During their first few weeks, most freshmen will tell you about the friends they’ve made, parties attended, the exams they’ve taken, or the dorm meals they’ve accustomed to. Well, things have been slightly different for me during my few months of college. I got into a car wreck, dropped a class, and experienced a fair share of apartment issues.
IIn high school, I used to idolize my future plans of attending Texas A&M University, majoring in engineering, and living on my own. In fact, I can say that I thank the mere thought of moving away from my hometown for getting me through senior year.
Before I knew it, college time was here. To put it simply, it’s nothing of what I expected but also exactly how I expected it to be. Let me explain.
Everything is a mess. No one knows how to drive, everyone is lost -both physically and mentally- and nothing makes any sense. It feels like everyone is embracing freedom but losing sanity at the time. And, quite frankly, that is the case for a lot of people.
I anticipated being confused and lost like everyone else. However, I did not expect to be classified as someone who couldn’t drive…until I got into a car wreck.
On the eleventh day of classes, while venturing out to get my nails done, I got into an accident on the way back to my apartment. Fortunately, nobody suffered any severe injuries. At the moment, I was just shaken up with a couple of bruises; I didn’t realize that I would have severe PTSD and fear getting in a car from here on out.
On top of dealing with my car situation, I was struggling academically. Let’s just say that I hated engineering class and contemplated dropping it and changing my major for several weeks (along came an abundance of tears). I had no motivation to do the work for any of my classes, and I felt horribly anxious about every aspect of my future.
Finally, I decided that dropping my engineering class and changing my major would be the best solution to my misery. Of course, this wouldn’t be as simple as filling out a q-drop form. I had to contact financial aid, private scholarships, and a countless number of advisors to ensure that this was something that I could -and should- do. Once I got all the approvals needed, I dropped the class and started the process of switching my major.
But the problems didn’t stop there. Throughout all of my inconveniences, I was also adjusting to living without my parents. I had to learn how to manage my time properly, do my own laundry, wash my dishes, and sleep without the comfort of knowing my parents were down the hall. I now understand why everyone told me to enjoy my time as a kid and not wish to grow up so fast; adulting is hard.
I want to be clear about everything I have said thus far. I am not complaining. I am just trying to explain that college has been a whirlwind, and I’m not even done with my first semester yet. While my first few months have been jampacked and overwhelming, they have also been eye-opening and blissful. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to even get to experience college.
For now, I continue to learn how to be a good student -amidst a pandemic- combat the task of daily chores, and, of course, become a better driver. To other college students reading this and relating to it, we’ll get through it… I think.