The Class of 2022 is one huge melting pot of amateur college students, and each of us is currently trying to figure out the best way to make it through the first year. But, the Class of 2022 isn't just restricted to one university– there are literally millions of members around the world. It's probably safe to say that none of us know the right way to make it through freshman year, but all of us likely have big expectations, dreams, and/or goals coming into the year, and some of us are going to be less prepared for the challenge than others.
So rather than narrating my first month of college, I thought it'd be interesting to ask freshmen from my university and others if they could summarize their first month of college in one sentence or less. Here are the responses:
"Oh Lord, be with me…" – student @ the best university in the SEC–or for short, University of Mississippi
"What do I do now?" – student @ Mississippi State University
"College is difficult and lonely, but I'd never go back to high school." – student @ Auburn University
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet." – student @ Rice University
"My first month of college consisted of learning that post-residential high school depression is REAL and not everyone wants to be friends in college." – student @ University of New Orleans
"There's always something to do and no time to do it." – student @ Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"College is fun but stressful." – student @ Northwest Community College
"My first month of college was pure freedom." – student @ University of Mississippi
"I lost ten pounds and my dignity." – student @ Hendrix College
"My first couple of days of college have been like a roller coaster ride: an endless wave of both recognized and unrecognized emotions ranging from anxious, to nervous, to certain, to relaxed." – student @ University of Southern Mississippi
"College is the expansion of your mental, spiritual, and physical limits." – student @ University of Mississippi
"I'm depressed, stressed, and under-dressed." – student @ Florida Institute of Technology
"This didn't go as expected." – student @ Mississippi State University
"College has been a new experience in every aspect." – student @ University of Mississippi
If you couldn't relate to any of these, at least you might be able to laugh at some of them.
It was actually really fun watching people stress over one sentence. When I asked a friend of mine to give me her sentence, she asked a very important follow-up question: "Simple or complex?" It was the highlight of my day.
Special thanks to everyone that contributed their sentences for this article!
A final message to all college freshmen: Keep on track! We've already got one month down!
