The Walmart back to school ads have once again appeared on our TV screens. Unfortunately (or fortunately, I suppose) that means the start of school is not too far off. Soon students everywhere will be clearing the shelves of notebooks and folders in preparation. For first year college students, this is a time full of excitement and nerves. There are many thoughts first year students have as they begin their preparations for school. These are very common. As someone who's already experienced these unknowns, I want to put these thoughts to rest.
"How am I going to make friends?"
It's hard leaving the comfort of your high school friends. Those first few days of college will probably be a little rough. But guess what? Everyone else is in the same boat. They are all a little lonely too. Be friendly, but don't expect to become best friends with everyone you meet. You will find another best friend, but you have to let it happen naturally. When I first started school, I met another girl on the swim team and we became good friends right away. Slowly, another teammate joined our little group. Before I knew it, the original girl I was friends with began to fade, and this new girl became my best friend. I'm still friends with the first girl, but if it wasn't for her I would have never met my best friend. Sooner or later, everything works itself out.
"What if my roommate and I don't get along?"
Roommates don't have to be best friends. Any article on what to expect your first year will tell you that. When I started college, my goal was to out-do them all and be best friends with my roommate. We started out really close. But as time wore on and we both became busy with other things that no longer seemed like a reality for us. I definitely consider her to be one of my close friends, but we are very different people. Of course, my story is not the norm. I know plenty of roommates who simply lived together, some who would fight, and some who requested room changes. First year roommates are not about finding your best friend (but if you do I am so happy for you!) it's about finding someone you can get along with to help you figure out this whole college thing.
"Are the classes going to be super hard?"
Well, this isn't high school anymore. On the flip side of that, if your high school teachers didn't think you were ready for college they would have never let you graduate. Yes, it will take some time to get used to the new teaching style. The hardest thing for me to grasp was that I would only be spending one to four hours in a classroom each day. Of course, that gets made up for in homework, but that's a story for another day. The point is that yes, things may be more difficult. But like everything else about college, you just need to break it up into what you know you can do and work from there.
"Will I be okay without my parents helping me?"
The short answer to this is yes. It may seem scary at first to be on your own and in charge of doing everything yourself, but you'll get the hang of it. I'm sure you already know how to do some things. When the time comes to do something else, you can call your parents. That's what I always did. Sure, I could do dishes and laundry just fine, but when it came to money and filling out paperwork, I didn't have a clue. So when the time came for me to get a job on my own, I called my mom right before I went in and asked her what to do.
"What do I do when I get homesick?"
I say when because at one point or another everyone misses home a little bit. The most ideal way I can think of in this situation is to find a place that reminds you of home. My first year I didn't have a car, so I had a few things from home in my room that I would turn to when I felt homesick. Call an old friend. Go for a walk. Let yourself feel homesick, don't just suppress it. The best way to deal with negative emotions is to get them out. Don't let them build up inside. So, when you feel yourself starting to miss your old life and childhood, let it out. When you're done, text one of your new college friends and go remember why you left that all behind. College is an adventure you don't want to miss out on. All you have to do is hang on for the ride.
