Ep.2 - The First Day

On the way John-Boy is flagged down by a girl by the name of Polly Thompson who has lost her ride to Boatwright. She gives him no choice in giving her a ride to school. Once on campus John-Boy makes the mistake of parking in a faculty space and he then meets Michael West another freshman who gives him a few tips on how to survive at college. He then gets picked on by some sophomore’s including Mike Paxton who will become more instrumental down the road. John-Boy then goes to get his orientation package and meet his Big-Brother Shanks Hewlett who has more time for the pretty girls that doing his mentorship. He then runs into Polly again who has misplaced her book bag in the haste to go find it he bumps into the professor who's parking spot he had taken knocking all the materials out of his hand.

Later he is approached by a sophomore who asks him to deliver the school mascot, a goat, to room 11 in the Administration building. He makes his way followed by a crowd of amused on-lookers. Just as he is about to knock on the door of room 11 he realizes that this is office of Professor William Ghote otherwise known to the sophomores as “Billy the Goat”. John-Boy has left his admissions certificate at home and requires his Daddy to bring it to him at the college. Mike Paxton and his friends see the Walton truck pull up and immediately start to make fun of it. John-Boy realizes that he is no longer embarrassed for who is or where he comes from and proudly meets his father and gets his admission papers submitted just in time. Finally as he is about to cross a walking bridge, Mike Paxton and his gang try to toss him into the pond. Professor Ghote arrives in time to break up the fight and advises John-Boy that maybe he's done enough damage for one day and should think about going home. He arrives home to tell the family the tale of how he survived his first day of school.

• Mike Paxton, the instigator of many of the practical jokes played on John Boy, returns in "The System" (s3-ep7) and "The Fledgling" (s4-ep23)
• Lawrence Dobkin who plays Professor Ghote is in fact a Director who goes on to direct 15 episodes of The Waltons beginning with "The Quilting" (s4-ep21)