What It Was Like Coming to College Knowing No One
When I was a senior in high school, I needed to make a big decision; and that was to decide where to attend college. I had decided on going to Oklahoma State University for numerous reasons, one being it was a great school. I am from California, so it was a big decision to leave my family and go to school halfway across the country but I decided that it was the best decision for me and that I would most likely enjoy myself here. It was definitely hard to process that in this university of 20,000 plus students, I didn’t know a single person. In fact, in the entire state of Oklahoma, I didn’t know anyone. I thought it would be a great opportunity for a fresh start and to meet all different kinds of people with completely different ways of growing up. I decided to rush for a sorority so that I could immediately meet people. I met tons of friends while doing so but ended up not joining a sorority. But, that didn’t stop me from continuing to be involved and meet new people. I stayed close with friends in sororities and other friends I met in my dorm. In addition to rushing, I decided to live in a community dorm hall that was coed. This lead me to meet tons of new people and even though I don’t live in the dorms anymore, they are lifelong friends that I continue to see every day.
Even though my freshman year sounds like I had tons of friends and was having a great time, it wasn’t always like that. Yes, I had friends, but they would sometimes be busy with their sorority or fraternity events or hanging out with their other friends that they had made through other activities or high school. It was hard for me because I didn’t have a clique of my own. Eventually, I started becoming more involved in organizations and clubs and I ended up finding my clique. We immediately became best friends. I finally felt like I had a group of friends where I belonged and I was so happy. But it definitely took some time.
Coming to Oklahoma has taught me so much. It has definitely taught me to always be myself. If you are comfortable and are being yourself, you will find a place where you belong, even if it takes time. In addition, I realized moving far away from home forced me to branch out and be social. I wasn’t able to stay in a clique of high school friends and not meet new people because all my friends are on the other side of the country. And the last thing is to not ever lose hope if things don’t work out for you. I was dreaming of being in a sorority ever since I was young and my mom would tell me stories about her days in a sorority. But, it didn’t work out for me and I realized that some things aren’t made for everybody and that’s okay. College is so big and I promise that you will find what organizations and activities are meant for you because there is something for everybody.