When I was trying to decide what college I should attend, I asked my parents for their opinions. It was the biggest decision I had ever made and I wanted the advice of the people who knew me best. Everytime I asked my dad what his thoughts were, he would tell me that he could weigh the pros and cons of each school, but the choice had to be mine. I finally made the decision to enroll at the University of Colorado Boulder, and it was the best decision I have ever made.
Coming from the East Coast, I didn’t know anything about the culture at Boulder or what the school was like. Prior to flying out to visit, I searched around social media to see what the lives of students looked like. Thinking back, it’s easy to see that the physical tour of campus and the posts from students online show very different aspects of the same school— however, I have found that both are attainable realities. I knew that all of these students were sharing their own experiences and advice, but the more I looked at the school, the more I knew it was for me.
In my senior year of high school, I knew I needed to experience more than the place I had lived in for 18 years, and now getting to wake up every morning in the mountains is an experience I will never take for granted. I think it’s crazy that solely based on advice from strangers and a gut feeling of belonging, I made the choice to move away from home to a place I had never been before. Every time I’m asked by seniors back home and people in my life if they should choose Boulder, the answer is always yes. However, moving away from home for college comes with its challenges, and despite not being able to go back, here are a few things that I would have told myself senior year– or even my freshman-year self.
Your Professors Want to Help You
My parents and the adults around me constantly talked about the importance of going to class. I can also attest that going to class has helped me immensely when it comes to doing well academically. The advice sounds intuitive, but I’ve seen so many kids miss lots of classes. There is a way to have a balance between life and class, but there can’t be a balance if you throw classes out completely. Even more often though, I have seen people try to struggle through class material rather than going to office hours. Whether it’s a Teaching Assistant or the Professor themself, across a range of subjects I have found the extra time with faculty so helpful. It seemed daunting my freshman year to see a professor by myself or ask for help, but I have learned that there is no harm in asking for help. Going to these open hours helps with understanding material, but it also allows you to form better relationships with instructors.
The Feeling of “Distance” Will Go Away
When I mention to people back home that I attend Boulder, usually the first thing they comment on is the distance. Yes, it is a 4 hour plane ride or a 33 hour drive— and no, I have not attempted the drive. It seemed like an incredible distance to me before moving out here, however I feel that it has become more tangible. What I mean by that is the feeling of being far from home wears off. During freshman year, the distance always felt as though it was there, but this was also fueled by my not being involved on campus, not having had a break in three months, and seeing all the routine activities my sister and parents were doing at home without me. I can’t jump in a car and drive for an hour to reach home, and I still miss my parents everyday, but now the distance doesn’t detract from my experience at the school. When people bring up the distance, I try to emphasize that it shouldn’t be the reason they choose not to go to CU. The amount of activities that are accessible fully weighs out the distance and challenge of leaving home.
Join Something
This year I wanted to take more time to be involved. Now that I live just off campus, I don’t have the social dynamic of the dorm or dining hall that fosters connection with others. When I was visiting colleges, the common theme across all Student Ambassadors was the importance of being involved on campus. In the fall I joined Her Campus, and in the spring I joined CU GOLD’s program. Her Campus allows me to interact with people with shared interests — reading and writing — but it is so much more than a club. The social events that are put on and the meetings create a welcoming environment. Additionally, CU GOLD’s program is designed to help students enhance their leadership skills. As someone who wants to constantly better themselves, I saw this as an opportunity to push myself further out of my comfort zone. There are so many clubs on campus that cover a variety of interests, and there are already a few I have my eye on joining next semester. Joining these clubs has helped me find friends who I wouldn’t have found just staying in my dorm or going to class.
You’re Going to See the Same People… Everyday
A part of my brain was convinced that coming to a school with 36,000 undergraduates would mean I wouldn’t always see the same people everyday— that was an incorrect assumption. I understood that living in a dorm and joining clubs would lead me to see the same people, that was a given. But somehow, it didn’t occur to me that walking the same few routes everyday and at the same time would lead me to see the same people— it does. However, it goes beyond that to a point that it’s insane how regularly I see people I know or recognize even outside my regular routine. I began to notice freshman year that once I noticed someone or realized I would see the same few people regularly, that they would begin to be everywhere I looked. In my head, it made me realize that they were always there, and I just never noticed them before. However, now with everyone from my freshman dorm living in a variety of different places, I will almost always see someone I know.
Prioritize Your Goals
When I would look out my freshman dorm window, it was so much fun to watch people walk around. Something I noticed was that people would walk in lines on the sidewalk, and there would be a few people walking across the grass or walking in the middle of the street. As someone who walks relatively fast, this year I’ve found myself walking in the grass or street. Beyond just walking in the literal grass, something I have found to be so important is prioritizing myself and my interests. Although it sounds self-centered, I have been in so many situations where I wished I was somewhere else and only went because I wanted to make someone else happy. Recently, I have found so much joy in doing things that I want to and, although it’s another action that seems intuitive, it can become hard if you make a pattern of trying to do things for others.
There are so many lessons that college teaches you. I have found that it’s important to acknowledge when patterns I get stuck in are no longer helpful. Although there are ruts that I still fall into despite knowing the things I know now, everyday it gets easier to find things and activities that make my life in Boulder better. It’s about embracing the opportunities around you and finding value in the activities you put your time into. Sometimes it’s about leaving the path of familiarity and stepping into the grass.