After a painfully lengthy day at school, the last bell finally rang. I ran and threw open the doors of my high school, rushed to my car, put the key into the ignition, and drove home. Being the anxious high school senior that I was, I had been waiting days, weeks, and months to find out whether or not I would be accepted into my top choice school. Waiting in traffic was nerve-wracking and when I pulled up into my driveway the butterflies in my stomach started to flutter. Shifting my hand from the steering wheel, I placed the gear into park. I slowly opened the car door and walked to the mailbox. With sweaty hands I opened the mailbox and behold… the glorious envelope that would hold the answer to my future. I walked into my kitchen and took a seat with the envelope sitting on the table in front of me. I called in my family and opened up the envelope I had been waiting too long for. Opening the letter with great caution, it read: accepted.
Flash forward over 10 months and here I am nestled in the corner of Mason’s on-campus Starbucks, sipping my latte, writing about my experiences so far as a college student. With any luck, I will give you readers a honest look into university life at George Mason University.
Week 1: Life Changing Experiences Â
The night before move in day, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned thinking about how I would no longer be sleeping in my bed for a while. Picturing how my life was going to change in just a few hours was a crazy revelation. The day of move in, I woke up at 5:00 am ready to pack up my last few bags and head on the journey down to my new home. It still amazes me how I managed to stuff my life into one car. As I made the trip down to Fairfax, I was thinking of all the possibilities that were to come.
Arriving on campus was overwhelming. I was excited, nervous, and a little sad. But I knew that these next four years at Mason were going to be new and different. The move in crew at Mason did a great job helping me unload my stuff. I felt welcomed into Mason’s community the moment I arrived on campus. As I unpacked my belongings into the moving bins, I made a trek down to my new living area. I arrived at Carroll Hall in the Commons freshmen living area. I moved in my belongings into my dorm room, met my hall mates, and started unpacking and decorating. I said my goodbyes and was sad to see my family leave but I got a rush of excitement for the independence and responsibility that came my way.
Â
Â
The first week was all about meeting new people, getting to know the campus, finding my classes, and trying to keep myself sane. The freshmen “Welcome Week” activities were great because they kept the freshmen busy and gave us a sense of purpose before classes started. The freshman had to attend the “Preamble” which was a two-day long session that introduced all new students to their new homes. Although the sessions dragged on towards the end, and keeping myself awake during the speeches was a challenge, I really got a sense of what the year had in store for me. Trying to find ways to get involved, socialize, and prosper in my classes was going to be a challenge, but having a few days before classes started to get advice from teachers and peers helped ease the stress. As a communication major, I decided to keep myself productive by working as an event planner for the Office of Student Media, PRSSA, and best of all, Her Campus GMU! Setting my priorities early on was important for me because I wanted to start the year off in a constructive and dynamic way.
So far, I can say I’m loving George Mason University. I’ve met some great people from across town, across the nation, and even across the globe! It’s amazing how much you can learn and grow when you’re on your own and figuring out everything as you go. This has only been the beginning, and there’s more to come as I experience new things, start engaging in my college level classes, socialize at a school with over 33,000 different faces, and find my path to my future career. Stay tuned for more of my experience at Mason!Â