College Makes for Valuable Life Experiences

By: Jordan Quilty
Posted In: Opinion

Looking back at my first week as a Seahawk, I’ve already gained some valuable insight. Aside from finally learning the correct buttons to press in the Miley elevators, I’ve realized that every anxiety and adjustment I’ve endured has only been a learning experience that needed to be attained eventually. Overall, the anticipation of “leaving the nest” is met with the bombardment of a new environment, leading to self discovery. Through my own experiences, I can already gauge how rewarding the discomfort most freshmen are coping with will be.

Personally, the hardest aspect of adjusting for me was and still is being away from home. I’ll admit, my mom is my best friend and I ritualistically watch Family Guy with my dorky younger brother. I graduated in June with the same friends I’ve had since elementary school, the only companions I’ve ever known. Walking through campus is a daily reminder of what is left behind as my expectations to see a familiar face are not reached. Making the decision to leave my hometown for school was a grueling one, but the opportunities it holds are incredible.

As freshmen, we have the chance to assert our long-desired independence with a clean slate in an unknown environment. Instead of missing home, we are given the chance to redefine what “family” means and surround ourselves with a new crowd. Whereas I used to harass my mom with daily phone calls discussing every trivial detail of my encounters, I’ve asserted my independence by limiting myself to a phone call and maybe a text or two. As for my friends, I still miss them. Your friends will always be around when you return home, but in the meantime networking is essential. Meeting new people can go a long way. The process leaves room for self-discovery, a chance to figure out what your true interests are. So, while not seeing your friends and family on a regular basis may seem like torture, you are truly benefiting from it.

Leaving home is rough, but making school your new abode could be more of a task. You can hang up as many pictures and remembrances of your previous residence as you want, but nothing’s going to bring back those home cooked meals or the feeling of returning to your living room after a long day. You’re confined to your run of the mill dorm, forced to bond with your roommate and accommodate your stomach to a new diet. This may seem unworkable, but optimistically, it’s not so bad. Your living partner is a freebie friend, and a reliable support system. They can expose you to different cultures, and teach you how to be a respectful person to shack with. All in all, your roommate situation will become less uncomfortable and more helpful over time.

What is possibly the most difficult and dreaded lesson all incoming freshmen are forced to learn can be put into two words. No, not the “freshmen fifteen,” I’m talking about time management. With schedules packed full of classes, events, practices, games, rehearsals, whatever it may be, it’s hard to budget your valuable time appropriately.

Getting back into a routine after summer vacation is tricky enough, but not having your parents keeping you in line makes staying on top of things nearly impossible. Let’s face it, in college you basically follow the rules that you make for yourself. If you would rather stay out all night and look over your notes five minutes before a midterm, that’s your choice. What you decide to accomplish with your free time could make or break your college experience. Hopefully, when graduation rolls around, you’ll possess a diploma along with better time management skills, even if it was a bummer hitting the books.

The hustle and bustle of freshman year has been described to me in many different ways. Some people experience disbelief and shock, while others embrace their new surroundings. However you choose to look at it, once you get through the confusion, anxiety, and homesickness, the transition can finally be viewed as a learning experience.