My first semester at Old Dominion truly changed me in the best way possible. Old Dominion is most definitely my second home and I will proudly scream that from the rooftops. I am so proud of my school and the great things I’ve experienced here. Whether you go to ODU or not, I genuinely hope you feel the same pride in your school!
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Moving to Norfolk was a whole new experience for me. I had never packed up and moved in my entire life. I lived in the same house, on the same street, with the same people for eighteen years. I lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone and all the drama that came along with it so moving to a city, to a campus with 24,000 people was extremely overwhelming. I got extremely lucky though and I had a great support system of roommates and my family. The shift from living with my parents to living in a dorm felt as seamless as it could get. Now my dorm feels like a little slice of home! I think having pieces of your old room really helps the space feel familiar and welcoming. I also have photos of my family on my desk which reminds me of who I need to make proud. It’s a great motivator for me.
In my first few months here at school, I really had to learn to be responsible. I quickly learned I didn’t have anyone here to clean up after me. It was my responsibility to clean my side of the shared room. It was my responsibility to clean out my old food from the fridge (as smelly as it was). These were things I didn’t always have to do living at home. Even my dad was fairly surprised at how far I had come cleaning after being at school for two months. He was surprised when I jumped in to help clean up tailgates we had before games and he was shocked at how tidy my side of the room was. You would be too if you saw my old room at home. The running joke was that a tornado had blown through, as I’m sure some of my fellow “the floor is the biggest shelf” ladies understand! Learning responsibility quickly taught me how to be partially independent. Of course, I don’t live on my own yet, but I learned to manage money and it’s definitely different not having your parents to rely on for certain things. I would have never learned to truly take care of myself on my own if I hadn’t come to ODU.
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Being at Old Dominion also taught me patience. I had to learn how to live with another person in the same room and be patient waiting for the bathroom to open up or wait for the transit or other small things like that. It also taught me that you have to be patient with the girls you live with. Sometimes you all may not get along, but if you’re understanding and patient with them, it’ll make the resolution much easier. You also have to be patient with yourself. Listen to your mind and body and understand when you feel you need a mental break. No one will hold it against you. Everyone here wants everyone to succeed and do well. That is why we’re all here! For the most part at least… As long as you listen to yourself and you’re patient with yourself and you understand what you need, your first semester and all the other semesters after will go smoothly (as long as you don’t slack on grades though)!
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