Now that my first year at TAMU is officially finished, I feel like I can look back fondly on everything I’ve accomplished. Because I recently saw Taylor Swift live at her Eras Tour (was the best night of my life btw), I can’t help but reflect on how much Taylor has been there for me. No matter what I was feeling throughout the year, Taylor always had a song for that specific emotion, which is why I compiled a list of songs to describe my freshman year! In order to properly honor the Eras tour, I did a song from each one of her albums because what kind of swiftie would I be if I left one out?
- a place in this world
-
Trying to find your place in this world? Figuring out what should you do with the rest of your life? Yeah… even though I’m at the end of my freshman year, I don’t think I could answer that question confidently. I mean, who can blame me? As Taylor said, “I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.”
- fifteen (Taylor’s version)
-
The naivety I felt coming to college was so similar to the way I felt entering my freshman year of high school. The feelings of being lost and believing in everything you hear were so relatable, especially this first year. Trying to figure out who I really was became a huge question for my freshman year. Taylor perfectly encompasses those doubts in her song.
- mean
-
If you ever felt like someone was doubting your ability to succeed in college, then this is the song for you. I loved listening to this song because it was just the right amount of spitefulness to make me work hard in my studies.
- the very first night (taylor’s Version)
-
I’m sure we all remember our very first night sleeping on our own in college. I personally remember freaking out about sleeping on my dorm bed as I was convinced I’d end up falling right out. Fortunately, that never happened, and that very first night became the first of many!
- shake it off
-
Getting not so great grades in college was definitely something I had to grow to get used to. I was so used to getting almost perfect grades in high school that seeing that first failing grade was a shock! Looking back on it now, it seems almost silly how worried I was. Now, I just remember to “shake it off!”
- i did something bad
-
I wouldn’t say I ever did anything bad my freshman year, but I definitely lived more freely. This song just made me feel like I was at the top of the world. It was one of the best pick me ups whenever I had a bad grade or a bad day in general.
- it’s nice to have a friend
-
Making friends at TAMU was not very hard as everyone is very friendly. However, having friends outside of the classroom was a whole different ballpark. This song made my painfully awkward dinners at the dining hall alone slightly more bearable.
- this is me trying
-
What else do you do your freshman year in college but try? This song was relatable for a variety of reasons, but I think what made it perfectly describe my freshman year was that I was always trying. It wasn’t always very obvious to everyone, but there was never a moment where I wasn’t putting my 100% effort.
- ’tis the damn season
-
It won’t come to as surprise that freshman year is filled with doubts, especially during the holiday season. Taylor described the emotions during the holiday season down to a T. This song became a regular during the holidays, with the addition of the many Christmas songs everybody can’t get enough of.
- you’re on your own, kid
-
I won’t sit here and say the transition from high school to college was easy because frankly, it wasn’t. Was it rewarding? Absolutely. Would I do it all over again knowing what I know now? A million times yes. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” was made for that feeling of looking back and knowing that you were the only thing you needed to succeed.
I hope if you’re an upcoming freshman that I didn’t scare you away from college but made you more excited to come. If you are already in college, then I hope these songs made you reminisce on your freshman year. May all your future college endeavors and goals go as planned. As Taylor once said, “You’ve got no reason to be afraid.”