The Fall Semester: Looking Back

My fall semester, like many others, has been made interesting by the  twists and turns of 2020.  Although my first semester of college happened during a pandemic, it was still pretty good. I truly feel at home at college; my roommate and I get along really well and we haven’t had any issues. Everytime we hear about drama between other roommates, we turn to each other with a look that basically says, “I’m so happy that this isn’t us.” I was blessed with a roommate who I get-along with, especially since we spend so much time at home. Not only that, the friends that I have made these past few months have been amazing. 

Not only have I met great people, my classes have been pretty awesome. All my professors have been the sweetest and most supportive people. Whenever I email them about an issue, they respond with sincerity. My high school teachers used to scare me and say that college professors were strict and mean. But honestly, I think they just say that to scare us. Most of the professors that I have heard about or had so far seem like the opposite. One of my professors openly talks about the times he got smoking marijuana when he was in college. He just casually brings it up in class. I didn’t know what to expect from my college professors. But so far, I like what I’m getting. 

I am glad college is going well, because  I was nervous and stressed about it all summer. I HATE change that I can’t control. The idea of moving into a college dorm away from everything that I know was scary at first. What if I made no friends? What if everyone hated me? I have moved schools three times and everytime I have to move, I always worry about the same things. Not only was I worried about making friends, I was worried about being a freak. I have a physical disability so I was pretty nervous how people would treat me when they found out. Thankfully, all my worries were put to ease the first two weeks of school. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. 

I know that I am making it seem like all my first semester of college has been a piece of cake, but I have struggled too. For about three weeks, I didn’t sleep at all. Every time I tried falling asleep, I just couldn’t. Sometimes I would be really anxious but other times, it was for no reason. I struggled for a couple of weeks because of that. I was always anxious and sad. I just wanted to be alone all the time. It was a weird few weeks and I had no idea what to do. I finally just took a lot of melatonin one night and just passed out. It was amazing! I felt so refreshed. Ever since then, I have been sleeping pretty well. 

Overall, my first semester was pretty great. I think with the new support system that I have, I will be able to conquer anything. Take time to reflect on all you have accomplished this semester, and what to carry into the Spring and what to leave behind.