After successfully finishing my first semester of college, I think it's time for some reflection.
From the other side of the automated death-door that is finals, its interesting to look back on what I thought college was going to be like. After all, for someone who had never been, I had some pretty strong opinions. “Why?", you ask? Well, I think you can probably guess from my mature and self assured nature, I attended...
Boarding School
If you don’t understand the above referenced photo, its from the classic film "Wild Child", staring Emma Roberts, circa 2008. If you haven’t seen it, you are missing out. I’ll have you know it has a 6.1/10 on IMDB and a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes, the full movie is avaliable on youtube, do with that information what you will.
I apologize for the small detour, so, as I was saying, attending boarding school for four years left me with the impression that I was essentially an adult by the age of 15 (LOL). I'm sure anyone who has attended some form of boarding school can attest to this. It can leave you feeling inherently emotionally stronger than students who have lived at home. I thought I wouldn’t be home sick, that I would be resistant to peer pressure, immune to the Freshman 15, all that good stuff.
In many ways I was right, because in a sense, we do have a leg up, and have done much of this it before. We have learned how to navigate life without the constant advocacy of our parents, we understand the importance of shower shoes, we know how to roommate (yes, it is a verb) and we are already emotionally dependent on care packages. We've already had to figure out how to balance work and exercise and manage relationships with friends back home. What is hard to see in boarding, are the training wheels, until they are gone. For example, I promise you, you have never experienced Carm late-night dining at Tufts because that alone can derail your entire life. Having your workload doubled and your curfews removed is a wild combo, don’t get me wrong, you’ll learn to love it, but it can throw you for a loop.
I say all of this to say, its okay to feel just as lost as your non-boarding school counterparts sometimes. You are NOT an adult so, don’t feel any pressure to take it all on by yourself. Although we may have had preparation, this is new for everyone, you are not going to (or supposed to) have all of the answers. Sometime during your first semester you just may need a good cry on your friend's bed, listening to “The Best Day” by Taylor Swift because life is hard and you miss your mom.
And if you do, go for it.