In the lead up to moving away to college, my TikTok for you page was filled almost entirely with videos of girls giving college advice, dorm hauls, and lists of do’s and don’ts for college freshmen. Now that I’ve officially been at college for just over a month, I feel somewhat qualified to give my own advice/share what I’ve learned so far.
The first thing I learned: I was not as prepared as I thought I was. I was convinced that I would not cry when my parents left, but lo and behold, I was a weepy mess as I hugged my mom and dad goodbye. I don’t think anything can truly prepare you for the way you’ll react in the moment – and I definitely wasn’t prepared.
The second thing I learned: it gets better! I did my fair share of crying the first week, but as I adjusted to my new environment, the tears went away. The first week was the hardest to get through because every second of every day was an entirely new experience. It’s hard to believe it, but it really is true that everyone is feeling the same way, even if it doesn’t look like it. Which brings me to my first piece of advice…
Share how you’re feeling! I bonded with one of my roommates by talking about how we were feeling and dealing with the transition. We both missed our families and were feeling homesick, but talking about it with someone who understands exactly how you’re feeling helps so much.
The third thing I learned: even if you think you don’t have an accent, you probably do. I would never say that I have a Boston accent, but I’ve still been stopped for the way I pronounce words like “room,” “orange,” and even “Florida.” It’s very much a culture shock coming to college and talking to people from all over the country and hearing so many different pronunciations of the same words, or even different words entirely (I called a milkshake a frappe and no one knew what I was talking about).
My final little bit of advice after my first month in college is to be yourself and put yourself out there even if it’s scary. Do it scared and you might surprise yourself with the outcome!