Personally, my first semester at college was rocky. Being away from my hometown for a prolonged period for the first time definitely got to me after a while. For the first month or so, I was okay at school. My classes were going well, I wasn't too homesick, and I was in a pretty good mood. But then I came back after Rosh Hashanah break and things felt different. I was more stressed out over getting all of my work done but also having time to myself. I was in dire need of a break right as winter vacation came, so it was perfect timing.

I was admittedly scared to come back here for quite a while because I wasn't finding things that I wanted to do, and what I did want to do I couldn't manage to get into because my auditions didn't go well. Eventually, I applied for an assistant stage manager position with one of the MainStage shows going on this semester, so that would fill my time. I spent a lot of time holed up in my dorm room, and before finding out about this position, I feared that that would be the same situation I'd face second semester.

I cried for days before coming back up, and my heart was pounding every mile closer we were to Vestal Parkway. I came back and helped with callbacks on the Sunday before classes, and all was alright until the evening when I had a panic attack over not wanting to be back here. I freaked out about being away from home again, and I was feeling overwhelmed about not knowing what to expect from my classes. And now that I have been to all of them, I don't see what I was so nervous about. Most of my classes involve a lot of writing, which if you couldn't already deduce is totally fine with me because writing is what I do best. I ended up dropping a course because I could see how much work I would be expected to do with the courses I actually wanted to take, and so I decided to save the second English course for next year. Brit Lit is one of my favorite classes for the semester. My professor is so sweet and really understands how to interact with students and keep the conversation going about what we read. All of my professors are welcoming and made it very clear what they expect of us in the classroom.

Dramaturgy was the class I was most looking forward to, and I can tell that I'm going to love it. The topic is one that I've been interested in for a while, and when I found out about the class, I immediately knew I had to get in. What's more, there are so many other enthusiastic students in the course who are truly interested in learning about how to put a show together the same way that I am, and I hope to meet new people to be friends with throughout the semester. I was most nervous for musical theater singing, but I can tell that on Fridays in that class, I am going to learn a lot about how to be more confident in my abilities and in myself as a whole.

All in all, my family was right when I expressed my anxiety about coming back; I just have to let it all happen, and if I don't like it, then I can figure something else out. This semester will be all about taking on new things and seeing what I like and what I don't, and while I am very excited to be going home for a weekend soon, I can make it through another semester here.