The five days which have begun our college experience have been filled with too many emotions to recall. I was shocked two days before leaving when I first realized I would be gone to college for good. Inevitably I"d be gone from family and friends for good now, and it wasn't the family I was worried about. While I love my parents and siblings, I was quite ready for the time to say goodbye. It was the loneliness that I was worried about. After four years in high school I had just begun to get comfortable and make real close friends. Leaving them, as well as my girlfriend, behind led me to believe isolation amongst the four thousand students was inevitably something I"d experience. The only other troublesome perception I had developed was that classes were going to be challenging very challenging. Hearing students talk about the work load scared the hell out of me. I came from a magnet high school that demanded a good deal from students and work that surpassed this seemed a bit over the top. After five days my worries have died down but there are some underlying truths to the perceptions that worried me for all of those two days befor I left for college.
In reality there isn't too much to be worried about. This college does an outstanding job orienting new students by keeping them busy and surrounding them with new faces from a variety of backgrounds. If I could remember one third of the people's names I've met I"d be happy. It is somewhat comforting to be able to say hello to people you see walking around campus. This has made the transition much easier and helps all students overcome loneliness. In addition, the workload usually isn't overwhelming if you stay on top of things. It deepens your understanding of concepts as well, an idea that was lost in high school. All this has combined for a remarkable first five days that leaves me eager for more.
