I am a very scared and nervous person. I was nervous about going to elementary school, then junior high and then I was afraid about going to high school. While I was nervous and afraid about each new change, I got through it each time. My nervousness and fears eventually went away the more I went. I was able to find out who I was from all the nervousness. I realized I really had nothing to worry about because I had a plan and I was gonna stick to it.

But now college is coming up and I am more nervous than all the others combined. Here is what I have so far:

1. What if I can't make any friends?

I am not going to know anyone like I know my friends here. I will know who a handful of people are, but my fear is making new friends. Will they be the same as the old? People are so different in college and what if they don't like me? I can't spend the next four years in a place if I have no friends to lean on or help me. I am supposed to find people that I can make a connection with and people always say there are people more like you in college. But what if there isn't? What if I'm going to be all alone? To help me I have joined many group chats for freshmen just like myself.

2. This campus seems huge.

I get lost just driving to the store. The campus is so big. I was able to figure out where my classes were in high school but now in college, everything is so different. I will for sure get lost and have to ask for directions. I should really print out a map or something to help me find my way around.

3. What if I forget something for my dorm?

I made a list of everything I am going to need for college but I can't shake the feeling that I am forgetting something important. Thank goodness that there will be stores I know just in case I forget something important. But yet I still feel unprepared.

4. What if I get homesick?

I have never been away from home before. I have always been home and near so many people I know plus my family. Now I'm going to a new place, with new people, in a new state that I don't know. I will obviously talk to my family almost everyday, but it most likely won't be the same. I really want to go somewhere new but I know once I leave I'm going to miss everyone here. But that's okay because a new adventure awaits.

5. Will I get along with my roommate?

I met my roommate at one of the seminars before all this coronavirus stuff came up. We hit it off right away, but people always say living with someone would be so different than just being friends. For all I know, she won't even like me. Or what if I don't like her? But I guess only time will tell.

6. What about midterms?

I have heard from so many people that midterms are so stressful and are a hard time in college. I know it is going to be nothing like high school finals. I am so nervous, especially taking six classes. I am nervous that I might fail my midterms and then flunk out my first semester. I really gotta find a good study buddy group to be in when I start school. The sooner the better.

7. My professors won't like me.

Usually teachers love me because I am the biggest teacher's pet you will ever know, but what if this time my professors don't like me? Professors are so much harsher than high school teachers, or so I'm told. I haven't even begun to see who my professors are. I should really do that soon.

8. What if I'm not smart enough?

I am a smart girl. If I wasn't smart, I wouldn't have gotten into UH Manoa. But there are going to be people a lot smarter than me. The classes I am taking might be really hard and I'm nervous that I won't understand the material. I have begun reading the syllabuses for my classes to get a head start on the work.

9. What if I don't like my classes?

The classes I am taking for college are things I have little to no experience with and maybe I won't like my classes. I'll have to just buckle down and stick to it if I want to continue on. I will have to just push through if I can be the best that I can be, but these classes are going to be much different than high school classes.

10. What if everything changes?

Everything is going to change no matter what I do. I am moving to a new state by myself and I am going to a new campus where I don't know what's gonna happen. I am going to be meeting new people everywhere I go. Things are going to change and I am so nervous about that. I have had a hard time with people and family but maybe change will be good. I hope that change will be good at least. Only time will tell.

While these are things that I am nervous about I am excited in every way possible. I can't wait to meet everyone and to start the new chapter of my life.