Ever since I was little, I dreamed of the day I would finally be independent. I couldn’t wait to participate in “adult” things such as going to college, buying lottery tickets, voting, and most of all living on my own. However, now that the time has come to pack up my room and move on to the next chapter in my life, I think it is safe to say, the anxiety is setting in. There is always that voice in the back of your head trying to keep you from doing stupid things and every once in awhile, it’s actually right. Well, as move-in day gets closer and closer, it always seems that the voice is starting to sound more like an alarm.

One thing that I have noticed, just preparing for college, is that nothing comes cheap. Of course, I knew that going into this experience but it wasn’t until I stared at the low number on my bank account that made it all a reality.

There is that feeling that everyone gets before something big is about to happen in their life and that began sitting at the computer at orientation, signing up for classes. That well-known feeling was none other than anxiety. Not only is there pressure from my family to make the grades, but in order to get into the school for my major and to keep my scholarship, I must maintain a specific GPA. Being in a new place is always stressful, but adding the pressure of grades on top of living somewhere that is unfamiliar is always harder.

Once I step foot onto my campus, I will officially be an adult. I will have to worry about paying off my student loans, I will be responsible for waking myself up and getting to class on time, and I have to make sure all my work is done before I have my social life. The pressure of that responsibility makes the anxiety level rise like crazy. I have been saving my whole life for this moment and in one semester, I am saying goodbye to countless paychecks, graduation money and allowance.

Another really big part of the college experience is meeting new people. I will admit, when it comes to meeting new people, I can be an introvert. However, since I am going to a college where I don’t know anyone, I am going to be forced to break out of my shell and get to know other people or I will forever be that outcast in the cafeteria by myself. Lot’s of people have anxiety when it comes to meeting new people and in the technological world we live in, often times teenagers’ communication skills are not as strong after spending that much time behind a tiny screen all day.

Then we have the dreaded “freshman 15.” I have heard mixed reactions about this so called “tradition” about it being avoidable or inevitable. Several people are stress eaters and will eat when they get stressed out in certain situations. Others, however, will avoid food because it makes them get nauseous. Either way, you swing it, whether it is in your favor and you lose the 15 pounds or in the body’s favor and you gain the 15 pounds, everyone takes their college experience a little differently.

Everyone experiences college in different ways. Whether it is the anxiety of leaving the comfort of your home or having to pretend you have a social life beyond your phone screen, the whole essence of becoming a freshman in college is enough to make anyone panic. Becoming an adult can be so nerve racking, but with it also comes great rewards.