I’ve recently returned to Kenyon for my sophomore year, and it’s been going really well so far. I get to take classes I enjoy, I have a good roommate, and it’s been nice seeing my friends again and getting to hang out every weekend. It’s also been nice appreciating the little things on campus that I forgot about over the summer… the first thing that I did after I moved back in was get a glass of Pierce apple juice.
Even so, I was a little nervous to come back to campus at first. I don’t really know why I was so intimidated, because I already finished an entire year at Kenyon, but I guess I still get nervous for the first day of school — even as a twenty-year-old. The one thing that I was really happy about was the fact that I was no longer a rising freshman and wouldn’t have to go through orientation again. I had a good idea of what to expect from college at that point, and I found myself looking back on my freshman year and reflecting on how it went.
I realized there were a few things that I would have done differently (or not have worried so much about) and it’s helped me to make my sophomore year a lot better.
Joining clubs
I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of clubs that were available to me and was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into my busy schedule. However, I ended up finding some clubs that resonated the most with my identity and interests, so I told myself I would keep trying to attend during my sophomore year. Now I can say I’m involved with a few clubs that I really enjoy, and I’ve also been open to joining more too.
Finding different places to study (and people to study with)
I spent many lonely evenings in the lower-level of Chalmers during my first-year. I did get a lot of work done, but I think I would have had more motivation in the busier parts of the semester if I switched up my routine a little bit and found other places to study throughout the week instead of going to the same table in Chalmers L1 every day. At the moment, I like to study in places where I can also observe other people going about their day — like reading on a bench on Middle Path and seeing everybody walk around campus. Some weekends, I study with my friend, and that definitely helps me to stay motivated.
Having my car on campus
I live pretty close to campus, so it felt really strange not having my car during my freshman year. I wanted to experience as much of campus life as I could, but I also learned that I like to be able to drive away from time to time and see life outside of my small campus community. Also, it’s very convenient to be able to do laundry from my house.
Making friends
Making friends was probably the most stressful part of my first year — outside of handling a college workload for the first time. Much of the stress came from me. I didn’t really have to worry so much about when I would have my close friends on campus because those close friendships eventually did form through finding the spaces that aligned with my identity the most: my Arabic class, my sorority, and my involvement with Her Campus.
I also came to terms with the fact that sometimes I will find myself alone, even if I’m surrounded by other people my age, and it’s okay. Coming back to campus my sophomore year, I realized just how many people I actually knew on campus as we waved at each other on Middle Path or talked about our summer in the coffee shop.
All in all, even if my first-year wasn’t easy, I learned a lot about myself. Knowing what I would have done differently has helped me immensely with starting a great sophomore year.
