Freshman year. It’s terrifying, fun, exciting, stressful and so many other things all at once. Freshman year is definitely a roller coaster, but a fun one at that. It’s a year of personal growth, finding yourself and learning how to grow up and be more mature. And it’s also a year that I desperately want to be over. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed living in a new city, learning new things and living on my own for the first time -- but at this point, it’s a bit old. I’ve come to realize that there are a lot of differences between first semester and second semester over the course of the past month or so, and here are some of the ones I’ve noticed.
Going to class
First semester: The first few months, going to classes is pretty exciting. You’re learning new things, have (mostly) smart professors and are meeting a lot of new people. You’re so excited to finally be in college and be taking cool new classes that going to class is easy and fun.
Second semester: Really? More GEs? Great. At this point in the year, the excitement of taking college classes has worn off, and the work begins to seem more boring and tedious. Not that I don’t just love taking U.S. History for the fifth time since grade school; I just need more for my college education.
Going out
First semester: Going to your first college parties is exciting. You’re dropped into this magical world without a curfew or rules, and you’re ready to stay up all night if you want to. Sleep is just a social construct, right? You don’t really need eight hours if you’re out having fun with your friends!
Second semester: The parties turn into small get-togethers with friends, and you try to be home by midnight so you can actually get some sleep for once. And the nights that you do get home late, you end up regretting intensely the morning after when you’re dead for the rest of the day. Most nights, you regret even leaving your room after the first 15 minutes.
Going to the dining center
First semester: Going to the dining center is the event of the evening. With the buffet style of the dining center, there are so many different foods to choose from! You eat with all your friends, and see and meet so many more people during dinner.
Second semester: Let me guess, the food for tonight will be frozen burger patties, powdered mashed potatoes and a couple different Progresso soups to choose from? Great. Going to the dining center second semester takes so much willpower, as you sift through each almost inedible dish of food while trying to get a seat away from everyone else.
Living in a residence hall
First semester: In the beginning of the year, moving into your dorm in your residence hall is exhilarating! You get a cool RA, new roommates and you get to make friends with so many people in your building and especially on your floor!
Second semester: Awesome, I have to show my keys to the front desk person (not just flash the keys, but actually show them the tiny letters on the back indicating that I’m not some intruder with a random key), wait in a crowded lobby full of people for the elevator and go up 14 floors (stopping on just about every floor) to get back to my room. Living on campus your first year is definitely an experience that everyone should have, but by the end of the year, you’re almost begging to get out of there.
In the end, freshman year really is a great year of little responsibilities and pretending that you are adult enough to make your own decisions. But sometimes we all need a change of scenery, and this one is a bit worn out. Here’s to a fresh start for sophomore year!
