My first month at Arizona State was nothing short of eventful, filled with its fair share of breakdowns and all-nighters. While my experiences aren't uncommon for first year students, these are my experiences and the bit of insight that I've gained so far from them.
Like the majority of the incoming freshman class, I am an out-of-state student. I grew up in Orange County, California and lived there all my life, so coming to a school in a land-locked state surrounded by the Sonoran desert was a bit of a culture shock. While I adored living in southern California, I wanted to leave the "OC Bubble" as quickly as I could.
I didn't expect the move out to Phoenix to shock me that much, I came to the Phoenix/Tempe area multiple times throughout my childhood and teenage years and always felt comfortable with the environment. But the palm trees and overcast nights by the Pacific Ocean that I was familiar with were soon replaced with cactuses, corporate buildings, and monsoons (who knew it could rain so much here?). That alone can take some getting used to. I became homesick, missing my family, friends, pet dog, and boyfriend that were all back home. I was withdrawn for a few weeks, sad, feeling alone, and not feeling up to do anything.
However, the closeness of the community of the Downtown Phoenix campus along with the welcoming and warm personalities I've met here have made it that much easier in being able to call Phoenix home. Downtown Phoenix is a fun area, being surrounded by fun places to eat, concert venues, places to shop, and other fun activities is one of the coolest parts about living here. I wish I hadn't allowed myself to become withdrawn like that, I should have dived right in to the community here and made more of an effort to become involved in more activities.
Along with being homesick, I was also extremely stressed upon my arrival at Arizona State. I was (and still am) overwhelmed with classwork. I struggled with some of the new course material and started to doubt myself and my abilities. Numerous panic attacks and phone calls to my parents later, I still wondered if I was strong enough to be able to make it here. While I still don't have a definite answer on that, I can say that I've gotten better at dealing with problems one at a time rather than all at once, it makes a world of a difference. I've also found that setting a small amount of time everyday specifically for relaxing/unwinding helps a TON. I know that with my mind racing around at 110 mph all day, everyday, the time set aside for relaxing allows me to mentally recharge so that I'm able to get my work done without feeling burned out.
One last piece of advice that I can give for surviving the first month of college is to GET INVOLVED. Yes, seriously. As cliché as it sounds, it really does help a lot. Getting involved with on-campus clubs and organizations can help fill moments of downtime with something fun and productive while also providing an outlet to meet new people. I'm so happy that I signed up to be a part of SPJ (Society of Professional Journalism) and The Cut Network because I've been able to meet some of the coolest people while also being able to learn more about the world of journalism.
Ultimately, while my first month at Arizona State hasn't been picture-perfect, it hasn't been a complete nightmare either. I'm still trying to figure everything out, and I know that will come with even more ups and downs. Even with the ups and downs, I'm still ecstatic that I chose to go to Arizona State and I can't wait for the memories that I'm going to make here. Forks up!
