Freshman Excited to Live on His Own Won’t Do Laundry Until Fall Break

Ah, NSO. The sweet smell of freedom in the air. No parents, no rules, no repercussions for public intoxication. We met up with a particularly eager Wharton freshman, Aaron Abramovitz, who reflected on this new stage of life. 

“If I could describe my life as a freshman in one word, it would be ‘Independent,’” explained Abramovitz. “If I want to do something, I can do it. If I want to go somewhere, I can call my own Uber. I don’t have to ask my mom anymore.” 

Abramovitz noted that, while living in the Quad can be limiting on some fronts, he has plans to make it work. “I don’t want to be tied down to the dining hall schedule. I bought a camp stove from REI with my newspaper route money from the summer. I plan to cook every meal on it,” he said. “Ralph Waldo Emerson— Self-Reliance.”  

Abramovitz seemed less enthusiastic about the idea of doing his own laundry. “Washing machine? What? No way I’m using that,” he scoffed. “The only machine learning I’ll be doing at Penn will be for my uncoordinated dual-degree.” Abramovitz further remarked that he has “enough” clothes to tide him over until fall break, when he will turn over his dirty clothes to his mother who is “just much better at these things.”

All in all, Abramovitz remains optimistic about his newly-minted adult life. “It’s like my Bar Mitzvah all over again.”