The pandemic hit the second semester of my junior year of high school. And like many others, it stripped me of so many experiences. Especially college prep experiences. Coming to the end of my senior year, I felt not ready at all to enter the world of college, but everyone else seemed fine so why didn’t I? I enrolled at a 4-year college and tried to jump in. This ended up being the wrong move and I have never been at a lower point in my mental health than I was during my 2 weeks at this college. Nothing against the friends I made there, all very sweet and kind people, just not the right environment for me and lack of college prep. I simply was not ready, and guess what? THAT IS OKAY! It is okay if you aren’t ready right out of high school, and I wish more people talked about this. I did my first semester at a community college and got the help I needed for my mental health, and I could not be happier with that decision looking back. It was right for me and that is all that matters. I probably would have done a full year or two if I didn’t get an offer from my current university. So, let’s dive into why you clicked on this article. Things I learned this semester as a spring transfer student.
You can still get involved/make friends in the second semester
I can’t speak for all universities and experiences, so I will be speaking on my own. My university actually offers club and organization fairs at the beginning of each semester rather than just at the beginning of the year which is great for second-semester transfer students. I was able to go and talk to club members and see which one might be the best fit for me and my schedule. I only joined two because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself, but it was a way for me to get involved and make friends. It gave me more opportunities outside the classroom to introduce myself and make connections.
Enjoy your own company
I think everyone needs to learn this lesson at some point in their life, and for me, it has been a journey since the pandemic started. Transferring in the dead of winter and to a school already in session with friend groups already formed, I was nervous. But I realized, and have been working on for some time, that I don’t need to be doing something wild or hanging out with people every day of the week to have a fun and fulfilling time. I may be a little biased because I am definitely more introverted, so I love me some “me time” but even us introverts need socialization. I guess what I am trying to say is I learned how to enjoy my own company by doing things other than homework or aimlessly scrolling through social media, which brings me to my third and final reason.
Embrace your hobbies or pick up a new one
I have always liked gaming, but I never felt like it wasn’t a “productive” use of my time, so I felt guilty when I let myself participate in this hobby. But trying to balance college workload and clubs, I found myself needing to add in some fun. And one of the clubs I joined was our video game club, and that showed me that I shouldn’t feel guilty for having fun and getting excited to play games. If it makes me happy then it IS a productive use of my time. Moreover, I picked up a new hobby, or I should say actively have been trying to incorporate and keep up with this hobby this semester. This is meditation and mindfulness. So, may be more of a practice than a hobby. I downloaded an app called “Balance” which helps you create a meditation plan. This has helped me stick to meditating daily as well as bring more focus and clarity into my life. I also started gratitude journaling at night in order to practice more mindfulness which is a great way to unplug before bed.