It's hard for any freshman to believe that their first semester of college is over. For a lot of us it went by in the blink of an eye, and for some of us, it dragged on forever. Some of us experienced a harder time adjusting, whether it be to new college classes, the work load, or just to be on your own and balancing all of our new found freedoms that come with college. For most of us, we learned our way around a new school in a new city away from our families and everyone that we know. And hopefully, if you're one of the lucky ones, you found a new place that you can call home.
Homesickness in your first semester is a real thing, and it comes in many different forms. For me, it was less about my physical house and my bed, and more about associating myself with my new school and new home-away-from-home. It was hard to leave my hometown because I had the greatest connection to my high school and incredible relationships with all of my friends that I made throughout my life. I wasn't one of those people that went to a college that I had been cheering for my entire life, so it was difficult for me to get in the school spirit that surrounded me. I honestly never thought the day would come when I could call NC State home.
I was the kid that spent hours worrying about whether or not I chose the right school to attend. I filled out transfer applications just in case I never got that feeling that I was where I am supposed to be. I felt like I hadn't made any of the forever friends that you supposedly make in college, and I still to this day hate where I live because it doesn't have the dorm-y feeling that I thought my freshman year dorm should have. I got caught up in the negative feelings I was having and forgot to think about all the things about my new school that I really loved, like the crazy tailgating before football games and the classes I was taking.
It hit me a few days after I got home for Christmas break that I really do miss being at school. I realized at that moment that everyone has different adjustment periods and not every freshman is going to fall in love with the school they are at the moment they get there. You don't have to force the feeling that you belong where you are because it will come eventually. My expectations for my first semester were way off from how it turned out but that's not such a bad thing. We get tied up in our busy schedules and own troubles and forget that there are tons of other kids who didn't have the most amazing first semester but ended up loving the school they chose. The adjustment period is different for everyone, but when it's over, you will find you are at an amazing school with so many opportunities awaiting you.
