From moving in to moving out, my freshman year has spoiled me.
Flashback to driving down to IU and feeling a constant state of butterflies. I remember driving past the IU gates, the stadium, and down Jordan Road thinking, this is my home now.
After unpacking, saying goodbye to my family, and settling in, I felt lonely. It was a sense of freedom but complete unfamiliarity. Worried about being alone, I opened my door and blasted some music hoping someone would walk by and want to chat. Everyone was in the same boat as me and I knew someone would want to stop by. I was right.
Week after week passed and people from my floor and I spent nights going to parties and playing cards until late in the floor lounge. Some nights got deep but most nights we spent laughing and learning new things about these new friends.
One night, I recall staying up till 6 a.m. just hanging with people chatting and playing UNO. That is one of my favorite memories.
During the Welcome Week concert with Post Malone, it was 90+ degrees outside and they shoved over 1,200 people into a small, cramped place into a venue. We sweat so much, but those pictures from that night have left such a lasting impression of happiness on my heart. That was the first time I truly felt like things were going to be great.
Another night, the cops showed up to bang on a door of a kid who may or may not have been throwing a party in his room. Through stress and excitement, this brought everyone on the floor closer.
School turned out to be easy for the first semester. I loved the classes and my professors were incredible. The feeling after acing my first exam was unlike any other feeling. I had worked so hard to get to college only to work hard even more and it all paid off when I got my first A+.
Slowly, the feeling of loneliness went away and a sense of familiarity came over me. At fall break when it was time to come home to see my family, I did not want to leave. Coming home sounded so much less exciting and I spent the whole weekend texting and calling my friends.
Joining a sorority was the highlight of my second semester. I spent two weeks of my life standing in the cold, outside of over 20 houses only to find 230 new sisters in Sigma Kappa. I feel so grateful for that experience.
College seems so scary at first and for a lot of people it starts out that way. And that is okay. I will never forget these memories as I grow up. College is hard, but all the good times and new people make it so worth it. Live it up while you can.
To those of you finishing up high school and thinking "What on Earth am I going to do this year?" Just know, you are truly about to enter the best year of your life. Don't worry if it isn't perfect at first, give it time and branch out and I guarantee you will be so glad you did.
