At 20 years old, I finally packed up and moved away from home for the first time. Not only was it a huge change leaving my family, but I had to trade the cornfields and cow pastures of my hometown for the lights and noise of the city.
At first, I was nervous. How could I not be when making such a significant lifestyle change? More importantly, though, I was confident. I was confident in my decision to go and my dedication to making new friends. I was confident in my drive to get involved in all of the things that my community college lacked.
My first week of classes at VCU tried to put a damper on my newfound confidence. My lack of navigational skills was very apparent as I attempted to get from my apartment to Oliver Hall, and then to the education wing. I found myself trapped in a maze of chemistry classrooms and periodic tables for what felt like hours. When I finally escaped, I was sweaty, tardy and ten pounds lighter from walking up and down countless flights of stairs. This happened several times in several different buildings before I finally began to know my way around. Since I’m a Junior, other students and professors expect me to know where all of the buildings and classrooms are, because they assume I’ve been here for years. Little do they know, I am basically a freshman who is perpetually lost but with an associate’s degree in “garbage courses.”
Aside from getting trapped in chemistry wings, I also had to learn how to jaywalk. Up until now, the only real experience I had with crosswalks was in Virginia Beach. There, you don’t cross the road without that little man on the sign’s permission. But here in Richmond, it’s a different story. When I’m five minutes late to a quiz and speed walking with a latte dripping down my arm, I feel invincible at the crosswalks. A quick look to determine that I have two seconds to sprint across is all I need to jog across. Apparently everyone at VCU has the same mindset because when I try to drive, I become a hypocrite, yelling at the people who are doing the exact thing I did that morning. Needless to say, I am working on both my road and crosswalk rage.
The last big change for me was going to a lecture and being surrounded by 199 other students. At my community college, the largest class I was in had about 30 students. Going from 30 to 200 was a significant change for me, mainly because I am the type of person who likes to interact in class and work in small groups. Luckily, my education classes are small, so I still get the learning style that I’m used to.
Despite the struggles, these past few weeks have been amazing. I joined Cru, an amazing campus ministry and I get the privilege of writing my thoughts and feelings for Her Campus at VCU. I’ve also managed to keep the confidence that I came here with, and have actually grown as a person already in this short time.
While being a transfer is weird and a little difficult, I am thankful for the opportunity to study at VCU and I look forward to what the future holds.
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