The exhilarating feeling of starting a new chapter, an adventure with unexpected terrain, brings out a sense of excitement and rejuvenation for anyone wanting to have a fresh start. For many seniors in high school, going off to college is a new beginning they have been dreaming of for too long. For those who didn’t have the best experience in their teenage years, who wanted to be away from the students and acquaintances they were trapped with for 4 years in high school, moving onto college is the escape they want and feel they need. Because of this, students can be so consumed with being in college and starting life on their own that they have little contact with family and friends back home. This is a snag students fall in and continue to do, and it is a routine students need to stop.

Starting on their own, students can feel thrilled and become enraptured in the very idea of having such a great amount of independence thrusted upon them. This can also be a difficult and challenging transition for any student in a number of ways; being in a new environment, not knowing the people around you for the first time in years, feeling uncomfortable where you are starting off in college, and other numerous tensions makes the enthusiastic soon-to-be college student feel small, vulnerable, and even scared. And this is predicament almost every freshmen college student goes through.

This unnerving feeling is why we need to maintain a constant contact with old friends from back home and high school and especially our family: they are the people that truly understand us. When we feel at our worst, in our most uncomfortable and worst times, they are the ones we can talk, vent, and explain our issues to without bias. From having a tough first week in college, going through your first midterm, having trouble with your roommate, or feeling isolated and alone with so many unknown people surrounding you, the worst solution to combat these problems is to deal with them on your own. Your friends are going through the same transitions and problems as you are and can relate to you. What is better way to continue a friendship than complaining together about the stresses of college and then encouraging each other to continue on with their new chapter? They still want to be there for you and want to know how you are doing; initiating contact with them might even help them deal with issues they’ve been holding back and finally have someone cheer them on when they have felt isolated. With family, even though each family situation is different, they are a huge support system we can’t forget about. They raised you, brought you into the world, and have done what they could to bring you to this very point in life. They want you to achieve great success and want to know everything that is happening in your next step in life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Though this can be seen as nagging, parents only pry about how college is going because they want to make sure we are enjoying our time and are not overly stressed or dealing with issues on our own. It should be comforting feeling knowing that our families are looking out for us and we shouldn’t take it for granted.

In the end, both your friends and family want to hear back from you to celebrate the triumphs you’ve already had in college and be there for you when you are going through the difficulties you’ve already experienced. As freshmen, we still have 4 years of going through the up’s and down’s of the whole college experience and there will be plenty of times where we will need to talk to the people that know us inside and out. So, remember to keep up the phone, send a text, and reach out to the family and friends that are rooting for you.