More than 100 new members of Congress reached Washington on the Monday before their 3 January swearing-in for new member orientation, bringing the jitters of a first day along with them.

A large freshman class with varied backgrounds

The midterm elections that carried the newcomers to Washington were sweeping for the party. Democrats flipped more than 40 House seats and gained at least six new Senate seats, with the race in Alaska still uncalled but appearing to favor the party.

The incoming class is varied in profession. According to the orientation report, it includes:

• •doctors and scientists
• •military veterans
• •faith leaders
• •farmers
• •a smoke jumper
• •a Latin Grammy award-winning musician

First-day jitters and school-day comparisons

The orientation itself had the feel of a first day at a new school. Representative-elect Dan Koh of Massachusetts, comparing the experience to adolescence, said: "It really is like high school – but it's fun high school."

Freshman senators were settling in as well. Incoming Democratic senator Troy Jackson of Maine, who arrived at orientation alongside fellow newcomers James Talarico of Texas and Annie Andrews of South Carolina, shared boba tea with Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday.

For some newcomers, the adjustment is still sinking in. Zack Mullock, a Democratic mayor and representative-elect in a longtime Republican district in New Jersey, joked that "I had to Google the salary of a congressperson just two days ago." For most members, the answer is $174,000 a year.

Others shared the moment with their followers online. Representative-elect Rebecca Bennett of New Jersey, 39, posted on X: "First day of school!" and added, "Rebecca, age 39. Favorite subject: ending foreign wars and making child care affordable."

What the new class wants to do

The incoming members say they arrive with a mandate to lower costs and corruption, and their stated agendas range from oversight to sweeping social policy.

• •New House Democrats plan to use their new subpoena power to investigate the Trump administration.
• •Some back pushing forward a single-payer Medicare for All, described in the report as a progressive goal.
• •Many newly elected members have championed a federal paid leave policy as part of their economic platforms.

The paid leave push has concrete ground to stand on: the US has no federal law mandating paid family or medical leave, and only about a third of US workers can take paid time off after childbirth.

The class is also likely to include a record number of mothers in Congress, with at least one new member bringing her small children along to orientation.

The newcomers will be sworn in on 3 January. Before that day, they have already contended for office space, one of the first contests of their new careers.