August 24, 2011 was the first unofficial day of being a college student. Suddenly dropping into a place I was only partly familiar with, seeing approximately 900 new faces and speculating as to which to wave back to with my awkward, wilting shake. For a few days, we could choose to have a name tag around us, a handicap for those of us incapable of saying, "Hi, what's your name?", or not wear a name tag and say nothing, if anything. Later that night, as we amassed in groups at Case Western's football field, we learned a few things about the Class of 2015, such as how more desirable certain people were than most of us, how many people were from Ohio. Despite the exciting activities the Orientation leaders "put us through" that night, most of us were skeptical about the "college" experience, including yours truly. The next few posts, coming every Friday at 9pm, is but one person's perspective on a universal escapade that we're privileged to be a part of, but one that continuously challenges that privilege. Day 1...
August 30, 2011...
“College is going to be terrible” is a quote I continue to repeat. After seeing how much the university is offering in terms of support, such as first-year advisers and counseling, it’s baffling how in just three days, I still have little faith. It was a problem I knew I was going to be facing just as I was about to graduate from high school and it really doesn’t surprise me that the problem has popped up so suddenly. It’s only been three days and I have a tendency to be really impatient when it comes to making endurable connections with people. I think a worse fear than thinking college will be terrible is letting myself believe that. When I get into a depressing funk, only the most optimistic self-realization can pull me out of it. That or Seinfeld bloopers. Course, there’s also the fears of college being much more difficult than previous years of education, but that’s to be expected. As I’ve been working out my schedule, I can see the amount of time I could be spending studying for each class, which is a major advantage, compared to the claustrophobic hours in high school. There’s also the new responsibilities regarding money and food, things we students didn’t take very seriously before. Thankfully, the meal plan ensures a full belly without the costs. Later on, we’ll have to start thinking about going out to dinner, tickets for events, and other important utilities, but if we think about it conservatively, it won’t be a damning problem. My personal fear is laundry, the first responsible assignment I’ve been given as an adult. Unless you’ve done laundry in the past, the only thing you’re sure about is that you will have to wear that pink shirt for the rest of the semester...not that there’s anything wrong with that. Overall, I know that college will be amazing, and when my mind believes it, it will be.
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