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MSU | Life > Academics

My First Semester at MSU – I Feel Like I Am Right Where I Belong

Tess Petrucelli Student Contributor, Michigan State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

My first semester has been a rollercoaster: There were a lot of really great ups, but also a few downs. In the beginning, it was hard to feel like I really belonged when I stepped inside of a classroom. Now, I am sitting in the MSU Union as I write this article, truly feeling like I am a Spartan. 

When I first arrived on campus, I only had one person – and that was my roommate. I feel extremely fortunate that I am so close with her, as she helped me connect with some of my really close friends. When I was walking around looking for a place to eat with my roommate, these two girls stopped us on the street and asked if we were lost. We said we were and then as a group of four we walked to get food together, and that was how I made my first friends on campus outside of my roommate. 

As the days went on, my roommate introduced me to one of her best friends who I am now very close with, and as time went on, friendships interconnected and we formed a little group. Making friends on my own was the hardest part of starting school because I basically forgot how to do it; I’ve had my friend group back home for a while and we all just sort of knew a mutual friend before we became one group, so I didn’t really have to do much on my own.

Now, being at college, I had to put myself out there and make friends by myself- which I did! Clubs and classes were the ways that I made friends on my own that I don’t share with my friend group or my roommate and it made me feel good about myself because I did it all alone. I have made some good friends who I enjoy going to dinner with or hanging out after class with. Finding my friends made me feel more a part of campus, which really aided with transition to the college process. 

Making friends was a bit of a struggle in the start, because I am not a very extroverted person, but once I started to make them, it became easier. Something else that I really struggled with was actually feeling like I belonged on campus. I would walk into buildings like the library or the Union, and I felt like I didn’t belong. It didn’t feel like I should be there, and that I should go back to my room and just keep studying. After the first time walking in the Union and feeling like that I left and went to the library where I felt a little better but I still felt out of place. I can’t explain why I felt like this, and I still today don’t understand, but I can confirm that I no longer feel that way.

After the first few weeks of classes, I started to become more comfortable on campus. I went back to the Union in the middle of the semester and I did not leave, I actually stayed and studied. I felt awkward being there but staying helped me feel more a part of the campus life. Now, I am sitting in the Union at the end of the semester without that feeling of being out of place. I know now that I am allowed to be here and supposed to be here, and I have never felt better about it. 

Like I said, after classes started, I felt more at home here. Being in a routine and knowing that I was in classes gave me a feeling of security. I knew I had a purpose being at MSU, and that I wasn’t just some random kid on campus who looked lost and confused. Starting classes was the one thing that really made me feel like a college student. On the subject of classes though, the transition of going from smaller classes of less than 30 to big lectures of 300 people was crazy to me. I was not prepared for the rooms to be so big and filled with so many people. I was also unprepared for how much work outside of class there would be. Sure I got homework in high school, but it was usually just one assignment due the next day. Now I feel like I am constantly reviewing what I learned in class and constantly studying, even if I don’t have an exam for another couple of weeks. 

Balancing my school work and social life has honestly not been too big of a challenge for me. I work hard Sunday through Thursday and then I enjoy Friday and Saturday and don’t even think about school. I have found that it works best for me to get all my work done that has a due date on it during the week, and then on Sunday, I can just review anything and study whatever I need to. This was not what I did in high school because I would save all my work for the night before it was due and then I would be working and studying all day on Sunday. I knew coming into college that I would not be able to keep up if I did my school work that way, so I changed my high school routine to better fit my college life. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first semester of college life at MSU, and while I had some struggles with making friends and feeling like I really do belong, I now feel at home on campus. And even though classes here are hard and require a lot of work, I have found a way to balance my life in a way that I get enough time for school and for friends. I have never felt more like a Spartan than I do right now, sitting in the Union, sipping on my tea from Strange Matter Coffee, writing an article for the club I am a member of, and getting ready to study for my final exams. Go green!

Tess Petrucelli

MSU '28

Tess Petrucelli is a student at MSU who is majoring in Supply Chain Management! Within Her Campus at MSU, she is a member who is excited to try her hand at writing articles. She is also a member of the Events Team for Her Campus at MSU!
She is a sophomore who wants to intern in operations and logistics within the supply chain sector. Prior to coming to MSU, Tess interned at Children's Hospital of UPMC Pittsburgh Foundation assisting in the organization of donations to the hospital over $10,000.
Outside of school and Her Campus, Tess enjoys doing puzzles, reading, watching movies, and hiking! She is also a member of Supply Chain Management Association. She also likes to take long walks along the river and watch the sunset. She played lacrosse for 7 years including club all year long and high school lacrosse where she even made captain her senior year. Tess is also an active member in her soroity at MSU - Alpha Omicron Pi (Beta Gamma).