I just completed my first quarter in college. It’s mind-blowing to write that statement out, especially as a first-generation college student. Leading up to my first quarter at Cal Poly, I watched YouTube videos and TikToks about people’s experiences at the school. After a fast-paced, exciting ten weeks, I was done with my fall quarter. When I returned home from winter break, I reflected a lot on that first quarter and wondered if anyone else had the same experience, feelings, struggles, etc. My first quarter was not similar to the videos I watched constantly, so I sought to interview two other first-year students to see if there were any overlaps in experiences and thoughts.
If I had to sum up the fall quarter in one word, it would be thrilling. Jackson, one of the freshmen I interviewed, stated that his first quarter was “okay”, for lack of a better word. Eva is the other interviewee who said her first quarter overall was “good”. The variety of answers I received made me wonder what experiences led to where we are now, reflecting on our first quarter in college.
Regarding the school and location, the interviewees and I agreed that San Luis Obispo is a beautiful place to call home for the next four years. Jackson describes living here as “Wildly fun. I love San Luis Obispo, it’s different from my hometown, but l love the college town and beach.” You’ll usually find students taking the bus or walking downtown on Thursday evenings for the farmers market, packing a bag to study at the beach, or hiking in the beautiful surrounding hills. Cal Poly is a large, breathtaking campus that Eva loves walking through daily. She loves finding events on Dexter Lawn, where clubs and students set up shop to sell clothes, promote their clubs, or just lay out in the sun. I find myself looking forward to those clear, sunny days when I can lay on the lawn and do homework, read, or people-watch.
If there were anything negative to say about their first quarter, it would have to be about the dining halls. The food at Cal Poly is not spectacular, but the food trucks are the not-so-hidden gem of Cal Poly food, something all students look forward to having for lunch or dinner. Food is better with friends, and finding your people or person goes a long way here. During Eva and Jackson’s first quarter, they found that living in the dorms helped them meet new people. They found themselves finding friends in different situations; Jackson found friends in his classes, and Eva found friends in her extracurriculars. There are dozens of ways to meet people, and it enhances your experience at school. Meeting these new people from different places and backgrounds was exciting and contributed to how my quarter went.
The first quarter was not all sunshine and rainbows, however. Academics is why you’re at college. It also contributed considerably to the interviewee’s view of the quarter. For Jackson, every other aspect of the school was significant – but his academics caused him trouble. The amount of time spent studying, doing homework, etc., caused Jackson to struggle to balance social life and school. This led to many long nights, stress, and some dissatisfaction. As for Eva, she mainly took general education classes, which she says “were not as stressful as I would’ve imagined. If I took more major classes, I’d probably struggle more.” I found myself agreeing with both perspectives; it was challenging yet doable. The main takeaway from the academics portion of the quarter was the importance of developing a routine. Routines are vital in college and finding the right school and fun balance.
Mistakes are learning experiences – and that is what my first quarter in college seemed to be. I navigated a new chapter of life and expected there to be mistakes I would make. Accepting that and growing from those experiences is how you can take advantage of the next four years in college and have the time of your life.
Pseudonyms have been assigned for the interviewees.