Less than a month until I move into my dorm, and I have not even begun to pack yet. To every OCD person out there, I am sure your jaw has dropped at the thought of that. You probably began packing the minute you got your acceptance letter. But I am the type of person that packs for a trip the night before. The last minute rush and struggle of making sure I have everything is what I live for. And as I look at my calendar now, I see that there are 24 days until I move into my dorm. Which means I have roughly three weeks to try to figure out how I can pack for college while moving 1,500 miles away from home.
There is so much talk among my friends about all of us leaving for college. My friend, a freshman at Northeastern, has left for a semester abroad in Australia already. My other friend, a freshman at Auburn, leaves in less than two weeks, which makes me feel incredibly gloomy at the thought of not seeing her for a long time. This summer has been the time where I have tried to create as many last-minute memories with my friends and family as possible. Once college begins, a new chapter in life will start. College is the time for everyone to spread their wings and figure out what we want to do with our lives. Not at all stressful, am I right?
But I must say, out of all the colleges to pick from, The New School definitely ranks as one of the best to go to. I mean, the mascot is Gnarls, the Narwhal. Could it get any better than that? Of course I am completely biased, but if you disagree, I am definitely ready to take you down in a battle of discussion. Getting to live in the heart of New York City is a dream I did not think would actually come true. There are going to be so many opportunities to meet new people and to figure out what exactly I am interested in. When I applied to colleges, I intended to go into journalism wherever I ended up. I did not think about my interest in photography at all until I toured The New School. I learned about their dual degree program, which sparked my interest, and I realized that I could study writing at Eugene Lang as well as photography through Parsons. It was the best of both worlds. The day I received my acceptance letter was one of the greatest days of my life. My excitement to move to the city has only increased since that day. I have developed two friendships already with girls I hope end up being my roommates. We message each other constantly and somehow, we all seem to have many of the same interests. The only problem I think I will end up having is how I am going to survive the weather. I have never been one for Texas heat or for our bipolar winters. So it’s going to be interesting to see how I’ll live through New York City winters. All I know is that my suitcases will be filled to the brim with hats, coats, scarves, and sweaters: lots and lots of sweaters.
Although going off to college is exciting as well as nerve-wracking, it is going to be such a big transition, one I hope I can survive and adapt to. I am going to have to figure out how I can possibly survive without my mom’s home-cooked meals, or seeing my younger sister and dog everyday. However, moving is going to be one of the greatest adventures I think I will ever experience, and I wouldn’t have my situation any other way.
