My first day of college was terrifying. The unknowns scared me. I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t even know myself, that’s why I came here. To find out. I guess that’s why most people go to college so I knew I wasn’t entirely alone. But as my first few days at UIndy started to fly by I watched as friendships were made and groups were formed, the kinds that you couldn’t exactly join later. As the days passed I began to wonder if this was the best choice for me. I think this is something a lot of students experience in their first few weeks or months of college, but I don’t hear many people talking about it. There is this pressure to know where you are going or what you’re doing but, most days, we just go with the flow. I wasn’t sure I’d ever find a place to settle. Until I did.
I had met someone during move-in week that I didn’t expect to become close friends with, she was shy and didn’t talk much and I was the same way. She lived in my hall so we saw each other often. This gave us the excuse to talk which was a blessing in disguise. I had been rooming alone so I didn’t have a go-to person. One day I decided to swallow my fear and talk to her. She talked back. And now, months later, she is one of my best friends.
Life has moved very fast and my freshman year is almost over. Since talking to her that one day I have learned how to build connections with people. Others have made the same efforts and reached out to me and now I have a community of people. Now UIndy feels like home. Growing up with the same group of friends can make this scary but after taking that first step my life has improved significantly. Take a deep breath and go with the flow, you’ll find the right place to stop when it’s time.