When going to any college, they make you sit through one or two days of instruction from upperclassmen and faculty on how to take advantage of the time you have at college. You sit through meeting after meeting hearing instructions that you probably already knew, but you also learn so many new things. While reflecting back on my time at orientation, I realized the things I learned the most did not come from someone preaching it to me from a stage. I learned it from putting myself out there and meeting new people.
The first thing I learned while at orientation is that no one actually knows you anymore. You get the opportunity to start over. No, this does not mean you can be someone you're not. You still need to be yourself, but you do not have to worry about people making fun of a mistake you made three or four years ago. Up until this moment, they had no idea you existed, much less know any of the mistakes you have already made in your life. If you have been living a lie, you have the opportunity to come clean and truly be yourself.
The second thing I learned at orientation is that I am actually an adult now. Not a single person held my hand and guided me through anything. I made my decisions, and I had to do everything on my own. To be completely honest, it was actually kind of strange. I am so used to people making decisions for me and doing things for me because they are scared I am going to mess up, but at college, they do not really care. If you mess up, that's on you. As harsh as that sounds, it's so relieving. I was able to breathe and do what I wanted to do. By the second day, no one was telling me where to go and when. They expected me to know because I am an adult.
The third thing I learned at orientation is that I am already in love with my campus. I caught myself more than one time just staring at the buildings and the scenery because I could not get enough of it. I was already excited to move in two hours into the orientation. In the case that I get lost on campus, at least I have pretty things to look at. We were only two hours into the orientation, and I felt like I was at home.
The fourth thing I learned at orientation is that I am going to make friends that last a lifetime. As they were walking us down to the auditorium where we had our welcome, I was introduced to four people that I would eventually be calling my best friends at the end of day two. I immediately began joking around with them and feeling the love between all of us because we clicked so quickly. I knew college is an opportunity to meet all kinds of new people, but I never imagined that I would meet my college best friends on the first day of orientation.
The fifth and final thing I learned at orientation is that this transition is going to go a lot smoother than I expected. A few days ago, I was terrified about college and even wanted to drop out already, but orientation took that feeling away. It made me realize that I am going to have a support system when I go to college that consist of friends, faculty, upperclassmen, and even the community. In one and a half short months, I am going to be living in a place that is foreign to me, yet, I already feel like I belong there.
