College is supposed to be a great four years for young adults across the world. It is regarded as a time of new freedom and opportunity. My experiences have been quite different from the average student in the United States, which has prompted me to talk about it.

I chose Eastern Michigan University fairly late in the college decision process, with less information about the school since it was out of state for me (I'm from Indiana). I did not know what to expect going there, other than they had my major, city and regional planning. I honestly did not know what to expect out of college at all, as I was and am not close with my older sister, who attended university before me. Once I stepped on campus, things were clearly not the best.

I was scared out of mind leaving home and going to a school where I did not know anyone very well. Two students from my high school in Indiana were at Eastern, but I wasn't friends with them. Not knowing anyone made it difficult early on to connect with others on campus. I didn't meet anyone that I hit it off with and developed any sort of friendship with.

The only group I was a part of was a religious student group on campus, but I never vibed with the people there, and as time went on, I knew that I had to step away from Christianity due to a shift in my views towards agnosticism. As it became clear that I didn't have any friends on campus, I kept to myself even more.

I had an issue in high school with seemingly bothering other people, so when I went off to university, I decided that I would do my best to not be a nuisance to anyone. This resulted in me becoming a hermit of sorts, staying in my room, not socializing with those living on my floor. This made my socialization issue worse. I have never been a party and drink person, so I never got into that side of the college experience, which is how many meet others when at school.

Three years later, I still don't have many friends. I have acquaintances that I communicate with from time to time. It's hard to say, but these issues I've had are my fault alone. I haven't put myself out there enough to have a chance to make good friends. To be fair, it is hard to put yourself out there when you barely know anyone where you live. Through these tough times, I have forced myself to make changes in my life to better myself as a person.

Eastern is a mostly commuter campus, making the socialization process much harder, as few are invested with the school outside of classes. Plenty of people I have talked to in classes commute and are unable to hang out at all because of their busy lives. The structure of the university makes things hard for certain.

Reflecting on my first three and a half years of university has been hard, knowing that things haven't gone the way I've wanted them to. It's certainly a different life that I've lived, but I've gotten through it and made necessary adjustments to advance myself as a human being.