Looking back, I cannot believe I’ve only been on Tech’s campus for a little over two weeks. Time has passed so quickly; I feel as though I’ve been a student here for a couple months.
My transition was relatively easy. My parents and I drove four hours down to Blacksburg from our home in Northern Virginia. We ate lunch together and then moved into my dorm room in Lee Hall. Amidst all the new freshman and parents moving in, I could tell my own parents were reminiscing on their college days. As for me, my whole world had flipped completely upside-down. I like to stay completely organized; every minute of every day is always planned out. Wasting time is just not on my agenda. My parents left so abruptly, as opposed to a long drawn-out goodbye.
I unpacked my room and by the next day, I was organized and completely settled in. For me, transitioning was easy; my parents allowed me ample freedom all summer and had previously taught me many helpful life skills (like doing laundry…how do some people not know how to do it?). It also helped that I know my roommate—I played field hockey with her in high school. Although we weren’t great friends in high school, we are becoming closer and live really well together.
Those few days I had before classes started were so fun. Everything was so new and exciting. I had a chance to try out just about every dining hall (West End is my favorite, but D2 has delicious chocolate milk).
As soon as classes started, I began to stress out. I took six AP classes in high school, so I thought those would have sufficiently prepared me to take on my 17-credit college load. I was very wrong. I suddenly had multiple textbooks for each class and a couple chapters of text to take notes on in each. I’ll admit, I’m still not completely used to the load of work I have, but I’m working on it and improving some of my old study habits. By the way, I know I’m not the first one to say this, but I absolutely hate the Math Emporium. I could barely learn math with an attentive teacher and a 30-student class. I hope I can figure out a way to handle it.
Aside from the unnatural amount of stress I put upon myself, I absolutely love my new life as a Hokie. I went to my first college football game; I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much maroon and orange in one place. The energy and support the students at Virginia Tech have for their teams is unprecedented; I’m not sure where else you’d find students like the ones at Tech. I got the opportunity to sit in the student section, which made my experience that much better (it also helped that Tech won 66-13). My family came down for the game, took me out to dinner, and took me to the grocery store.
It’s funny how much things have changed in the short span of two weeks. I have begun to cherish the time I spend alone. It sounds weird, but I love going on solo runs, doing laundry, or reading. Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s great and incredibly convenient that all my friends live within a five minute walk of my dorm. It’s just good to have alone time every now and then.
I’ve also learned a lot about myself. For example, I take incredibly short showers compared to most girls. I’m sure the girls on my hall appreciate that. I also am able to work really well when I’m listening to music. Although it makes me look slightly anti-social when my roommate’s friends come to visit and I’m holed away under my loft bed, it’s how I work. I also have developed the ability to sleep at any given moment, and I usually stay in the same position throughout my sleep. The whole not moving while sleeping thing is great, because if I roll, I’m rolling off the bed straight onto the tile floor.
I cannot wait for the rest of my time at Tech. These are supposed to be the best years of my life, right? As for the amount of time left, I hope it passes a little slower; there’s only so many activities I can cram into one day.