It feels like not too long ago that I drove by myself to Baton Rouge for the second time in my life. I was heading to Spring Invitational at LSU and way too independent to bring a parent. After my life had flashed in front of my eyes, as I was jammed between two eighteen-wheelers before exiting onto Dalrymple, I was met with the glittering lakes and Greek Row.

I was hooked immediately on the thought of finally becoming a student. I took my time driving down the Row, partly because it's beautiful and partly because I still didn't quite know where I was going. I parked my car in Lod Cook's lot and had one of my friends that was already a student come pick me up. I was staying with her and three other friends that roomed together in Miller. I arrived equipped with an air mattress and plenty of snacks. Little did I know, I was not as prepared as I felt.

The evening of the first day, we were required to attend Preview LSU, where we listened to a few speeches and we got our group leaders. Of course, I could not figure out how to get there and I arrived late. And with my luck, I had to walk all the way across the floor of the PMAC, in front of everyone in the bleachers, while the speaker was giving his presentation. I was mortified, yet completely accepted that this was how the remainder of spring testing was going to go. I was right. It wasn't the fault of LSU or any of the LSU Ambassadors. Honestly, I was just extremely overwhelmed and lost 95 percent of the time. Driving around must have been my greatest difficulty. I missed one of my tests just because I couldn't find a parking spot. It's truly a miracle my car wasn't towed.

Looking back on this experience now, I laugh. I was traumatized by the traffic, the size of the campus, and my lack of ability to navigate it. Now, I know this campus very well. It doesn't scare me anymore. Even scheduling seemed liked such an impossible task. I remember how flabbergasted I was when I was told to create my own schedule. I didn't know what classes to take, which teachers to pick, or if it would be wise to schedule back to back classes in Williams and Cox. No one told me what to do and I was completely and utterly baffled. Scheduling is still somewhat of an unpleasant task for me, but now I'm wiser and smarter. I actually know what's going on and I make decisions with that knowledge.

LSU has become my home, a place where I am very comfortable. This massive campus became manageable and navigable. I understand typical classroom dynamics and protocol. For the most part, I generally know what to expect. However, when I see the hordes of high school seniors with the purple drawstring bags, I will easily identify with them. It won't take much to put myself in their shoes. So when you get aggravated with them for congesting pedestrian traffic and packing the Union, put yourself in their shoes. It's a bit overwhelming to try to understand the campus while the semester is in full swing.