![\"midaps_img1\"](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2015\/09\/midaps_img1.png\")
<\/p>\ni\u2019m officially a \u201ccollege student.\u201d actually, let me rephrase that: i have moved in and started orientation. classes will be up and running in no time, though. and as someone who had zero clues, i thought a brief synopsis of my experience could help give those of you yet to leave a better idea of what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n
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this will, of course, vary by school, but generally once you arrive on campus you need to transfer all of your stuff into large, moveable bins. sometimes people will be there to assist you. often times, not (but don\u2019t worry, they\u2019ll have wheels). elevator lines are inevitable, and chances are your wait time will be composed of parental small talk with the people next to you and silent panic over whether or not you brought too much stuff. (i was personally freaking out over being \u201cthat girl.\u201d trust me, though, there will<\/em> be someone there who need more bins than you do).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n after shlepping all of those suitcases into your \u201ccozy\u201d shoebox, you\u2019re going to need to do some serious unpacking. (pro-tip: if you don\u2019t have a\/c, find the fan first). you\u2019ll quickly find that stuff has been accidentally left behind. or, if you are an eighteen year old girl like yours truly, that you need twice as many hangers as you originally thought. don\u2019t let this stress you out. yeah, the amount of people in the bed bath and beyond will make it feel like disneyland on steroids. but you\u2019ve gotta do what you\u2019ve gotta do. if you really want to avoid crowds, scope out your student store; they tend to carry a good amount of essentials.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n and when you do, you will be consumed by instantaneous panic. breathe. retrace your steps. then, when even that fails you, don\u2019t be like me and buy a new one right away (only to be emailed an hour later that it\u2019s been turned in). try to give it a few hours, if you can. that $25 i blew is basically the equivalent of two nyc-priced coffees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n i was petrified to have my parents leave for the night, and they were coming back in the morning, only because it meant truly being on my own. it all comes down to having to put yourself out there. if you have a roommate, grab a meal together. if you have a neighbor, introduce yourself. (facebook messaging them is not creepy!) if you find a group, ask to join in. these don\u2019t have to be your best friends for life; in fact, they probably won\u2019t be. but having a buddy to sit with really makes all of the difference. the beautiful thing is that everyone is just as terrified of being alone as you are. be friendly and be approachable – i guarantee that it will make someone\u2019s day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n my first night i went out to dinner with my parents and absolutely gorged. by the time they left, though, i needed to do something<\/em>. so i figured, if i made myself a salad in the dining tent, i\u2019d have my reason for asking to sit down and eat with someone. in front of me, two guys were chatting, looking relatively harmless, on a nearby bench. and in my brazen streak of independence, i inquired about the open spot just to the left. the one guy gives me the go-ahead only to, as i sit down, completely turn his back and continue rambling on about something that apparently didn\u2019t concern me. there i was – staring at a salad i didn\u2019t want in the first place – having utterly failed my mission of making conversation. (it didn\u2019t help that one of the boys was, err, not too bad looking).<\/p>\n what i\u2019m getting at is that, as deflated as i was for a moment or two, i quickly shoved that salad down, stood up, and kept going. i\u2019ve found it easiest to simply laugh at the discomfort of college. and sure enough – i went on to meet a very pleasant boy at the fruit stand. after all, that\u2019s where all the pleasant boys hang out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n you\u2019ll be asked four things when you start college: what\u2019s your name? where are you from? where do you live? and what are you studying? any time you make it beyond those topics, consider yourself blessed.<\/p>\n ps: you are probably going to run into the same person and have a repeat experience of all of those. it happens – you\u2019ll do it too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n when you\u2019re feeling down, you will need to make your own pick-me-up. revel in the small things, like successfully showering without forgetting your underwear\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n or finding the best water bottle fill-up station on campus. it\u2019s not a lot, i know, but after some days it will be enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n you may want to jump to conclusions – don\u2019t. it\u2019s impossible to use the first day as a precursor for your entire experience. people will evolve in front of you, and so will your affinity towards your surroundings. the best advice i can give is to simply check in with yourself from time to time; do what you need in the moment and remember to prioritize your own wellbeing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" i\u2019m officially a \u201ccollege student.\u201d actually, let me rephrase that: i have moved in and started orientation. classes will be up and running in no time, though. and as someone who had zero clues, i thought a brief synopsis of my experience could help give those of you yet to leave a better idea of what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[24904],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n2. you\u2019ll still need to buy a ton of things<\/h2>\n
3. it is possible to lose your id on day 1<\/h2>\n
4. absolutely no one will want to eat (or do anything) alone<\/h2>\n
5. you\u2019re going to have to persevere through the awkwardness<\/h2>\n
6. get used to answering the same questions<\/h2>\n
7. find little victories<\/h2>\n
![\"midaps_img3\"](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2015\/09\/midaps_img3.gif\")
<\/p>\n8. all you can do is focus on yourself<\/h2>\n