To all those freshmen out there that maybe aren't having the easiest transition into college so far, don't worry. You're not the only one who feels the way you do. Personally, I struggled with most things; finding friends, balancing schoolwork and getting involved. Returning for my sophomore year, however, has turned out to be a breath of fresh air. I am the happiest I've been at school, and everything seems to be falling into place. Here are a few things that have changed for the better.
1. I came back to school excited to see my friends.
For quite a while my freshman year, I felt alone in a sea of people. It took me a long time to find my friends and the right people to surround myself with. Now I live in an awesome dorm with some wonderful roomies, and I couldn't be happier that this worked out.
2. I am much more organized and ready to work.
Last year I had a planner, but for some reason, I never really put it to use. This year I actually have a grip on my schedule, with all of my syllabi dates color coded for the whole semester. I feel like I actually know what I need to be doing each night now, instead of scrambling to make sure everything gets done.
3. I actually know where everything is on campus.
During a lot of my first year, I felt like I had no idea where anything was. I went to the same dining hall and didn't really ever venture too far from my room for studying. Towards the end of the year, it was a totally different story. I ventured out to all of the different dining halls, both libraries, and even found some other study spots! I now spend more time in the library than ever, and it really helps me to focus and get my work done!
4. I am more motivated to go to events that I didn't go to last year.
For some reason, I missed a lot of events on campus last year. I guess I wasn't fully tuned in to everything that was going on! This year will be very different because I have plans to take advantage of all of the cool events on campus! From sports events, to concerts, to inspiring speakers there is so much to attend and I don't plan on missing any of it.
5. I have narrowed down what I actually want to study, making it much easier to be successful!
Everyone tells you that you'll change your major at least once in college, and I didn't really know if that would be true for me. I was trying to do a double major, with one major that I wasn't completely sure about, but I thought it would go better than it did. I was really disappointed in myself when I decided to drop one of the majors, but I realized that it just wasn't meant to be, and now I can focus on what I really want to study in college.
