Hello, everyone! My name is Abbey Childress and I am a Freshman at the University of Oklahoma. The Odyssey is one of the first organizations that I am apart of, and I am excited to see where it takes me. With an abundance of unique opportunities, I am experiencing lots of new things. All you can eat Chick-Fil-A, total independence and noisy Freshman at 2 am are just some of the joys I am adjusting to. However, I was unaware that joining so many group chats would become such a major transition for me. During my high school years, about four different people texted me. Mom, Dad, my best friend and occasionally my grandparents.

Once I enrolled officially into Start Sooner, a summer program for incoming Freshman, I was told that I must join the Start Sooner group chat. This group chat had approximately 100 members, and WOW my phone had never had so much action before! Nearly every thirty seconds, my phone would go, "ding ding ding." At first, the group chat seemed convenient; a tool to get important information communicated ASAP. Unfortunately, the chat turned into a nightmare once my phone was receiving alerts 24/7. Finally, my summer program had ended, and I deleted the group chat immediately.

Interestingly enough, my mom was going through a very similar situation she informed me about once I got home. She asked me if I had the app "GroupMe", and I wanted to faint just at the sound of that name. I ranted to her about the incredibly annoying group chat I was mandated to be a part of, only to have her tell me she has the same problem at work. She is a middle school teacher, who expects a break from work once she leaves school. Sadly, she never feels like she properly has time off, because her school group chat is constantly alerting her. She expressed to me that she needs her own personal space and that being accessible all around the clock makes her feel like she can't have freedom outside of school.

In all fairness, my mother does have a point. Being in group chats does not give one the ability to disconnect from all the constant commotion of everyone's agendas. In all honesty, they can be exhausting.

Now that the school year is in full swing, I am in about four different group chats, yet I am actually having a much different experience with them. Instead of people constantly posting their personal life updates to about 100 people who don't care, these group chats (including the one for the Odyssey) are used to ask relevant questions and get out important information, and THAT is right up my alley. Thus, it goes to show that maybe group chats aren't so terrible after all, but that they should be used in moderation. I like group chats for getting my essential questions answered, not for being notified that some girl I don't even know told ten different people "ilysm!!!! <3!!!!"

Anyways, I am looking forward to what else college life has in store for me, I just hope that I won't have to join 20 million different group chats.