This past week, I went to my college orientation, also known as SummerStart at my school. SummerStart is a two-day event with both orientation and registration occurring over the course of it. Here are some of the things that gave me all of the feels while I was attending.

1. Seeing your campus for the first time.

Even though I live in Washington, I had never been able to make it up to campus before. Actually seeing it for the first time made me really emotional. Especially in the case of Western, which is known for being a beautiful campus. The smoke did ruin some of it, but it was lovely to see it for myself!

2. Moving into a dorm room overnight.

For my orientation, we got to stay in the dorm rooms overnight, and this was another moment that was fueling my emotions. Even though we weren't really moving in, having room keys and a random roommate felt like the first taste of actual college life.

3. Registering for classes.

For me, registering for classes was both a very stressful and very rewarding experience. They warned us we might not be able to get spots in the classes we wanted due to all of the upperclassmen having registered. There were only so many spots that they opened up for us. So, of course, this meant lots of planning was needed before we actually went to register, but the planning was worth it! I was able to get into all of the classes I wanted, and that was really exciting!

4. Your college ID card.

I'm not sure if every school does this, but Western chooses to do the ID cards for new students at orientation. Receiving that card was really just overwhelming. Of course, just like in high school, the picture probably isn't the most flattering, but it's not the picture that counts. Receiving that card is like a huge announcement of "Hey! I'm a real college student now!" I'm not going to say I cried upon receiving my ID card, but I definitely got a little misty-eyed.

5. Leaving the campus again.

Probably one of the most emotional moments for me was when I tried leaving the campus again. After having spent a whirlwind 24 hours there, I was extremely satisfied with my college choice and I wasn't ready to leave! I spent a good couple of hours just wandering around campus with a map, looking for my classrooms and just getting familiar with the buildings. When I finally did get in my car to head home, a wave of sadness crashed over me. I was ready for college to start right then.

These emotions were definitely a roller coaster to handle while I was at orientation, but at the end of it all, I can say that I am definitely counting down the days to moving in!