If you're reading this, you're one of two things:
1. A freshman who is also trying to survive college whilst in a pandemic, or
2. You're just curious as to whether or not I'm surviving college or on the verge of throwing in the towel and booking it back home.
Well, if you're here for number two, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm still trucking through the maze that is known as college. The maze is long and has way too many twists and turns.
But, I'm taking it one step at a time despite the number of challenges I've already encountered.
Let's take a trip back to August 2020. I was uncertain as to whether or not college would even consider moving students back into the dorms on campus. But here I am, now approaching Fall, and I'm typing this post from the comfort of my dorm room.
The first five weeks of college were filled with extreme uncertainty and anxiety as well as constant worrying in the form of checking emails to see if we were being told to go home.
That email never came through, my days living on my college campus seem endless now.
All in all, these last five weeks have taught me a lot of lessons. I am so grateful and thankful to be able to attend college and be able to gain these experiences and meet amazing people who I can now call my closest friends.
So, what have I learned from these long, anxiety-ridden, and confusing five weeks?
1. It goes by so slowly, but oh so fast.
There have been times I wondered when the semester would end. There were other moments I realized I only have a couple of weeks till midterms and only a couple of months before heading back home for the holidays.
These past five weeks have made me experience a slew of different emotions and an ocean of struggles, but I have enjoyed every moment.
College is such an eye-opener and I feel as if I've learned so much already — not just from the lectures.
2. Be as outgoing as possible.
This one may seem odd, but it is so important given the circumstances of attending college while in the midst of a pandemic. My roommate and I knew from the beginning we wanted to try and meet as many people as possible while following social distancing guidelines.
We made it a priority to introduce ourselves to everyone we met, always leaving our dorm room door open while there.
You wouldn't believe where a friendly wave and an enthusiastic introduction would get you. Despite not being able to visit other dorms or even sit around other people, we made a large group of friends in the short five weeks we've been on campus.
3. Create a schedule and stick to it.
This one is the most important on this list. Making a schedule for your day, or even your week is the key to having a successful semester.
In my case, almost all of my classes are solely online, so that means no lectures to structure my day.
This was nice for the first and second weeks because I felt I had all the time in the world to do my work, but then week three hit and so did my first college crisis.
Not having timed lectures to block out my day meant I had to block that time along with extra time to go back and study the material I basically just taught myself.
So yeah, make a schedule for yourself, you'll thank yourself later.
4. Take time for yourself.
This may seem obvious, but seriously, set aside time for yourself. At the end of the day, you'll be super grateful for that quiet time. College is a rush, and it can get extremely overwhelming at times.
I first felt I constantly needed to be doing something. I didn't want to miss out on anything. If I did, I felt guilty for it.
It all caught up to me later on and I felt as if I had a huge weight on my shoulders because I had been so "go, go, go" for weeks on end. Just know, there are always going to be events happening, and it's okay if you miss some of it.
In the end, the time with yourself was probably better than whatever was happening.
5. Don't wait to do laundry.
This one might seem silly, but I swear by it. DO NOT WAIT to do laundry until you go home for a weekend.
Your laundry stinks, and dorms provide washers and dryers for a reason. Plus, sleeping in clean sheets makes all the difference some days.