“Where did you go to high school?” This question is the one I dread the most. Because then, I have to answer with “Oh, I was homeschooled,” and I know exactly what people are thinking. Awkward, socially inept, sheltered, a goody-two-shoes that knows nothing about the world. However, that was not really the experience I had. I took classes at local colleges, participated in a myriad of extracurriculars, and kept myself as busy as I possibly could. On the other hand, there is usually some truth to a stereotype, and even my circumstance, there was. I spent my days surrounded by silence, I did homework out of textbooks, and on the days that I actually had class at my local community college, I went to class, went to the library, and then went home.
          This is not to say that I was not socially stimulated, I was, but going from being the only person in my “class” to a college as big as the University at Buffalo was certainly a culture shock. Even the colleges that I did take classes at had three buildings for the entire campus. I went from days sitting alone at my desk or at a table in a café to constantly being surrounded by people, and it took a bit to get used to. So, if you are going to a big college—or you are already at one and still feel a little out of place—take it from a girl who quite literally could not have possibly gone to a smaller high school, and maybe I can help.
          The first thing I needed to tackle was talking to people. I was not particularly scared of this so much as inexperienced, especially trying to make friends in a classroom. On top of that, I graduated early, so I was younger than every other student, which added a hefty dose of imposter syndrome in the mix (how exciting). My best advice for this is to honestly fake it until you make it, because no matter how nervous or scared you are, nobody will be able to tell if you do not show it. So, despite my nervousness that I would not be able to make friends, or that people would be able to tell that I was too young, or whatever other thoughts were swirling around my head at the time, I became the girl who simply would not shut up.
          You may be thinking “There is no possible way that works,” and I can tell you with confidence that it does. Now, I can very confidently say that I am indeed an extrovert, and I have found myself surrounded by many lovely people that I am lucky enough to call my friends. Exposure therapy so to say.
          The next thing for little homeschooler Brielle to take on were the classes. I had not had this sort of set-out, five a semester, type classes since back when I still went to public school (up to the sixth grade). My solution to this was to become insanely organized—almost obsessively so. I color-coded my Google Calendar, I bought a whiteboard calendar for my bedroom, I wrote every single assignment, exam, and due date in my Notes app (as well as on all my other calendars). I made daily to-do lists, weekly to-do lists, and made sure that I checked everything every morning. It may seem excessive, it may seem even redundant at a point, but it worked. I never missed an assignment or exam and always made sure I had enough time to do them.
          The last thing for me was truly the size of the campus, the sheer amount of people. But, in joining clubs and talking to people in my classes, I was able to make a large school feel very small—in the very best way. I will always, always, always, recommend students to join clubs because that is truly what transformed my freshman year and how I met some of my very closest friends.
          With that, I am proud to say that the very nervous girl entering her freshman year of college is certainly not the same girl who is returning for her sophomore year, a girl returning to her clubs and jobs and friends and classes, knowing that she is in for another one of the best years of her life—and you can too. Huge colleges may seem scary, but they are truly just full of more opportunities for incredible things, and I wish I could tell my younger self just how okay everything will turn out. Alas, I cannot, but I can tell anyone else that is nervous like I was, because trust me, everything will turn out okay.