Last Friday, I attended Lees McRae orientation. As a newbie to the whole college experience, I was terrified that I wouldn't make friends and that I would be riddled with anxiety. Honestly, the whole experienced surprised me (in a good way.)

The day of, I was poorly packed and exhausted as I was getting around. I had forgotten to pack an extra outfit and my bathroom essentials, which sent me into a tizzy. I was running around the house trying to throw things together until we left. I was covered with a face full of makeup and enough deodorant to pass as perfume. Mostly, I was trying to distract myself from what was about to happen.

We were twenty minutes down the road and I was feeling the anxiety creeping into my head. In result, I talked my mother's head off all the way down the road. I told her my fears, what I was excited for, and what my plans were. I'm sure she was ready to have a few minutes of quiet time. When we were almost to the school, I could see the mountains towering over us. They were breathtaking and full of color, yet my chest was too tight to notice.

I was thinking of everything that could go wrong. Maybe I wouldn't make friends, or feel like I belonged. It was too late to back out of my acceptance and I had already acquired too much scholarship money that I wouldn't back out. This weekend would set the stage for move in day and the next few months of my life. The pressure weighed on my shoulders as we pulled into a parking spot. Students were everywhere and I didn't recognize anyone. I was truly and utterly a stranger here.

They pulled us from our parents and separated us into groups with students from the college. I watched my mom in the distance as I was whisked away into the new group. There were only eleven people in my group and we all stared at each other with the same fear in our eyes. Of course, we were given an icebreaker to play where we matched our name with animals. I would be the one to say Maggie the Maltesers when I meant Maltese. I called myself a candy, not an animal.

I stayed quiet as long as possible until the orientation leader called me out to asked about interest. I was able to mention how I am a writer and that I am published, which always attracts the same reactions. Luckily, my leader is an English major which made it easier to adapt to my surroundings. After a while, I realized that the other students in my group were trying to start conversations with me, but I was shutting down. I forced myself to talk to everyone and try to make good impressions.

Luckily, since I had my two year degree, I didn't have to take any assessment tests. That is when the fun started. I got to know everyone in my group who also went to an early college. They were so intelligent and cultured that I found myself lingering to what they had to say. I made friends with a couple of them and I began to loosen up a bit. We were together most of the night, which consisted of laughs, deep talks, and planning for the year to come. They made the idea of college a bit more bearable.

Orientation is terrifying. You are alone in a room full of strangers and your parents are far away, but it can be one of the best memories. I encourage all freshman (or transfer students) going to orientation to open yourself up. Ask all the questions you can think of, get a feel for life on campus, and look over your options for majors. College is the time where you get to explore life on your own and be a new adult. Don't be held back by the anxiety that something will go wrong. Go have fun and fall in love with your new home.

But be ready to lose a lot of sleep.