This time last year, I was finalizing my commitment to Lasell University. Now, I am nearly finished my first year and it was honestly not how I expected it to be… but it also was. My first year of college really tested me mentally, physically, socially, and even more.
This is the furthest I’ve been from home, especially for this long, so that took a while to get used to. On top of this, I had to face a lot of new challenges: living with a roommate (she did end up moving out, though), making all new friends, only being able to see my boyfriend when I visit or on holidays, not having my dog around me 24/7, switching up my appetite, and so much more. Making all of these adjustments was really hard for me and quickly got the better of me. I found myself getting drained and burnt out really fast here and didn’t know how to properly care for myself.
High school was also very stressful for me due to the workload. With that, I thought that I would be somewhat prepared for college, but I was sorely mistaken. The work in college is hard, but it pays off if you actually do it and try your best. Something that made studying and classes a lot easier for me was the fact that I’m studying something I actually enjoy and really care about.
Something huge that I need to take away from my first year of college is to take time for myself. As I already said, I found myself getting stressed very easily throughout the year, but I never took time for myself when I was overwhelmed. I would just work myself until I was completely drained, which is what you should not do. Doing work while you’re burnt out just makes it harder to motivate yourself and causes you to produce lower-quality work.
The friendships that I have made here have been more valuable than anything. They have really helped me to get through some of my worst days. Making friends in college is crucial. Having even one or two is all you need. Building these relationships can help you when you’re having a bad day and just need a laugh when you need support with a club assignment, when you need a study buddy, or even grabbing dinner at the dining hall. Building relationships in college is crucial to your ability to thrive.
I could go on and on about what college has taught me and what I took away from it, but I’ll leave it at this for right now. I am so grateful for everything that I’ve learned and I will continue to implement those into my future years of schooling, and use them to help me grow in academic settings and as an individual.