Well, I did it! I officially survived my first week of college classes. Now, it did not always go as swimmingly as I had hoped, but I managed to make it through the first week without any catastrophic mental breakdown (though, admittedly, I think I came close on more than one occasion).
The first task was figuring out how to get to my classes. I knew the general area where many were; however, I had not taken the time to figure out their exact locations, so I found myself lost on Indiana University’s sprawling campus more than once. I looked at Maps on my phone for some help, but I am so directionally challenged that it was virtually no help. Not to worry, I made it to every single one of my classes- at least fifteen minutes early even. Typical freshman move, but it’s okay. I needed to catch my breath before class after going up all of those stairs, anyway.
I sat in front for all of my classes, also a pretty typical freshman move, but I realize that if I truly want to do well, then I need to sit in the front to stay focused. I even downloaded an app on my phone called Pocket Points, which encourages you to stay off of your phone during class. The app uses your location to make sure you are actually in class. Then, it tracks the amount of time you are off of your phone and rewards you accordingly with points good for discounts on various online sites and local restaurants and businesses. This simple concept, reward poor college kids with free stuff, does seem to be working on me.
While stressing about acclimating to college life, I am also figuring out how to avoid stress eating, as I have also discovered that the freshman fifteen is a real thing - and I think it may already be happening. I have been going to the gym, but the amount of times I find myself wanting food or snacking on something in my dorm is ridiculous. Clearly, I need to lay off the tortilla chips a little bit. The dining halls offer a pretty good variety of foods, so if I wanted to get a salad I could. Unfortunately, I would rather get a burger or a sub sandwich because salad is, well, boring and also kind of expensive for just being lettuce in a bowl.
One thing I do seem to have a handle on, much to the surprise of my family, is my cleanliness. This has vastly improved since coming to college. My dorm room is always clean, and my bed is almost always made- neither of which were ever accomplished in my room back home. I now fold my laundry as soon as it is done rather than adding it to piles. My mother will be so proud.
Overall, college is already changing me for the better, in many ways. I seem to be handling the adulting thing okay, some of which just entails figuring out how to figure it out for myself. I think I’ll stay here for a while.
