For those of you who are unaware, Arizona State is not only located in Tempe. I don’t say this to be patronizing, but only because when I was an incoming freshman and told people I was going to live on the downtown Phoenix campus, I was met with a lot of blank stares and responses along the lines of “Wait, I thought you said you were going to ASU?” In reality, that should have been my first sign that I wasn’t going to get the college experience I was expecting, but at the time nothing was going to curb my post-high school enthusiasm. As a naive, barely 18-year-old, I was excited to be a small fish in a big pond, and my heart raced at even the sight of an ASU pamphlet in my mailbox. I was ready to meet everyone and do everything and just be overwhelmed by all the possibilities a large school could offer.
Pretty soon however, I realized that my satellite campus was not the fit I was looking for. Other people on my floor were so at peace there and to be honest, I was jealous of their satisfaction. I felt cheated that my "largest university in the nation" had suddenly been reduced to one so small that all the students lived in the same dorm. I was afraid I was missing out on all the experiences that come from being part of a big school, but looking back I realize that living on that campus led me to so many great things. I have no freshman year regrets.
One thing that being on a satellite campus did for me was to get me interested in rushing. I knew nothing of Greek life other than the clichés of a what a sorority girl was, so it wasn’t something I saw myself fitting in with; however, feeling so disconnected from the main campus made me more open-minded when my best friend from home convinced me to give recruitment a try, and it ended up being the best decision I’ve ever made. Had I already been immersed in campus life with all the opportunities and clubs based on the main campus, I probably would have missed my chance of finding a home in Chi Omega.
Living on a satellite campus was also great at helping my downtown pledge class sisters and I get really close. If you think you run into people all the time on the main campus, you have no idea what it’s like on one that is one-fifth of that size. I saw my sisters everywhere, and it was awesome. We all lived an elevator ride away from each other, ate at the same dining hall and had plenty of time to bond with each other during our commutes to Tempe. My initial fear of wondering if I had made a mistake coming to this campus melted away during long 3 a.m. study nights in the library and bingeing out on Domino's after we finally made it back to Phoenix after chapter. I wasn’t worried on missing out anymore, because these were the people that I came to college to find.
Now beginning my sophomore year, I can see in retrospect how much I owe my satellite campus for making my freshman year perfect. I may have complained a lot at the time about living so far away, but it really did lead me to exactly where I needed to be. And to my fellow ASU students at the West, Polytechnic and Downtown Phoenix campuses who are doubting their decision like I was, just know that your college years are only what you make of them. I appreciate all that living on a satellite campus has done for me; I’m just going to appreciate it from my place in Tempe this year.
