Going to college seemed like a good idea, you were excited, then the first day happened and you were wheezing going up three flights of stairs, a backpack full of everything but the kitchen sink, you realized you felt like you were going to die. This was the biggest moment of your life, this was what all the education underneath you had led up to, this is what would send you into the real world, this was all on YOU. You were paying for it, you were accountable, and no one could breathe down your neck anymore. Your grades were on you. Your participation, your willingness to go to school even when you don’t want to, it’s all on you.

Going to your first class, the door keeps getting further away although you are walking towards it, you get tunnel vision and everything that could ever go wrong runs through your mind. You could walk into the wrong class, you could trip when you open the door, stand up and say something funny and no one would laugh. You have never been so scared but when you open the door, you aren’t met with death glares, the students smile at you. The professor welcomes you, and you find a desk to make your home. You realize college is terrifying, but everyone is scared. Everyone has the same pressure put on them. Everyone is a child inside still trying to find their adult self they are ready to grow up. Together we all grow up, together we approach the unknown, and together we learn algebra, and geology, and the history of the essay.

Going to class you remember in grade school you were taught to respect your authority you find out college teachers prefer their first name, learn over again as you count the steps heading down the stairs. You see that one guy you wish wouldn’t exist, you see your best friend from elementary school, hug her like you both care and then move to the next class. Not one building on the campus anymore but twenty some and more, learning how to navigate it every day, you aren’t alone. The cafeteria has a Starbucks, and the library’s third absolutely silent floor becomes your sanctuary.

Get a class schedule and learn how much work is coming up, excuse yourself to the bathroom throw up, “I can’t do this,” “I have to,” “I can do this,” go back to class. You remind yourself that you paid for this, that you could have just kept working retail for the rest of your life, and with that thought, you suddenly start taking notes.
First week of college, two papers, one quiz, four readings, each 6 pages, you are ready. You draw your pen like a sword and approach the door that second day, greet your teacher and introduce yourself to the people around you,

you are ready.