After a difficult year last year, I have honestly been dreading the words “back to school.” I was challenged in ways I had never imagined, and it left me with a negative view on college as a whole. After almost a whole summer of letting those negative thoughts and feelings about school get to me, I decided that I had to make a change if I am going to be happy. Instead of thinking about all of the reasons why I didn’t want to go back to college, I started to realize all of the things that I missed and all of the things I still have to look forward to. I was letting the bad memories overshadow all of the great memories I had last year and that just created the recipe for an unhappy life. This year I want to start fresh with a new outlook on life and of college. That being said, here are all of the things that make me excited to go back to school.
1. Apartment life
Living on campus in the dorms last year was mostly a positive experience for me last year. One of my roommates became my best friend in college, and the experience forced me to be more independent. However, I am excited to go one step further into the world of adulthood and have my own place to call home. I have already started to settle in and decorate, and so far I am really liking it. It is nice to not have RA’s and not have to walk up five flights of stairs five times a day.
2. Football Season
One of my favorite memories from last year is definitely cheering on the Hawkeyes at Kinnick. Despite almost being trampled and having to be saved by a security guard, storming the field will forever be an amazing memory. One of the major reasons why I was drawn to the University of Iowa was the spirit I saw from the students when I watched the games on TV. During the first game last year I witnessed that spirit ten times over, and it made me so proud to call Iowa City my home, whether we won or lost. This year I am excited to see Kinnick overflowing in black and gold once again.
3. Greek Life
Last year I had every intention of going through the sorority recruitment process, but I got too overwhelmed and didn’t go through with it. I quickly regretted that decision and was upset with myself for giving in to my fear and anxiety. I realized that one reason why I might feel so negative about my college experience is that I am not involved enough, and I’m not giving myself the opportunity to make genuine and lasting friendships. This year I want to change this and actually give sorority recruitment, and myself, a chance.
4. Better myself and my grades
Another thing I realized this summer is that I didn’t believe in myself very much last year, and it definitely showed in my grades. After being a 4.0 high school student, I was used to it coming easily to me with minimal effort. After going through a hard class first semester I started to lose faith in myself. This showed throughout the second semester due to a decreased work ethic and lack of motivation. This year I am looking forward to working hard and raising my GPA because I know I can do it, and that it will happen. This may not seem exciting to a lot of people out there but to me it is. I am excited to actually put everything I have into these next few years so that I can create the future that I want for myself. That being said, I also think that it is important to note that GPA isn’t everything. The big thing for me is that I just want to do my absolute best, not just the minimal effort that I pretended was my best.
5. Becoming more involved on campus
Apart from going through sorority recruitment, I am also excited to find other ways to get more involved on campus and in the Iowa City community. I am looking into joining more organizations that interest me and volunteering. I think that doing these things will force me out of my comfort zone and give me valuable experience that I can take with me out of college and into the real world.