Transition Periods, First Impressions, and College Sh*t

I know a lot of you might not be in college or haven’t started the semester yet- but I have, so with that in mind-- HAPPY FIRST DAY OF CLASSES!!!!!

Wow, craziness am I right? I swear it was just my first day of classes last semester, and now here I am! Sophomore year- in a new dorm, seeing friends around every corner? Sounds pretty slay to me. However, it’s still a bit daunting. Even though I’ve been through a whole year here, it’s still kind of scary and intimidating. Which I think is something no one talks about enough. Transition periods are something that happen constantly throughout our lives, we get used to something new and then here we are with another change. But like I’ve said before, change can be fun! And it’s a natural part of life. 

Going into my second Fall semester, I’d like to think I have a new mindset about who I am as a person. A major thing that’s different is, well, my major- considering I started out as an English major, and now I’m concentrated as an English Writing major as a part of our schools new Writing BA they recently started. I am FAR happier with this major considering one of my favorite pastimes is reading and writing (I know right, how could you tell?). Anyways, I know a lot more of my professors, and they all know me- which makes it a lot more fun to reconnect with them in new classes. I also have more friends this year, seeing as last fall I only knew my roommate and didn’t do much talking with anyone. I was really struggling with my depression and social anxiety- and what’s better for both of those things than moving five hours away from home to a school where you know literally no one. Yeah, it wasn’t fun to say the least. BUT I made it through, and now I’m sitting here with lots of friends & acquaintances, a major I’m passionate about, and a new outlook on myself. I think college, or at least this point in our lives, is a really crucial part of development. I mean we were just teens who thought they knew everything, to find out we are adults now who don’t really know anything and have no real adult money (lol). However, the fun thing about these few years, let's say 18-25 or 30, you learn how to live on your own. You learn what you like and don’t like, you start to learn things about yourself as a person and the world around you. A year ago, I was still expressing myself in ways I wasn’t fully comfortable with, because I was trying to fit into the box, I thought I had too, coming from a small town in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. Then I got to college and met SO MANY FRUITY AND NICE ACCEPTING PEOPLE! I mean my roommate and best friend is literally the complete opposite of me- and up until that point in my life I had never really met a hardcore anime loving goth, and now look at us! (Shoutout to Gibber-Gab) :)

Another thing I’ve seen, which is very much related to transitions- is the idea of first impressions. When you move to a new place, or a new school, or even join a new club, you end up meeting so many new people! Coming from a person who had a graduating class of 100 or less classmates, I can confirm that I could indeed name everyone I went to school with. Now I could barely tell you half of the people I see walking around on campus. Which is a really cool thing to me! It is slightly nerve wracking when you’re a person with social anxiety, because I do find myself over thinking if people like my RA’s, dorm-mates, classmates, professor, etc. will like me. The thing I’ve had to tell myself is that no one really cares or is even paying attention to you. It’s funny, because innately we all think everyone is judging us- or maybe that’s just for us overthinkers- but the reality is that no one actually gives a shit what you do or what you wear. Unless you say something offensive, then most likely someone will be judging you- so don’t say offensive things guys lol (I’m saying that with love). 

College is such a weird thing, but it is also a freaking exciting thing! It’s full of so many awesome opportunities- like clubs, sports teams, acapella groups (if you want those Pitch Perfect vibes), meeting new people, getting involved in communities, and so much more. Yes, it may be scary, and that first freshman year is really beyond hard- it’s one of those big transitions that takes a hot minute to get used too. HOWEVER, in the long run, there is so much more you can look forward to. You just have to keep pushing through. Not everything in life is going to be easy- but don’t give up. I wanted to give up after my first semester- but I’m glad I didn’t. 

As always: drink some water, take care of yourself, and make sure to go watch Pitch Perfect after this- sorry now I’m thinking about Pitch Perfect… 

Signing off, 

Lee XD