There are many different schools of thought when it comes to college and why people choose to attend. Many people value social experiences such as attending football games, parties and campus events as the most valuable aspect of college. Others feel that the academic network that college provides is valuable to students and gives them a head start in advancing their careers. As I approached my first semester of college here at FSU, I didn’t know what to expect or what category I would fall into. As an introvert, I had anxiety about making friends and the infamous party scene at FSU. Now that I’m closer to the end of the semester than the beginning, I am so grateful to myself and to my support system back home that I didn’t let my anxieties get the better of me. This semester has been one of many firsts and I’m defining what college means to me as I continue to forge my own path here.
I am from South Florida, meaning my family is a tiresome seven-hour car ride away from Tallahassee. I have always lived with my family and it was difficult to imagine a life without them. There are still times when I wonder how I’m able to do it. I think to myself “How am I alive without my mother here?” I have a love-hate relationship with being away from my family: on one hand, I miss them and I wish I could tell them about new and exciting things right when they happen rather than having to wait for an opportunity to call them. On the other hand, I can create my own schedule and have the freedom to choose how I would like to spend my time. Getting into the groove of things and having a daily routine has helped me with this. Even though I’m away from my family, the time that we do have together, such as weekend visits and holidays, is a lot more meaningful and enriching.
I feel incredibly lucky to have found a group of wonderful friends here. We attend campus events together, hang out between classes and on the weekends and try new things. I’m also lucky that I have a good relationship with my roommates. I love coming back to the dorm to them and telling them about my day, listening to their rants and stories and of course, poking fun at them as well. These relationships are invaluable to me, as I was nervous about making friends in college and am glad that it was able to happen so easily. However, I have also found real value in alone time. At first, the idea of spending a whole day by myself filled me with anticipation. With time, however, I grew to enjoy the reflection time that came with being solitary. I now place just as much value on those moments as the ones that I spend with my friends.
As a freshman with sophomore credits, one of the more anxiety-inducing aspects of this semester was getting started with coursework for my major. I am proud of myself for working hard in high school to be able to get a head start on my college work, but it also means that I am taking junior and senior-level classes with very little prior college experience. Although I thought it would be scary to reach out to professors for help, I’ve found that all of them are more than happy to work with students and provide them with additional insight and answer questions. All you have to do is ask! I’ve enjoyed my coursework and I am grateful to my professors this semester for being phenomenal teachers and providing me with help in and out of the classroom.
One of my regrets from high school is not getting involved in campus organizations earlier, so I made it a priority to join some this semester. Being involved in clubs (like Her Campus) has given me skills that will aid me as I advance in my career as well as leadership experience. I have gained confidence by running for positions on executive boards and just putting myself out there. Although I feared doing these things, finding community with these organizations was very important to me. As a Black student at a predominantly white institution, joining organizations that gave me a sense of community and allowed me to see other students like me in leadership roles was incredibly empowering. Joining clubs allowed me to see that there is a place for me everywhere– even where it seems like that isn’t the case.
My first semester has taught me a lot and even though I had a lot of anxiety approaching college, I am so glad I am here. I’ve learned to reframe a lot of my anxieties, and instead of seeing new experiences as nerve-wracking, I see them as opportunities to learn and grow. Someone once told me that nervousness and excitement are the same thing, it just depends on your mental state. I’m proud of myself for approaching new things with excitement and I’m excited to try new things and continue to grow during my time here.
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