I decided to construct this piece for my siblings and friends back home who have been asking how college has been thus far. By the time this is published, I will have been in Stillwater eighteen days, have survived a week of school at a university, and added quite a few new songs to my playlists (thanks whoever played those strange Afroman songs). College is great.
Yes, you still have the seemingly never-ending headache known as homework, but there's so much more to it.
Perhaps the greatest thing about being on a college campus is that you're with (in my case) 5,000 other kids who are just as confused about being on their own as you are.
When Camp Cowboy ended Sunday, August 9th, there were still eight days until school started. Eight! Truth be told, I wouldn't be able to tell you what the hell I did that whole week — don't worry Mom, I'm staying out of trouble — but what I do know is that I made the most of it, meeting a multitude of people and beginning to determine who might be my friend group for the time being.
As the headline implies, I was homeschooled. Earlier this summer, I was asked whether I was nervous about transitioning from an environment where my parents were extremely involved to one where I could do — insert The 100 reference here — "whatever the hell I want." The truth is I was slightly nervous, but as I've settled into life here in Oklahoma, I've realized that there was nothing to be worried about in the first place. Why?
Well, one of the advantages of being homeschooled is that my parents had more than ample time to prepare me for being on my own. While the extremely random lectures were aggravating at times, they have made quite a difference for me here. Have I followed every piece of advice my parents gave me? No. But the beauty of advice is that as long as you follow the principles of what is being taught, you'll be just fine.
One of the frustrations about being homeschooled though is that you're usually in environments in which most of the people involved either believed the same thing and/or lived similar — almost identical — lifestyles. Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but there is a level of excitement that comes with being with people that may do things visibly different than you. There are different conversations to be had, backgrounds to be learned, and (in my case here in Oklahoma) respect to be earned.
Since I've been here, I've been asked countless times whether I liked being homeschooled. To be honest, I have actually stopped answering that question because it's irrelevant. Alternatively, I talk about how being homeschooled was beneficial and prepared me for life on my own here in Stillwater. Being at home taught me time management and the importance of prioritizing school work, but it also allowed me to spontaneously glean life lessons from my parents — some of which have already come in handy.
So, when my friends and siblings back home ask me how college is going I tell them that I'm loving it. But why?
The first reason is that I'm taking care of my schoolwork. Yes, the semester is only a week old, but I've gotten a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I am off to a good start and not in an early hole. Because this big responsibility is taken care of, I have been able to go out a meet people without having any mental burdens concerning academics.
The second reason is that I know who I am. My biggest piece of advice is that college is not the place to lay ground rules — home is. They don't have to be the same as your parents' but they need to be clearly defined before you leave. Once you have these ground rules in place, it's OK to have friends that may do things a little differently. Still, make sure they respect you and the standards you have set for yourself.
So, to my homeschooled friends and my brother who are going to be heading to a university in the next couple of years:
Listen to your parents, decide what you will and will not do, and learn to build priorities. Do that and the transition from homeschooling to public university won't feel that daunting.
