College, from my world to yours
Iowa to Maine is so far away, many worried I wouldn’t be able to do it. I myself had doubts as well don’t get me wrong. But here I am at the end of my first semester at college, 8 days until I get to go home and I can say it wasn’t easy but I would’t change it for the world. You learn so much about yourself within the first few weeks. You learn that you have to get out of your room and your dorm, go to as many events as possible and mingle with strangers. After all that’s what life is right? Mingling with people and taking chances. If you stay in your room you will not meet the group that you fit in with, you will not realize that you love rugby and learned a thing or two about field hockey. Staying in your room my dear friend will drive you up a wall. The next thing that you learn within a few days really is if you can make it being so far away from all your loved ones. It was extremely hard for me to not be able to jump in my car and drive the 15 minutes to my Nanna’s house for Sunday dinners. It was hard to watch the lives of my loved ones go on without me there. Traditions like Thanksgiving and Friday game night go on without me. But when you get to that sad state you have to pull yourself out of it. Give them a phone call, facetime or Skype call a few times a week. Tell them about all the amazing things you are getting to do. Things you wouldn’t be doing if you didn’t grow wings and fly the nest. Within telling them these things you yourself will realize that your life is still going on as well. After you can conquer the homesickness is when the homework and studying comes in. All I have to say for that is time management is key. Hanging out with friends is always fun and the option that you would rather have I get it but school is where your focus should be. Chunk out your time and use it wisely. Remember that sheet of paper that each professor gave you on the first day of class that you spent the whole period going over and it went in one ear and out the other? DO NOT throw it away! Treasure that with all of your life. It is the most important piece of boring paper ever. Write down your homework assignment due dates as soon as you see them. Color code your planner with your classes. I almost forgot to mention, a planner is also your life. Literally. That right there is how you spend your days and chunk out your time. Without mine I probably would have lost my mind the first month of classes. A piece of advice while we are on the subject of classes, don’t buy your books right away. Wait till the first week or so of classes to see what books you will really need, I promise it will save you and arm and a leg later down the road. Another thing you have to learn is to go out of your comfort zone. Making myself seen and talking to other people is something I have never been good at initiating. There is no guide you can buy that will tell you how to do it, you just have to get out and talk. Even if it’s at a hockey game to the upperclassmen who you wouldn’t think would even look at you. They will respond I promise. Everyone is trying to make friends and fit in somewhere. Sometimes it just takes you going first to help people out of their shell as well. That’s another thing. Go to every sporting event you can. It is the most amazing stress reliever. Getting out of the dorm, being surrounded in school spirit and learning a few peoples names. High school sporting events do not compare. It is also okay to be the crazy girl who screams loudly in the stands at the hockey game because the refs suck and don’t know how to make good calls.
The moral of the story is, get out there and make yourself known. Be the one to start conversations it will be just fine. It is okay to be homesick and happens to everyone even the upperclassman or the students who live 30 minutes from home. Everyone gets scared and frustrated, your not the only one. Home will always have a spot for you when you come back, and take full advantage of the holiday breaks you have (you can call your Nanna and give her a list of food and goodies you want when you get back). College is good and not scary take the reigns and go as far as your heart desires. You will thank me later.
