College…
“It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.”
My first semester of college, admittedly, was about average. I didn’t do anything overly exciting; no partying, a couple of hockey games, I got a new tattoo… My roommate and I pretty much stayed in at night, doing homework or playing “The Sims.”
I take into account that transitioning from a small town and from a small school wasn’t easy. And I will tell anybody that, the first few weeks, was the hardest. I’d call my mom between classes and end up crying when she or I had to leave. The tears stopped eventually, and eventually, I began to navigate my new world, without my mom holding my hand (although I totally wish she was sometimes).
I didn’t come out my first semester all As and Bs. When I was in high school, I was; I graduated third in my class. I took 7 college classes — one of them on a Saturday, no less! — a total of 22 credits, and my regular high school course load, while working a part-time job.
It wasn’t easy, but I’m used to hustling. I worked my butt off senior year, but it never really prepared me for how busy and stressful my first semester of college was. People often remind me that the first semester of college is usually the hardest.
Right off the bat, new college students are faced with the decision to go to class. Nobody is there to micromanage every bit of your life; they can’t wake you up when you’ve shut off all six of your alarms. You have to remember to eat — and eat well…
When you get sick, there’s no one to go get you cough medicine and make you soup. Unless you have a cool roommate, of course. You have to get up, remember to take your medication, shower, go to class.
There are other responsibilities, too; making sure you stick to a budget, so there’s enough money left to pay for your cell phone bill (my parents don’t pay mine, I pay my own), your student loan (my mom pays that for me, though, even though I constantly protest). Sometimes, you have to go to the bursars and the financial aid office to take care of bills. My mom can’t do that for me.
I gotta handle it now, which can be scary for some people. It’s a lot to start taking care of all at once. And unfortunately, there aren't any “Crash Course” videos to help you navigate your life.
On top of that — “time management.” I cringe at that word. Sometimes, I would spend hours binge-watching TV after a long afternoon of studying for biology, probably. Biology consumed my life. College students are expected to go to class, do well in classes, have a job, have something that resembles a social life.
It’s definitely a learning process. When I moved to college, I wish I was more prepared. More prepared to handle the stress, the homesickness. But it all comes with time. A lot of the trial and error.
I’ve, thankfully, grown to be a much more independent person. I’ve started to get the hang of things. It’s not easy, and I was aware of it before I left. I just didn’t realize how hard it was actually going to be.