As an incoming first year writing to a predominantly freshmen audience, I can say that these feelings are all normal. All of my friends, from high school and from my university, all have the same feelings toward moving on.
The last month before move-in day is filled with emotions. You constantly go from being so excited, wanting summer to speed up, to so scared that you won’t fit in or make new friends, needing summer to slow down, to so sad that you won’t be with your best friends anymore, just wanting time to stop. What I've learned from talking to all of my friends is that everything I am feeling, they’re feeling too! These feelings are completely normal and it’s totally OK to feel this way, so don’t sweat it!
1. This is the feeling you have exactly one month until you move in:
2. The excitement you’re feeling is unreal, so unreal that you may even work yourself up so much to the point where you feel like you’re going to be sick… in a good way
3. But right as you’re feeling totally excited and ready to take your next step in life, the negative emotions rush to the front of your brain
You go from ecstatic to scared and melancholic and a bit nostalgic. You begin to think about everyone you are leaving behind. How you won’t see your best friends for months, how you’ll never speak to some people again.
4. The thought of leaving home, your family, your pets... it all becomes too overwhelming and now this is you
All of a sudden your excitement completely fades away, and all you can think about is all of your new anxiety that is rising to the surface.
5. Now it’s time you have “the talk” with your friends.
The “LDR” (long distance relationship) talk, that is. Since you will be apart for longer than you’ve ever been, you feel the need to make sure that your friendships are more solid than ever. I mean, you didn’t spend all this time creating such a strong bond to throw it away at the first glance of a problem, right?! Now, this one is hard because there’s always the fear in the back of your mind that you’ll need this person and they’ll be living a new life with new friends, but the truth is, they feel the same way about you. Have the discussion!
6. Now that you’ve worked through all of your negative emotions, you realize, you’re an adult now, you’ve gotta do adult things
You start to feel a certain responsibility over your life, and it’s the new joke in your family, because clearly now that you’re in college you know everything… I mean, how else did we get into our schools?
7. You have to get your last minute things done.
It’s time to buy your comforter and throw pillow, and don’t forget about your new chargers. A throw blanket? Of course it’s necessary. A new poster for the dorm? Don’t mind if I do.
At this point in your third hour of online shopping it’s evident you have a serious problem with figuring out what you really need, and what will look cute in your dorm. This is how you look sitting in front of your computer.
8. Now as move-in day is getting closer and closer, those mixed emotions start coming back
As everyone is preparing to leave there’s a weird feeling in the air. You will go from being prepared, to being destroyed in seconds. You’ll have your last sleepovers and dinner dates for the season. You’ll go from laughing with each other to crying together in seconds; trust me, I still have three weeks and I’ve already done this multiple times.
9. Even though this month is full of crazy feelings, we all know that we are going to be looking around at our new home like this on move-in day
Again, it’s totally normal to be feeling a million different emotions right now. This time in our lives is so different and so new to each and every one of us that we are equally terrified and excited. The great thing about leaping into the unknown is that we all are feeling similar things. We are all going through this transition stage. Take a second to talk to your closest friends, have a vent session (or two) and reminisce on everything you’ve been through together. This new lease on life will be a learning experience for all of us, so take advantage and live it.
