Everyone talks about how exciting college is – you hear about game days, meeting your best friends, joining clubs, living on your own, and finally having the freedom to make your own decisions. What people don’t talk about is how hard freshman year actually is.
Starting college is more than just starting a new school. For many freshmen like myself, it is the first time they are away from home, away from their families, and responsible for every part of their day-to-day lives. In the blink of an eye, you find yourself balancing classes, studying, friendships, activities, money, laundry, and meals. All while trying to figure out who you even are.
One of the hardest parts of freshman year is adjusting to this independence. In high school, you have a routine that you are used to. Your family tells you to clean your room, your teachers say, “that’s due tomorrow,” and you know almost every person around you. But in college, everything changes. You have to decide when to wake up, if you should skip class that day, whether breakfast really matters, and when and how you study. Having freedom sounds thrilling until you learn that no one is reminding you what needs to be done.
Academics are another huge adjustment. College classes move faster than high school classes, and professors expect you to take responsibility for your own work with no reminder. You can go from feeling confident in high school to receiving a grade you were not expecting. It’s easy to think that everyone else around you understands what they are doing and that you are the only one struggling. The truth is, everyone else is feeling the same way.
Then there are friendships. College is often described as the place where you meet your “bridesmaids,” but finding them takes time. You may meet tons of people during your first few weeks, but that does not mean you have found your people. Friend groups can change and feel confusing, and it can be hard watching other people seem to find their group before you do.
Homesickness also hits when you least expect it. You could be having the best day and suddenly miss your family, your pets, your own bed, or even something so odd like your favorite meal cooked by your grandma. Being excited about college and missing home can coexist at the same time.
There is also pressure to make the most of freshman year. Between social events, clubs, sports, Greek life, schoolwork, and everything happening around campus, it feels like you are supposed to say yes to everything. But trying to do everything can quickly become very overwhelming. Sometimes, you need to give yourself a break and realize that you do not have to be everywhere or do everything.
Maybe the hardest part of freshman year is that you are figuring out so many things at once. You are learning how to be a college student while also learning more about yourself.
Freshman year does not have to be perfect. You do not have to find your best friends immediately, know exactly what you want to major in, or have your entire college experience planned out to a T. It is okay to have bad days, change your mind, miss home, or feel like you are still figuring it all out.
The moral of the story is that the first year of college is hard because it is a year of major change. But that is also what makes it so important. You are not supposed to have everything figured out yet. You are just getting started.