I want to say congrats. You've made it through the frantic fiasco that is senior year of high school. From finishing AP classes to saying goodbye to your friends on the sports teams or musical ensembles, then from searching for a college to finding a college, then visiting the college, then filling out the FAFSA, senior year goes by in a hazy blur. College starts for you soon, and you're doing your best to prepare for it. The excitement of buying everything you need for college, finalizing your class schedule and meeting your new roommate seems tantalizing, and contemplating a whole new life in a whole new place seems all too good to be true.
Flash forward a few weeks, and maybe things aren't going so great. Maybe you got a bad roommate, maybe classes aren't going too well or maybe you're just plain homesick. The newness of the college environment has been replaced with the frustration of trying to adapt to and manage the newness of independence and building a career. But I'm here to tell you you'll be OK.
I remember floundering my freshman year. I barely made it out of intro bio (a weed-out class) with a B, I withdrew from chemistry and I had professors who were very apprehensive about my true potential in the sciences. My mental health was in shambles as my 4.2 high school self became mediocre at best, and I didn't quite know how to cope with the change. I was homesick, yearning for the familiarity of high school and my hometown. Plus, I had a roommate who made me feel terrible about myself for things out of my control. I wasn't in any clubs, and I had no friends as I felt there was no one I could relate to. If you were to tell me that a year later I would be president of a student org and on exec for another, in addition to being in two research labs with two preceptorships under my belt with a 3.8 GPA, I wouldn't have believed you.
Now I'm only halfway through college. There's a lot I still have to learn, and my hardest two semesters are coming up. But I want to tell you a few things about the roller coaster that is college.
For one, you're going to see a lot of your friends come from amazing high schools and have no issue with weed-out classes. These people will have an almost flawless transition to college, but it is in no way fair to compare yourself to these people. Because it's not about where you came from, it's about how much you're willing to build yourself up from rock bottom.
And to build yourself up, I would become accepting of the ups and downs you're going to experience during college. You will have amazing semesters where you get really good grades and get really involved in organizations or extracurriculars you really enjoy. Some semesters a class or two will really bring you down, or you might go through issues with friends, a significant other and roommates. Or maybe one semester you'll be more broke than usual. There are so many ups and downs you could encounter that I can't even begin to list them all. But the beauty of college is the versatility you gain from it.
Lastly, college is stressful. My biggest advice for the struggling incoming freshman is to get mental help if you need it. If your stress level has put you in a bad or dangerous place mentally, all colleges will have some form of affordable mental health care, so take advantage of it.
So, fasten your seatbelt, and enjoy the ride.
