College. It’s the beginning of the rest of your life and the start of your adult life. But it’s not always everything it’s cracked up to be. Most people see it as the start of their independence, but throughout the transition to college, there are still many people you rely on even if you don’t realize it. Those people all play an important role in the person you become even if we don’t give them credit they deserve. Along the journey throughout your life, don’t forget the people who brought you to where you are today.
1. Your high school friends
Your squad was basically your entire life in high school. You did everything with them, and you have the pictures to prove it. Looking back, you know they were the best part of your life in high school, and all of your favorite memories are with them. But now you’re in college without them. With everyone going away to different colleges, you can’t rely on long-distance friends forever. It’s time to make new friends. But your old friends will always be there for you, because they’re going through the exact same thing you are. During those first weeks of college, you’re constantly texting them and counting down the days until everyone is together again. But as much as you love them, they unfortunately begin to fade away to just the occasional text and the sleepovers during breaks. If you’re lucky, you have a few friends who manage to stay at colleges close to you and you all can hang out every so often. But they will always hold a special place in your heart (and your scrapbook).
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Huang
2. Your college friends
The first friends you make in college will be in it for the long haul -- the late nights, the early mornings, and the long days. They will be there for you whenever you need it, because they’re going to need you at some point. You all bonded together through orientation and the trauma of the first day of class. They are just as lost and confused as you are about the entirety of life. But now you’re lost and confused together. Whenever you’re stressed from the daily college life, they’ll be there to go to dinner for two hours, and make you laugh until you forget all other responsibilities. And then they’ll sit with you until two in the morning while you cry about all the stress in your life, and you love them enough to do the same for them. Over Fall Break, you miss them so much you can’t wait to return to school. They hang out in your room so often they might as well live in there, but it’s probably a good thing they don’t, because you would literally never get anything done. These are the people that make college fun and exciting, instead of downright terrifying. They are the ones that help you up after life has knocked you down. Your friends are the reason you succeed because they make you happy in your heart and in your soul.
3. Your roommate
Whether you want to admit it or not, your roommate is your life. You love her with your entire heart, because she is literally the best person you know. She is the mom of your group, and always texts you when you come back to the room late because she is genuinely concerned about you. She takes care of you, and you take care of her. You remind her that sleeping is good, and help her solve her life struggle with calculus. Sharing a room with another person will be a shock to the system if you’re used to spending most of your time alone. Having someone else around all day and every day is another part of the college experience, and it may be the hardest one to adjust to. But the roomie is there to help you through, because she feels the exact same way that you do. It’s a new adventure, but you’re doing it together. My roommate is my best friend, closest ally and biggest supporter through my college journey, and there is no way I could love her even more.
4. Your professors
As in denial as most of us are, class is the main reason we are here. First and foremost is our education, and with such great professors, our education is exceptional. Even though college classes seem scary and difficult, the professors want you to succeed. Years of listening to high school teachers say, “You can’t do that in college" or, "Your professor won’t help you in college,” can leave us all terrified to leave the safe and lenient grounds of high school and venture off to college. But the life of a small school has large benefits: the professors actually care about you and want you to do well. Contrary to what I heard in school, they are not “out to get you” and are actually very understanding. They know that this is your first year, and that you’re still adjusting, and they only want to help you. I have multiple professors who ask me at least once a week how I’m doing and if I’m enjoying my new life here, and not just to make small talk; they do it because they actually want to know, and they want to help me if I need it. This was a huge shock coming from a large high school where I sat in classes where I was positive the teacher had no clue what my name was. But the professors make a real attempt to get to know you even if you only have them for a semester. That being said, college still requires a lot of work, but the professors are here to help you through it.
5. Your mom
Let’s be honest -- everyone needs their mom at some point in their lives, especially during college. At some point, you'll call your mom, usually crying, because you don’t have friends or you're failing all of your classes or because you just can’t take it anymore. It’s like the first day of summer camp where you beg your parents to come get you. But a phone call to mama always makes you feel better. She knows just what to say to encourage you to get through it and always has some little piece of advice, because she always knows what to do. If you are lucky enough to go to college close to home, your mom is just a car ride away to cry on her shoulder and then bake you some of the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. She’s your rock to get you through college, because this is the point where you need her the most. The nest may be empty, but you’re not completely ready to fly off on your own. She took care of you for your entire life until this point, and she still cares about you. Those calls, as tearful as they are, are good for her, too. Your mom is your biggest fan and supporter in life, and she will never stop trying to help you or solve all of your problems for you, because even though you’re an adult, she’s still your mom and you’re still her baby. You are able to succeed because she raised you to be strong and independent, so matter what challenges get in your life. Your entire life, she has been preparing you for the adventure that is college and adulthood. You are who you are because of her, with her, and for her.
College is a tough time for anyone. It is a completely new season of life, and its so different from anything you’ve ever experienced before. The independence, the people, and the classes are so different and so many people are terrified to start the journey. But there are always people there to support you, even if you don’t realize it.
