College is all about new beginnings, new friends, and a new environment.
But for me, it's about some of the old too.
I came to college, excited and optimistic about a fresh start. But, I was also anxious about leaving my hometown, Briarcliff - my safe zone of a mere 6.6 square miles. Here, I know the best place to get a chicken cutlet, see a pretty sunset, or get a cup of coffee. Here, I can't drive through town without passing someone I know. Here, I know basically everyone in my school by name. Briarcliff, both the town and the people in it, had become my comfort zone. Here, I know what to expect.
So as a girl from a small suburban town entering a university with about 13,000 undergrad students, I couldn't help but be anxious. I didn't know what to expect, and I felt like I would get lost in the sea of people at Northeastern. My late move-in date made things worse for me. I was the one who sent all my friends off to college, and I had to watch all my best friends leave. I heard about their fun college stories, but also about the stress that comes with the first few weeks of college. But, I was still at home, and for those two or three weeks, it felt as if I would be stuck in high school forever while my friends enjoyed college.
Being home as everyone was leaving for college, gave me a lot of time to think. My already existent problem of overthinking was worsened during these weeks. Would I make friends? Would I like my classes? What if I hate my major? What if I hate college? Questions that go through every incoming freshman's mind. I knew I was going to love it, I really did. But this didn't prevent me from worrying about it. And I just wanted to go..
It was worth the wait though. I have met some truly amazing people and made friends that I can call my best friends. I am involved in exciting new adventures, like working with little kids and teaching a Japanese class. My new life, well at least the first two months of it, has already been filled with memories. Although hours of these two months have been spent at Snell Library and waiting on the chicken line, I have done it all with my best friends by my side. I have gotten so used to living with my friends right down the hall; when I went home for a 3 day weekend, I already missed them. So, here is to getting to live with my weird best friends for the rest of the year. Oh, and next year too.
Although I have found my place in this new life, this doesn't mean I am leaving my "old" life behind. I know my best friends from high school - not only from Briarcliff, but all of the spheres of my high school life, will forever be a strong presence. I will never forget the memories, and the people with which I made those memories. I left Briarcliff, and I left New York, but I did not leave my friends or my memories. I still crave a Rocky's sandwich once in a while. I still miss my car, Martha. And I still miss pulling up to my best friends' houses.
As I create my new life here at Northeastern, I do so remembering that my old life helped to shape who I am. I'm not living in the past, I just don't want to forget it. So, I'm letting go of some of the old, and creating some new. But, I'm holding onto some of the old, and I won't let go.
