Throughout my entire high school career, I had a set friend group that I hung out with, excluding the few other friends I had here and there. I attended a small school located in a small town, so it wasn't unusual to know everyone in your grade, the grade above you and the grade below you. I had an immense number of acquaintances for the sheer fact that you could have four classes with the same 20 people, five days a week, 36 weeks a year.
Not long after graduation, I lost contact with majority of my friends for whatever reason; maybe we just all grew apart, maybe they grew apart from me. Don't get me wrong, I still talked to a few people from my high school, some still to this day, but it wasn't the same. Even with the few friends I had, I suddenly felt so lonely. I couldn't understand what had changed to create such a rift in our friendships. The entire summer before my freshman year of college I was depressed, I felt unwanted and not good enough. I was continuously worrying that my college career would hold the same fate for me that the end of my high school career had.
A few weeks before moving into college, I was more anxious than ever. I already knew who my roommate was and we conversed every now and then which eased my anxiety about moving into the next phase of my life. On moving day, I begged my parents to take me back home to no avail. After my parents' departure, my roommate was kind enough to let me tag along with her family for the remainder of the day. Her kindness sparked the remaining hope within me that I could find new friends at college. I soon realized other freshman could be feeling the same way I felt during this new transition.
From then on, wherever I went with or without my roommate — most often with, I would say hi to whomever and strike up a conversation. Within the first few weeks of the semester, I had met some of the most remarkable people who I am still friends with, all because I knew I could make this experience so much more enjoyable then the previous one. Feeling unwanted in the first place is what has gotten me to where I am today. I now have an extensive number of friends and an endless number of sorority sisters to rely on. I will always remember my roommate telling me a few weeks into our first semester: "You didn't come here to get an education — you came here to make friends." I don't think at the time she realized how accurate that statement was.
Your college experience can be whatever you want. You have the power to make it as great or miserable as you want. My college experience has been everything I dreamed and more. My first lesson at college taught me it's OK to feel alone at one point in life or another, but to just remember that your perspective on certain situations can alter your entire life. As Bob Marley says, "Every little thing is gonna be alright."
