Let’s face it-there is one thing we all dreaded when entering college. It is a reality we all feared yet faced; communal bathrooms. I personally think that there is an unspoken terror between all freshmen about their first college bathroom trip. What if someone walks in? What if someone notices how long I’m taking?
If you’re being honest with yourself, you know you’ve had these concerns. One can only put it off for so long before something has to be done about it. So, after maybe a few days of avoidance you face your fear. You move straight out of your comfort zone and enter the stall. The reality is it wasn’t so bad, right? Irrational fears of social suicide or utter humiliation are a freshman’s specialty. Whether it’s bathroom-related or simply talking to someone for the first time, we as the new kids feel a certain dread and discomfort in confronting all these new experiences.
As I have personally realized after my first month in college, no one cares! Pushing myself to do things that I did not want to has given me connections, perspectives and opportunities that I would not have had if I had not forced myself into new experiences. These include going out of my way to talk to someone, sitting alone to eat lunch, or speaking to a professor one on one. I have met some really awesome people and avoided ‘social suicide’ simply by starting conversation with the people around me, and some of them have ended up becoming good friends.
The first time I had to give in to my hunger and eat alone, even though I felt like a loser at first, made me realize no one is actually judging me for enjoying my pizza in solitude. Introducing myself to my professor and asking him questions one on one gave me an overall advantage for the first test because he gave me information and insights that I did not necessarily pick up on my own. I have learned that in college there is really no such thing as ‘comfortable’ because right when you feel okay with a new experience, another one gets thrown your way.
I guess what I am saying is that it’s important to push yourself out of your comfort zone, because otherwise you’re looking at four years of fewer friends, lower scores, and constipation.