Moving to Philadelphia from Pakistan, I left a lot behind. My family, 19 years of friendships, relationships and most importantly, all of my desi food. It was the hardest goodbye. The moment I stepped foot on campus though, I remember thinking that maybe the goodbye was worth it. The transition from Pakistan’s comfort to America’s constant struggle wasn’t as smooth I wanted it to be but Welcome Week softened the blow a little bit. Finding people to vibe with was easy at times, difficult during others. I missed home, I missed the friends that had turned into family, and I missed how simple all of it was. Honestly though, what choice did I have other than pushing through? News flash: Fall term is over and I’m doing just fine. Considering that, I get to spread my wisdom with anyone who needs it so here we go!
Lahori Nights. (Image courtesy of Tribune)
Make the first move
Looking back at it, I feel like I completely forgot the fact that almost everyone around me was going through the same thing. Everyone had a friend they’d left behind, moved away from home to a whole new place and were looking to fit in. When you realize that, it becomes a lot simpler to find common ground with all these strangers. Mid-Welcome Week I decided to finally attend an event on my own and coincidentally, I found my present-day best friends that night. All it took was simply taking a chance and walking up to someone I knew from Instagram. Take it from someone who rarely made the first move until college, it makes a huge difference in the friendships you cultivate. There’s no harm in it, it can only end up helping you out.
Image Courtesy of Meerat Qaiser Khan
Explore and explore, even if you fail sometimes
Moving to a new place means new sights to see and restaurants to try. I didn’t leave my campus at all the first week only because the only time I tried to visit a friend at UPenn, I got lost for an hour. My phone ran out of battery and I had no idea where I was. That was a bad decision on my part because I missed out on the only free time I had to explore a city as peaceful yet active as Philadelphia before my classes started. Following that, I jumped at any chance I had to go exploring in a group. The first place I walked to was the Schuylkill River Trail with the Muslim Students Association and that was it for my first month. I was always waiting around for someone else to go with me. Of course, in college, people barely have time for themselves. Don’t make the same mistakes. It’s okay to go explore on your own. Just have a charged phone, free storage, a power bank and a water bottle. If you keep waiting for people to come with you, you’ll miss out on so much a new city has to offer. Ever since I made that my ideology, I’ve been to a lot more places than I would have if I had waited around (hint: more on places to see in Philly coming soon).
Image courtesy of Ashley Claire
Find something to relieve stress
Hanging out with friends is amazing but there’s only so much time you can spend in a small group. College is a place to “explore and try new things,” especially an extra-curricular-heavy like Drexel. I researched the organizations Drexel offered long before I came to campus. One society I definitely wanted to join was the Muslim Students Association. Being able to relate to people about something as important as religion was a big plus point for me. Now I’m in the PR committee for DMSA and some of my closest friends are in the organization. Knowing that writing helps me relieve stress I joined The Triangle and Her Campus. Not only do I get to relieve stress, I get to make valuable connections and create content.
When you join an organization, make sure it is something that helps you unwind.You don’t want an activity that only tires you out at the end of an already burdensome week in Drexel’s fast-paced quarter system. Remember: Your stress reliever doesn’t have to be a school club or activity. It can be a bi-weekly trip to the spa, getting a manicure or just sleeping a little more than usual.
Hopefully, these initial tips and stories will help the new beans entering college for the first month. While there’s a lot more that goes into the survival guide for someone in a whole new world away from home, these 3 points apply to anyone no matter where you’re from. I hope to continue sharing the things I learn and things that are a lot more interesting than the generic “10 things freshman should know”, even if these seemed like some of those. It gets better friends, I promise.