The greatest thing about going to a large state school might just be the thing you expect to enjoy the least. A new experience or person can all become new with time and a new environment. Sure expectations are customary and expected but you might not know to what extent. I’ve found that in just my first week of college all of my assumptions were just that, an assumption. MSU wasn’t my first choice for college but now that I’m here there’s nowhere else I could imagine beginning my college journey. I thought that going as far as possible and restarting was exactly what I needed, but in hindsight, all I really wanted was new surroundings. I’ve begun to understand the buses, I’ve learned the little quirks of my dorm, and even how to get around campus. The campus that once seemed so big suddenly got smaller. Somewhere along the line, I’ve begun to call it home.
I’m getting homesick, don’t get me wrong, I went home over the weekend after only being here for a little over a week. But that’s okay! Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself takes a bit of a breather and go back to someone, or somewhere familiar. Having said that, my biggest fear coming to MSU was that it would feel like high school part 2. I’ve heard that saying one too many times being here and even when applying, but honestly it only makes transitioning that much easier. I’ve had high school classmates who I never seemed to be able to get to know, reach out or even just run into me on campus. I’ve found that, despite not actually knowing them personally, it’s like we have some sort of bond that just seems to connect us. And with that, it’s the little nods of acknowledgments or the big hugs of “ I haven’t seen you since last year,” that fills the void of isolation that tends to come with a big school. The best part is that there’s that tie of opportunity that always allows you to form a friendship here on campus. They feel like a little pool of a home in the big sea of unfamiliar faces, I’ve been able to get closer to acquaintances that were just school friends and learn so much about them and their lives.
Everything changes in college and you get closer to so many people that you might not expect. You become grateful for each new and old face as it becomes apparent that they’re going through the exact same thing you are. The fear of college gets smaller as each day passes and you realize that each person you meet is another character in the book that is your life.