The time is finally here. You look around campus your eyes wide, shining, fixated on the endless possibilities and ideas heading your direction. Boys, parties, deep conversations at three A.M, pouring over your textbook via flashlight while your roommate complains about not being able to sleep with a light on....

Well. You breathe in the cold street's air and shrug. Things you'd more likely be doing if you went away for college.

But that doesn't matter for now! You had your reasons for it. Whether they were financial , or simply more convenient for you and the fam, a girl can't hold it against herself where she chooses to get an education. All of it is honorable , and most of all important. BUTTT one can daydream, and right now you're too busy breathing in that scent of freshly cooked Hillal food so strategically placed in that the entire school kinda smells like a lamb gyro to care . You catch the eye of a cute guy hurrying to class walking so fast that the wind wafts his ax body spray over and up towards your nostrils, and smile .Excitement gurgles up within your stomach, as you mark off that mental checklist.

You're finally free from the chains of an education you're FORCED to take and now find yourself sprawled within the luxury of adult freedom. Your education is now optional and entirely up to you.

You look around wondering where your place will be here at this commuter school. Freedom feels good. It feels Real. Yet as the weeks pass by you seem to become overwhelmed by it. You have more time on your hands for yourself then you even need for school work. Sure you could pass the time doing things that actually benefit you, but what the heck does that entail? Was too much freedom so liberating that you actually found yourself choking on well.. life? Frozen in time? You end up going home early , and a little confused every day. The days open up to you like an endless vault ready for the picking yet you walk around campus scratching your head as if in a dream mouthing the words... "Is this real?" . Soon you find yourself looking like the Spongebob Caveman ;

pivoting in circles around yourself ,wondering where the heck your first semester has gone. You want to meet really cool people but you're not exactly sure where to find them. You were certain in High school that you'd be able to make friends out and about the school by starting up with casual conversations, yet everyone seems to be hurrying somewhere , too busy, or at a glance not in the mood to be nice to a random stranger.

The months have found you exasperatedly listening in to the rest of your friends crazy college stories when all you can really reciprocate is how expensive the school's coffee is from the vending machines.

You're wondering where your life is at, feeling totally lame, and hating it .

But Im here to tell you, It's okay. Assimilation can be harder when you don't literally live at your school. Know that others are feeling the same way as you, and are wondering what to do with this newfound freedom. As we speak fellow freshman may be trying to gather up the confidence during free hour to walk alone up into the Student Union building ,wander and approach assimilated clubgoers as a vulnerable and new face, uncertain if they can even belong . But know... its okay to take it one. step. at .a. time. You're making progress with each move you make, no longer standing at well a..stand still! Attend little events the school has going on over at the quad, don't be afraid to pick up a conversation here and there during these! Get used to looking up at the fliers they have up and around the school. See if any of the events interest you, if any of the clubs holding them sounds cool and if you'd like to help out. Everybody is always ready and willing to accept a little help!

One thing at a time is good enough. You don't automatically have to be the most active student on campus in 3.1 seconds. As long as your exploring a little here and there,stepping out of your comfort zone, and slowly learning not to be afraid of new opportunities which offer themselves up to you you'll be fine, and busier in noO time.

We all go through the process of college assimilation in different paces and ways. College is a completely different ballgame from high school, and though you may have felt more than 1000% ready to move on from that environment, you currently may still be pretty unsure of what to do with yourself (besides school work ) now once you got here. I Hope this article helped a few of you guys to feel less panic stricken and a few to take that tentative leap into the world of an endless array of possibilities :)

Naomi xo