Freshman year, by definition, is a time for new experiences: life without parental supervision, sharing space with a roommate, fraternity parties, your first blunt, and then, in a category all on its own, drunken homoerotic encounters.
And while many students might balk at the last item on that list, experimenting with members of the same sex is not so uncommon for college students, especially for those in their first year away from home.
So why would seemingly heterosexual students start making out with members of the same sex? Freshman year is rife with new and exciting sexual experiences to begin with, and many of these liaisons are often fueled by large quantities of alcohol.
"I'd never even thought of making out with chicks before college," said Nicole, a junior art major, who asked that her last name not be used. "But alcohol definitely played a part in starting that."
Attention is also another factor in what could be dubbed the "freshman phenomenon," especially at parties.
"Having hot friends was certainly a factor, but even more so was getting the attention of guys at frat parties," Nicole said. "First it was three-way kissing, which involved two girls and one guy. Then, naturally, it turned into girl-on-girl."
"This was mostly fueled by a Mardi Gras party my freshman year," she laughed, "where everyone made out instead of showing tits to get beads."
For other students, however, the experience is less about attention and more about exploring areas that were previously taboo. Haley, a senior linguistics major, said she'd long been curious about same-sex relationships but wasn't able to address her interest until she came to college.
"The curiosity started when I was about 15, actually, but it was so frowned upon in my town, and I was embarrassed about it," she said. "But, when I came to college, the opportunity arose and, well, it happened. I don't think of it as a sexual thing most of the time, it's just something we do for fun, I guess."
And while most of these faux-lesbian encounters have been friendly and non-sexual in nature, dabbling in dyke-ism ultimately taught Haley a lot about her own sexuality.
"I was completely sober when I did that, and I knew the girl. I don't know if I'd do it again, though," she said. "It was mainly out of curiosity, and I guess that's where I found out it's not for me."
The freshman phenomenon, though, largely seems limited to the female half of the population, as same-sex encounters are especially frowned upon between men.
"I caught a finger or so in my ass during freshmen year, but it was always from a girl," said William, a senior business major. "Does that count?"
William said he's never had the desire to experiment with other men, despite what some of his classmates might think.
"Nope, never," he said. "Everyone thinks I'm bi or bi-curious, but I'm not. I like girls."
On the other hand, Victor, a sophomore biomedical sciences major, said that coming to college - as well as this "freshman phenomenon" - afforded him the opportunity to be more open about his own sexuality.
"I knew I liked guys when I was 14, back in military school," Victor said. "But I had to hide that, because if anyone found out, I'd be ostracized by my schoolmates and ultimately get kicked out. Now that I'm in college, I don't have to hide it, because it's somewhat more acceptable."
And while some students might frown upon the others that choose to try their hand at homoeroticism, Haley said it can be a good experience and is often better than what those critics usually end up doing at the bars on the weekend.
"I think it's funny," she said, "because some girls would classify you as a slut if you do that. But honestly, I don't think it's any different than that girl at a bar that gets drunk and just grabs the first boy at the Steer or something. If anything, that's worse."
"And come on. Who hasn't seen to girls making out nowadays?" she added.
