Sitting in the Student Union during a long, but not long enough lunch break, I can't help but look around and pick out the people around me. Some people sit alone, much like myself, with their AirPods in, and some form of device in front of their face scrambling to get their homework done for that class of which starts in a half hour. Other people have these huge social groups around them. They push together tables and eat in groups bigger than the tables can accommodate.
Riding a bike on campus is a blessing and a curse; just like a campus on a hill is a blessing and a curse. In my first weeks, I've grown accustomed to the wind blowing through my hair, the constant balancing act of way more stuff on a bike than it should hold, constantly fearing I'm going to get hit by a car or even hit a pedestrian, myself. That being said, I somehow managed to pick the dorm hall furthest from where most of my classes are. It's an amazing feeling when you're half asleep in the cool mornings and all you have to do is let gravity take you downhill to class. Now, reverse that in the evenings and it's a journey back uphill in the hot, humid weather.
Occasionally, I forget college isn't all about marching band. I have classes too? Being 100 miles away from home, there is no excuses to be made. I figured out quickly how helpful my parents constant harping about homework and studying was. Planners, I have found are EXTREMELY useful. They really help with time management, which I also discovered is vital to college survival. It's rather strange to think I am on my own now. I don't have to ask permission, I don't have to do anything I don't want to. I eat when I'm hungry, I sleep when I'm tired, there's no one to tell me no. I say that as my "free" time has been spent practicing music or actually studying for once in my life.
One last realization: don't go to Walmart when you're hungry. It's the quickest way to blow all your money on stuff you probably don't need. You are paying for a meal plan, use it. There is more to campus than those name brand places that don't take your meal plan. You'd be surprised that little sandwich shop is better than Subway.
It's okay to want to do something your roommate doesn't. Why should you spend your college career locked up in your dorm or apartment? Go to events, put your name out there, do things you never thought you would do. Do your homework, go to class, and live your life. Freshman year is your time to decide who you want to be for the rest of your life. Do what you love, surround yourself with people who love and support you.
Most of all, enjoy that first step into adulthood. Congratulations! You made it!
