Adjusting From a Small Town to a Big College
I grew up in a small town in the Midwest and went to a tiny high school where my graduating class was about 140 people. Everyone knew something about everyone else, and the biggest local hangouts were the town park and the local Pizza Hut. Most of the teachers had either taught one of your classmates’ parents or went to school with them. It was the kind of small town that’s straight out of the movies. So, you can only imagine the culture shock of coming to Purdue where there are over 40,000 students. Just my freshman class was bigger than my entire school district, but I found some helpful ways to adjust.
The Lay of the Land
One of the things I loved about living in a small town was that I knew where everything was because well, there wasn’t that much of it. Purdue’s campus alone covers nearly 4 square miles which seems huge when your primary mode of transportation is walking. The more I got to know the campus, the less intimidating it became. I still spent the first few weeks desperately pulling up the Purdue App map on my phone so that I could find the right building, but I quickly got the hang of it.
Let’s not forget that college isn’t all about academics though. A large part of Purdue life happens off campus, so once I at least knew where my classes were, I started to find other Purdue hot spots. My first few were Chauncey Hill Mall (home of the Discount Den), Wabash Landing (where the movie theater is) and downtown Lafayette.
Make New Friends
It may seem obvious, but making new friends is an important part of college. It can be easy to focus on staying connected with your friends from home (especially if you live close enough to go home on the weekends like I did). In my small town, I didn’t have to worry much about meeting new people, because I pretty much knew everyone already.
In college, your friends are your lifeline. They’re the people that can help you with homework and the people that make you laugh when you feel like crying. They’re the ones who are with you through all the best and worst parts of college, which is why they’re so important. Having a few familiar faces helps you adjust to such a big school.
A Quiet Place
One of the perks of small towns is that the big city noise doesn’t exist. At Purdue, the only truly quiet hours are between 4 and 6 AM. Finding your own quiet space can help you clear your head if you get overwhelmed. Purdue has all kinds of study spaces, places for group hangouts, and much more. The France A. Cordova Recreational Sports Center (known as the corec) offers any kind of exercise equipment you could possibly want to use, if exercise is your go-to stress reliever. For those that like nature, there are several trails on or near campus.
It’s a Small World After All
You know the song, right? Well, it’s true. Even in such a big, populated place, you will meet people that you will see everywhere. After a few weeks, Purdue won’t seem so big, and that small-town feeling will creep back in to help it feel a little more like home.
