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And while putting a person like this—social to the umpteenth degree—in a solitary room might be the ultimate stress, she's even figured that out. "I rent it out sometimes for people who need privacy," she says. "So I make a few dollars and I get to stay with friends." Told that more freshmen could be enterprising like her, Crevier smiles and says she also does laundry. Her clients to date include the entire 3B floor wing of Christensen.

Vania Crevier

MY LAST VISIT to campus comes days before the students scatter for Thanksgiving break. Crevier, Kaste, Bell and Littleton are doing well. The latter has found the Campus Ministry Waysmeet organization, which links volunteers with the local people and institutions that need them. She is confident that the piece of the puzzle that was missing has been found and that she will soon be happily buried in extracurricular projects that will make her read more, think more, and most of all, give more.

When I see Aktas, he is in the final stages of a studying binge with high hopes of mastering his calculus and programming exams the next day. He explains that the reason he didn't go to calculus before is because he didn't want new equations to mingle with the numbers just stuffed in his head. In other words, it was a strategic blow off of class.

He has started to develop study skills and is increasingly reaching out to people who have offered to help. While observing Ramadan—the annual dawn to dusk month-long fast—he manages to roust himself early enough to fuel himself with a Pop-Tart.

Later, after the fall semester is over, I check in with him one more time. Aktas reports that things are looking up, that he studied for all his exams and did much better than he thought he was going to do. He's looking forward to the spring semester and is excited about the mix of courses he has signed up to take.

Omer Aktas, I'm here to report, is hanging tough. Freshman parents of the Class of 2009, rest easy. The kids are all right.

Todd Balf '83, a former senior editor for Outside magazine, writes for Men's Journal, Fast Company and other publications. He is the author of two books, The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangrila, and The Darkest Jungle: The True Story of the Darien Expedition and America's Ill-Fated Race to Connect the Seas. He lives in Beverly, Mass.

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