"I've Never Seen a Subway Before" - College Freshmen Enter NYC

Fordham University's cafeteria is teeming with life. Rising above the clinking silverware and quiet *blop* of chicken tenders being dipped into ketchup is the conversation of hundreds of college freshmen, newly arrived to the Bronx campus. Classes start Wednesday, and today is the final day of orientation.

Making connections, some talk about which dorm they live in, or their favorite places to visit in New York City—but some can't add much to that conversation.

Meet Lauren Graneto, 18. She's an English major from Scottsdale, Arizona and had never been to New York until Friday. Her very first steps in the Big Apple were getting off the plane at JFK. Graneto's been busy with move-in and orientation the past few days, and said she hasn't had much of a chance to explore the city yet. That means she's still waiting for some quintessential city experiences.

"I've never seen a subway before," she said, "...so it's really cool that you can easily jump place to place, only a couple dollars."

There are others like Graneto in colleges across the five boroughs. Some 60,000 freshmen are entering school this fall, and most come from outside the city. They're all part of the some 600,000 college and grad students in New York City - making it the biggest "college town" in the country.

So why come to college in a place you've never visited?  Graneto says she loves the diversity and opportunities the city provides, especially for her English studies.

"It's a very big place for publishing houses and stuff, and I'm really interested in literature," she said. "Many great authors have lived here, written here, so hopefully I can follow in their footsteps one day."

So this may not be the last time you see the name Lauren Graneto.