College is supposed to be a great time in a young person's life. It's a time to get away from home, to go to a new place. It provides freedom from your parents and freedom from people's judgements of you. It's a time to reinvent yourself, either completely, or to change that one annoying little habit you have. College is a place where you are treated with respect from your professors, who view you as mature intellectuals, and from your peers. That being said, there can be some stress with college.
Coming to college got me nervous. I was excited, yes, but there were nerves in the pit of my stomach. How will I make friends? How hard will classes be? Will I be able to keep up with my work? Will I have a job? The Freshmen 15?! Will I like my roommate? These were all things I worried about, and I know every other college kid does as well. I was stressing out about the most minute details, but I just needed to take a deep breath. It was out of my control and I needed to learn to enjoy that feeling, but also take responsibility for the things I needed to get done. Most of those nerves subsided once I got to college. I realized that the people here are amazing, interesting, and unique individuals. I started making friends with the people on my floor, and people I had classes with. I realized that this was reality, and it was something I could handle if I focused at the task at hand.
It's been exactly one month since I moved in to school at UVM, and I honestly have to say that it has been an amazing whirlwind. The people are so kind, everyone tries to help you, and there is a huge array of activities to do. I joined the swim club because I wanted to stay active, and I thought it would be a fun way to try something I never was able to do and make new friends at the same time. Of course I'm here for the education, but learning goes beyond the classroom. Everyone here is coming from different backgrounds, and you can always learn something from others; that's one of the biggest lessons I have learned here. I have gained so much knowledge about people and other places in the USA and in the world just by sitting down and listening to people. I have kept an open mind through all of this and it has really shaped my time into what promises to be a great few years here.
Just like anything in life, however, college has its ups and downs. Not everyone will have the perfect roommate. Unfortunately some people just don't live well together, personalities clash and that's an unfortunate reality in life. I've been experiencing this recently. If you feel any tension, talk to you roommate. Try to resolve things. It's not worth you or your roommate being miserable over a small issue, and it's easier to have a civil conversation than to have to pack up all of your stuff and move into another dorm. In college, people are there to help. If you are having trouble with anything, there are people who are more than willing to help, you just have to ask. People want to see you happy and they want to see you succeed, so go out and find resources and resolve any issues you might have.
I know I don't have the answers to everything, but I do have knowledge from my life experiences. I hope this could be of help to anyone, relieve some stress, and ensure you that college will be amazing if you let it be, and work to make your life one you want to live.
-Libby Morehouse
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