Battles for parking lot spaces, spending big bucks on expensive textbooks, and difficult professors were some of the horror stories Livingston resident Adilene Valuenzuela heard for weeks leading up to her first day at California State University, Stanislaus. But as soon as she stepped foot onto the campus, she felt right at home.

 “So far it’s been good,” said Valenzuela. “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be.”

Valenzuela was one of 1,238 incoming freshmen who embarked on a new chapter in their academic careers on Thursday on the first day of fall classes at Cal State Stanislaus. The newest freshmen class brings the total enrollment to 8,902 at Turlock's university.

“I recently decided to major in sociology, but I’m sure I’ll change my mind by tomorrow,” said Valenzuela. “I have a couple of years to figure it out; so I’m not rushing on anything.”

For senior Pedro Martinez, a new semester at Stanislaus means more friends and memories to make.

“I’m really excited for this year,” said Martinez. “It’s a bittersweet feeling for me because it will be my last year. I want to see what these next two semesters have to offer, and I’m going to make the best of it every step of the way.”

Cal State Stanislaus will also see new and improvement renovations this school year.

“A school project that should be completed this year is the renovation and seismic retrofitting of the Science 1 Building,” stated James Leonard of the CSU Stanislaus office of communications and public relations. “It remains on track to have construction completed in November and to open for classes in the spring.”

The science building will house the School of Nursing, assisting in nursing labs. The changes also include the creation of seven new classrooms and an open computer lab.

Stanislaus President Joseph Sheley will kick off the fall semester with his annual address at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Snider Hall.