I started going to school at Kutztown University in the fall of 2013. With much dismay and a heavy heart, I packed up my bedroom and my parents moved me into Johnson Hall room 314. I loved high school with my entire being, so having to leave there to go to college was scary. However, once I got there, I quickly realized that college was just like high school in some ways. This was comforting to me. I made friends within a few days of being there, and I spent my first semester bonding with those in my major, eating mac and cheese at midnight, and staying up late to watch Netflix. All of these things helped me settle in pretty quickly and I began to live my “college experience.”
Although my first semester at Kutztown was great, my second was more than a little rocky. One of the girls in our friend group caused so much drama and everyone seemed to go in their separate directions. Now, as a senior, I realize that this happens to many freshmen during their first year. Over time, that realization has made me feel a little better about my situation. I ended up dropping out of housing in the middle of spring 2014 and started commuting. I’ve been driving to and from school every semester since this happened.
I could go on about the advantages and disadvantages of commuting, but that would need to be an entirely different piece altogether. To get the point across though, all I need to say is that commuting has worked out tremendously for me. Despite this, over the last three years I have gotten many comments from people in my life asking me things like, “But you never got the college experience. Don’t you wish you would have stayed there full time?” Honestly? No. Luckily for me, I have made extraordinary friends at KU. I am a secondary education major, and everyone in my program is such a cool and friendly person. These people helped me gain “the college experience” without actually living in Kutztown.
I spent many days at school until 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, etc., and even though I had an hour drive home, I never felt like being at school til late at night was an issue. If I had days where I had a five hour break in between classes, my lovely friends would always invite me to their apartments whether it be to just hang out, eat, or even nap. Despite living an hour away from my school, I was always included in social events and had plenty of time to bond with the people in my major, even outside of the classroom.
I’ve felt extremely grateful that even though my college experience started off in a rocky way that it has formed into something I can remember forever. This past semester, I started student teaching at a school closer to my hometown rather than Kutztown. Essentially, this means that I don’t get to see the people—my friends—in my major as often. We’re down to once a week at our practicum class, and even then, we can’t speak and catch up the way we want to. I miss them so much it hurts. I never felt like I didn’t live in Kutztown or wasn’t a part of the college life until now, but I guess that’s how everyone else feels too. I guess we are just reaching our adult lives and we have to accept that we won’t all be in the same place anymore come May 13th, 2017. I know once we graduate that my friends will become my competition in the world of education, but honestly, there’s no one else I would rather compete against.