My first quarter at Cal Poly was one I will never forget. The build up of being on my own was finally over, and it was extremely liberating to be able to do what I wanted when I wanted. Yet, I didn’t prepare myself for how much my life would suddenly change. You always hear how much college changes you, and now I know exactly what those people meant.
As a new college student, I dealt with the questions that are more common than not. “Did I pick the right school?” “Why don’t I have a reliable group of friends yet?” And, of course, the classic: “Did I pick the right major?”
Eventually, I began to relax about those kinds of questions. A lot of great things take time, and although people say freshman year is one of the best, it also has a countless amount of changes and adjustments.
During Thanksgiving break, I went home and got to see some of my friends. Even though it had only been three months since I’d last seen them, I could tell they had grown. Not having parents tell you when to eat or when to do homework is a change, possibly a good one — although the food at Cal Poly can be an appetite killer!
Just making new friends or going out of my way to meet people made me feel like I was growing! As I was getting used to this new life I had to deal with heartbreak and not being home to heal. However, being in such a beautiful place made me realize everything will be okay in the end. My classes went well, and I enjoyed spending my spare time hiking, going to the beach or taking Zumba classes at the fitness center.
Coming from the Lake Tahoe area, I always enjoy the 70-degree weather in December! Besides learning the bus routes that take me downtown, I have learned so many new things about myself in the past 4 months that I didn’t even know existed until now. It’s a great feeling to know that I was lucky enough to be able to go to such a great school and have the opportunity to be successful in life. I have been lucky enough to meet a beautiful group of friends and enjoy where I go to school. I’ve heard too many stories from some of my friends that they don’t like their school and are transferring after just one quarter, my roommate being one of them. College isn’t for everyone yet, but at the end of the first quarter I am happy and excited to call San Luis Obispo my new home.