Coming into my first semester of college, I was horrified that I wouldn’t make any friends. I thought, as a commuter, there wouldn’t be much for me to do besides go to class and go home. My freshman year went exactly like that: I drove to campus, made a couple of “class” friends that I didn’t see outside the classroom, and went home. I would sit alone in the library on my breaks and yearn for just one friend to talk to. I never struggled with making friends before this point in life, but college was a whole different story. I prepared myself for a lonely four years.
Entering my sophomore year, I had just broken up with my long term boyfriend at the time. My best friend from high school was hundreds of miles away, and I had never felt lonelier.Â
One day, walking up the stairs in Hayden Hall, a flyer for Sigma Delta Tau caught my eye. I never paid attention to the flyers in the halls and stairways, but for some reason, I took my phone out and snapped a photo. Rush was starting the next week, and although I never pictured myself in a sorority, something told me I should try. I brought it up to my mom, and to my surprise, she was all for it.
Going up the elevator in Kelly to the first night of rush was the most intimidated I had ever felt in my life. I got in line outside the door, and my knees were buckling. I couldn’t bring myself to join the conversations happening around me because of the pit in my stomach. The girl in front of me turned around and started talking to me, and I was stunned. Already, I was making a new friend.
Rushing SDT was one of the best things that happened to me in college. That first night of rush, I talked more than I had in my entire freshman year. I was surrounded by a bubbly group of girls I would have never spoken to if not given the chance that day. By the time Bid Day came along, I actually had plans on campus. I met girls I could hang out with while I waited for my next class. I had people to smile at and say hi to on the quad. I had events and meetings to go to after classes.Â
Through the girls I met in SDT, I joined Her Campus. HC has been such a joy to be a part of, and I loved every minute of it. It was the perfect way for a commuter like me to get involved on campus, and I loved seeing my little articles posted on the website and Instagram.Â
Freshman year, I thought I hated Manhattan. I was so lost and completely alone on campus. Now, years later, I am so sad to leave. Not only have I met some of my best friends here, but I also feel at home now. This was the perfect school for me, and my four years will always have a special place in my heart. I learned so much about myself, and looking back on the girl I was at seventeen, driving down the Bronx River Parkway towards school, I wish I could tell her she wouldn’t always feel so alone.Â
I’m going to miss my forty-minute commute to campus, even though the traffic made me late to class countless times. I’m going to miss reading on the mini quad. I’ll miss french vanilla iced coffees from New Riv, and getting dinner with friends at Blackstone. I’ll miss my favorite security guards at the parking garage. My professors in the English Department are some of the most intelligent and kind people I have ever met, and they are all I aspire to be. My fellow English majors amaze me every day, and I can’t wait to see what we all accomplish in our literary world. Sigma Delta Tau is full of incredible women, and even if we didn’t talk much, I admire each one of them. The lovely women I got to be on E-Board with for Her Campus are so hardworking and sweet. I will remember each person I crossed paths with here at Manhattan because each one of them helped me get through these four years in some way.Â
Manhattan University (although to me, it is still Manhattan College), thank you for the most formative four years. The memories I made here are some of the best memories of my life. I am forever grateful for the people and experiences this campus has given me. Once a Jasper, always a Jasper!