Excitement- You’re excited to head out and start new. You get to experience things you’ve never had before and make new opportunities for yourself.

Sadness- You miss home and the way things used to be. You want your friends back and have a home cooked meal every night.

Happiness- You feel like you’ve finally found your place. You have a great new group of friends, a new path to create, and new things to try. You finally feel like this big scary new “home” is actually your home.

Content- Everything has settled, you want to be on campus and little by little you’re okay with being away from home. Things are going well and you found a routine that works for you. You feel as though you’ve always belonged.

Stressed- What are midterms and how do you survive?

Accomplished- The first half is over and you’re determined to finish the second half.

Stressed- How do you finish the second half and where do I find motivation to go to class?

Excitement- The semester is almost over and you’re going to be heading home so soon. Old friends will be reunited and family will be together. You may have found a home in this school but home will always be home.

Sadness- This big scary place has suddenly become such a huge part of who you are and you aren’t so sure that you’re ready to leave it, even just for one short month. You’ve gotten used to all the things that were once strange and uncharted territory. You’ve built a life and a home here and it’s sad to leave it for any period of time.

No matter what happens both places will be your home. Each place has it’s own things that build it and make it special for you. The excitement, sadness, stress, and happiness are just a few emotions of the roller coaster that is your first semester of college.