College: four years to lose yourself and find yourself. A chance to redefine who you want to be without the shackles of old reputations and past mistakes. Four years with a lot of pressure.
Whether you have moved to grounds from a neighboring town or from the west coast, it is easy to feel alone in the whirlwind of emotions that come with going to college. It is easy to feel as though you are the only person anxious about meeting new people or terrified of failing a test or missing their hometown. However, every single first year in college feels the same way, whether or not they would like to admit it.
I came to UVA with big expectations: I would immediately become best friends with my roommate and ace all my classes and join every club that piqued my interest. Reality hit early. College is hard. Truthfully, it took me about a month to build a solid foundation for myself here — to figure out what I was feeling.
I came from a small town in New York where I had known all of the people around me since I was twelve years old. Suddenly I was hundreds of miles from home, surrounded by strangers. It was a prime opportunity to embrace the parts of myself I chose to tone down when growing up. In doing this, I was able to watch my friendship circle grow. I found people that I am able to deeply connect with and genuinely enjoy the smallest parts of life with. I have found friends in the smallest of places: a booth of a dining hall, the back of a class, the line at the mail room.
In my opinion, eighteen is the perfect age to leave home. You are naive and innocent to the world around you, yet so daring and fierce that you would never let fear stand in your way. College offers four more years to make mistakes. Beautiful mistakes.
Finding your home at a big school is intimidating, and it may take a semester or two, but it is not impossible. My greatest advice for all those struggling with finding their niche: say “hello” to everyone. People are looking for their niche just as you are. No one has this all figured out.