they have respect for girls.

Kristen Fuller
18; Springfield, Vermont; majoring in communications at the College of Mount Saint Vincent

Where the hell is Springfield?
I lived on a dairy farm with 100 to 150 cows that we milk. My mom’s a first-grade schoolteacher. Everyone here’s farm orientated. I’m not really into the whole farm thing.

Does anybody really go cow-tipping?
I never do it. I think it’s a myth. I’m not a big animal person. I hate dogs. I’m really against dogs.

Okay, what animal attacked you when you were little?
A pig actually bit my finger when I was, like, five.

Which girl were you in high school?
I liked it all. I played field hockey throughout high school, was on a dance team, and I competed in clarinet. I wasn’t a stereotypical band geek or a jock. I’m a girly girl, butI did sports. It takes me about an hour to get ready in the morning with makeup, hair and shower. They were always so judgmental in my high school—kind of lame. But I’d like to join a band. I’d love to do something with that.

A clarinet band?
Yeah, like, who does that? But I still want to play. I’m so excited to be here. I’m excited to meet local New Yorkers. I’ve always loved the city, took trips there. I love busy life, I love everything about it, the slums and the ritzy parts. But the garbage smells kind of gross me out.

What do you look forward to?
I’m looking forward to the New York boys. Yeah, anything is better than the ones back home. I dated this loser for four years and he’s not doing anything with his life. He’s just stubborn and stuck. I want to focus on my studies. I know it sounds lame. But I’ll also go partying with new friends.

Break it down