Your Freshman Year

This is it. You’re beginning the rest of your life, moving out and finally getting away from mom and dad. At least that’s how I felt and maybe you don’t want to leave the community that has been so close to you for the previous 18 years of your life. Either, way let me tell you college IS as fun as everyone says it is. Sure, there are rough days and impossible exams, but after all, great things cant come without obstacles along the way.

The day I moved in, I was excited for my parents to leave and let me explore the electric city all on my own. But, when my dorm room closed and I saw my parents for the last time for a month, I will admit I was a little scared. What If everyone hated me? what if I couldn’t find anything I liked at school? What if I didn’t do well in my classes? The first night I stared at my ceiling and let my mind tell me that I was going to somehow fail at college. But that’s not how it went at all. A semester and a half in and I have the best friends, am doing really well in school and am involved in things that make me happy.

I think every freshman comes into school and sees other people travelling in packs the first few days and you think to yourself “they have friends already? Everyone has friends?! Holy shit everyone has their friend group already and here I am alone.” The truth is that in reality a small percentage of people know their friend group before arriving on campus. For my school, a lot of people are from Long Island and Staten Island. I found that some of the girls from those schools knew people and made their friends a long time ago. As for the rest of us, I was just as lost as the girl next to me. I got lucky in that my core group of girls, or JEBY as we call ourselves, everyone except one girl lived in my hall. I suggest keeping your door open those first few weeks, girls stopped in all the time asking to see what my room looked like or just to introduce themselves. Soon, we started eating dinners with each other, probably because we didn’t want to go alone, and eventually they became my best friends.

I also found that being involved in clubs allows me to meet people from different places and different majors. I am in a nursing club, which as opened me up to a new world of girls I know I can go through my next four years with. I’ve met upper classmen who I can also ask for advice on what professor to take or how to study for an exam. I’m on the equestrian team too. I rode at home and was so glad I didn’t have to give that up when I came to college. This team has also allowed me to meet people who share the same interest as me, horses are a huge part of my life and I love being able to spend time with people who enjoy them just as much as I do.

For me, school academically didn’t change all that much when it came to the difficulty or the amount of work I had to put in. what I will say is that with time comes a lot of distractions. Because you are only in class for a few hours a day, and you’re free to do whatever you want during that time it is integral that you dedicate some time every day to your studies. Some people like the library, others their rooms, some like spaces in public places, and some float in between all of them. Whichever you choose, make sure you separate yourself from distraction. Put your phone away, turn off Netflix and get to work. I personally prefer a lounge in my dorm or my room, but this might not work for everyone. Wherever works for you dedicate time out of your every day to read over your notes, catch up on homework and not forget about that exam on Friday.

So far, college has been nothing but magical for me. it can be for you too if you find a group of people who support everything you do, and you have a little bit of fun while not forgetting about school. My academics are rigorous, but that doesn’t mean I can't go out with my friends on a weekend or grab lunch with them.

Your life is only just beginning. College is like taking the training wheels off your bike and letting you pedal on your own. You need to find your balance to make it work. Taking the big step is scary, but once you get the hang of it you won't want to ever come home.