Well incoming college freshman, we are on the same page here, pun not intended. All of your friends have now gone back to high school, or, like you, are getting ready to head off to college if they haven't already. You're about to start a whole new chapter of your life and leave everything that is safe and familiar to you behind. You're going to officially learn how to "adult" and you will even have to do your own laundry and cook yourself dinner; if you're like me, mommy and daddy still do that for you.
This time of our lives is exciting-it's a time to finally go out into this world and be an adult. We can officially eat whatever we want, stay up and out as late as desired, and so many other things. But again, if you're anything like me, you're hiding behind a façade built of false happiness and excitement only to mask your real emotion towards starting college-fear.
Now I don't know what it is, but when I lay in bed at night my mind automatically goes into double time with the negative thoughts. I literally sit and think about all of the things that COULD go wrong when I get to college. "What if I can't find my classes on time?", "What if I don't do well in my classes?", and the ever so dreaded "What if no one likes me?" And worst of all I'm not even there yet!
I would say it's surely natural to be scared and nervous about going to college, after all it is a huge transition. But worrying about what's to come when it hasn't even approached yet is not going to make these feelings go away. The best way to be as ready for college as possible is to keep a positive mindset! College is drastically different from high school, there will be so many new faces, you are going to become what you dream of and you are going to become the best version of yourself possible.
I've been told the first couple of months are pretty rough; you're going to be home-sick, you're going to want to call your friends and family every day and you might just do that, and that's okay. Don't be afraid to cry to your mom and dad, they want to hear from you too. And all of your friends in high school will still be there for you, after all, Christmas break isn't really THAT far away. In the mean time, live in the moment while you're in college. Don't stress about the future, focus on your schoolwork, make lots of friends, and find a fun hobby that you love to do (there are so many clubs at any campus). Whenever you're rushing to be done with college think back to how fast those four years of high school flew by, remember? Now don't rush the next four! Make this year amazing!
"In any given moment we have two options; to step forward into growth or to step forward into safety."
~Abraham Maslow
