It could be said that I got a head start on college life. After all, I have been attending college classes for two years now, and I have an Associate’s Degree from Illinois Valley Community College. I’ve lived on my own before, I’ve been away from home before, and I’ve been to this campus before. I’ve also seen the movies and heard the stories from friends who have experienced it already. However, despite all of this, I could never have been prepared properly for the new experience which I have now started.
I moved in four days before everyone else due to my involvement in marching band, so I was here before many of the offices were even open for the year. I was one of only about three people in my entire dorm building that week. It got rather lonely, although I didn’t spend much time there. I was at band camp all week, a familiar experience from high school. I made many new friends very fast there, but when I returned to the dorm on Thursday night, I found my roommate and the rest of the people in the building moved in and getting to know each other. They were up most of the night, while I had to sleep for two more early mornings that week. When band camp ended, I felt a little left out of all the fun on my floor. Outside of the band, I didn’t really know anyone. After everyone was moved in, I was surprised to find myself still feeling a bit lonely. I told myself that this would change soon. I tend to take a little more time to adjust to new situations, and currently, every aspect of my day is a new situation. After all, even as I write this, it is still the first full week.
It’s my third year of college, but my first year of college life. Despite attempts from other sources, these experiences cannot be gained artificially.
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