I assume most college freshmen who arrive to their college of choice have spent some semblance of time away from home – that was not case for me. I never went away for summer camp or soccer camp or anything similar – my parents wanted me home during the summer so we could spend family time together. To be completely honest, I’m glad they did that. I have a much stronger relationship with them then I believe my other friends do with their parents. My parents – and by extension, my family – have a great supporting relationship.
So, I assume you’re wondering, why the predicament? The predicament, my dear friends, is that I’ve always had my parents around. (Of course, I had adjusted to the fact that college, of course, wouldn’t have them by my side, but I guess I hadn’t really grasped the fact then). As a result, my first night after I was all moved in, sucked. I’m not joking – everything seemed to be going fine – I was about to fall asleep and then it all sort of hit me, all at once. I was truly, for the first time in my life, going to be completely alone. This, as one might imagine, completely freaked me out causing my anxiety to spike and I couldn’t sleep until around 3am. Maybe. (I stopped checking the time because it was moving so slowly)
I ended up texting my Mom, completely freaked out because I had assumed college was going to be super fun and I was going to be the one consoling my friends because that had been my role in my friend group beforehand. My anxiety didn’t care, however, and that whole first day of Welcome Week sucked. I ended up getting sick that morning, and felt ill and out of the sorts the rest of the day. To make matters worse (or better) the entirety of my family left that day, and it was an emotional goodbye.
That being said, it did get better. The second night (and consequent days) were much better and had me feeling excited and pumped for college life. Thankfully, 3 or so weeks past Welcome Week, I feel at home on CNU’s campus and cannot wait for what these next four years have to offer.