Coming to Amherst as a first-year, I expected the awkwardness. I remembered those initial glances and weird handshakes well from my experience at a residential boarding school. The first few hellos and name exchanges are destined to be encounters that make both parties cringe, at least a little. Even with this level of discomfort in mind, I noticed a subtle difference between those beginning moments at my high school and the ones at Amherst.