So far, I’ve spent three years undergrad at James Madison University, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Before I transferred from another college, I was excited about how my new experiences will go after my JMU transfer acceptance. I couldn’t wait to experience a brand new environment. However, when I first entered JMU, things took a quick twist.
At first I was so happy with the friends I met sophomore year. We always made plans together, as well as experience every new thing. I had never felt happier and more welcomed at a place. Things started drifting apart, and I dealt with conflict. Suddenly, things were going wrong with my college life. My current friendships started to dramatically go down the drain. At first, there wasn’t really an explanation, then tension started to raise dramatically. I started feeling alone, things went wrong with my friendships, I didn’t feel like I was doing academically well, and felt like I was slowly losing my sense of self. I desperately wanted to change myself for other peoples approval. I constantly tried to please others to make new friendships. I even put myself in situations that could’ve put me in a bad place. Because of this, my mental health was in shambles. I didn’t feel as confident and worthy as I used to feel. I started losing hope at my time in college, and regretted ever transferring. I was so upset that sophomore year didn’t go as planned.
Junior year, I wanted to make things better, but I knew things wouldn’t change instantly. For my new years resolution, I wanted to set boundaries with others. I trained myself to understand my time and feelings are valued, and cant let others crush it. As a result, I was lonely, but it was much more peaceful than forcing myself to hangout with people that devalued me. I wanted to learn more about myself, and give myself rules on what I need to look for in friendships with others. Yes, junior year was not as memorable as I wanted it to be, but I couldn’t be more grateful to take time to understand myself and rebuild my strength. I even noticed that when I regained my confidence, my grades got even better, and my communication with others improved.
Now, senior year, I feel like I finally found my home. I found people I can click with, my roommates feel like family to me, and I am enjoying my interests again. I also noticed that I became a bigger academic weapon than I have ever been before. I even had offers and acceptances for programs I wanted to join. So many things have changed for me since the past two years at JMU. Now I am even more grateful to be a student at this college.
Moral of the story is, never lose hope in a setting. Everything in life happens for a reason. Due to my experience, having patience that the future will be brighter than the present is what kept me going. For those who related, or at least want to have motivation, you got this! Please remember that you have a purpose in this life, and that you deserve amazing things coming to you.