You walk across the stage, to shake hands of many adults you have never met before and accept a piece of paper that acknowledges your success of your last 4 years. After your caps are thrown into the air and all the pictures are over, you are now back to where you started 4 years earlier, a freshman.
Many dream of going to one's state college, while others strive to get as far away from home as possible. As an athlete I have already been on my colleges campus for 3 weeks this summer to take classes and to practice. I have had to experience the transition earlier than most students experience it. One major transition is the social side, such as making new friends and trying to find a new norm to your social life. I no longer can just pick up my phone and text my friends asking to hangout. I had to walk down the hall to a girl's room whose name I really couldn't remember, and worry that I was knocking on the wrong door, hoping that she would say yes to go get lunch with me. The next transition I faced was the food; suddenly, that chicken you didn't really care for that mom made every Monday doesn't seem so bad. You crave for a home cooked meal, with your parents and siblings sitting at the same table with you talking about how your days went. The last transition I experienced was probably the biggest. In college you don't have your teachers, family and friends to keep you in check. It was on you to go to class, to study, to make sure you do everything you need to do for each day. Teachers don't take attendance, they get paid whether or not you show up to class. Your parents don't see you everyday after school to make sure you're on track and your friends are too busy with what they have to do to worry about you.
Transitioning from being the top dog in the dog house to just a small fish in the pond can be a rollercoaster many are not ready to ride, but once we get through the twists and turns the ride is just a short exsperience in our lives.
