When you first step onto a college campus, you really don't think about your family dropping you off and leaving. I'll never forget the day I got here and watched as my mother cried when she left me sitting on my dorm room bed. It's been a month and I'll never forget her face, the pain of having to leave her only daughter behind in a place foreign to both her and me. Even though that experience was rough, it taught me quite a few things about becoming stronger.
The first few days of college were really tough for me. I didn't know anyone; I felt alone. The second day I was crying so hard; all I wanted to do was go home and be with my friends and family. People always tell you that going to college is easy and making friends is even easier, but honestly, I feel that it's all a lie. None of the things that your parents and your family tell you about college are as easy as they say they are. As soon as you step through the door of your first nine o'clock class on a Monday morning (the very first day of Fall Semester, I might add), life slaps you in the face, literally. At least it did for me.
I didn't make friends until at least my third week at college. I met them in the lobby of my dormitory and trust me, it was terrifying. I may not lead people to believe that I am shy, but always, when I meet new people, my shyness is screaming on the inside. When I met the people that I would soon be spending the rest of my time with, they fully accepted me for who I am when they didn't even know who I was. They have all literally been my support group throughout this entire month of school, and I am so thankful for that. Without them, I truly don't think that I would've made it through this whole month that I've been here. My friends and I have already been through so many obstacles already, that we all feel that we've known each other for years instead of weeks.
Through all of these experiences, I feel that I am stronger. I know that since I've been here at Wesleyan, I have grown up a lot within the last couple of weeks. There are, of course, some days when I still want to sit and cry because I miss my family and my friends from home. There are some days I wish I was sitting in the middle of my high school classrooms still going from class period to class period. Because of the friends that I have made and the support of my family back home, I know that if I stay here I will make something of myself. The people here are so wonderful and all of my friends are truly amazing, I have no earthly idea what I would do without them. College, for me, has had its ups and downs, but quite frankly, I wouldn't want to have it any other way.
