It’s a big transition—going from a small town to a big college. In high school, everyone knew who you were, what your name was and your story, but in college it’s completely different. You move into a dorm with complete strangers who know nothing about you but what they’ve seen or read on your social media accounts.
In the first few months at Quinnipiac, you may have found yourself lost, confused and concerned about whether this is the right school for you. You found that you’re having an internal power struggle as to how to you’re expected to maintain your identity at a completely foreign place that you are now supposed to call home.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is a new phase in your life, and you are going to change. You’re growing up and becoming your own person—you’re maturing into an adult.
But you don’t have to lose yourself in this new journey; you can embrace your new lifestyle and personal changes while still maintaining your own distinct and unique identity. Below are four tips that will help you in this process.
1. Make friends outside of your room.
As we all know, at Quinnipiac, freshmen do not have the privilege of choosing their roommates. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the individual. Some people may find that their new roommates become their best friends, while others may find that they just talk to their new living companions only when they have to. Either way, it is still important to make friends outside of your room.
Meeting people who do not reside in the same living quarters as you are just as likely to become your greatest friends at college. These new individuals may have the same interests as you and enjoy doing the same activities that you like to do in your spare time. Meeting new people and making new friends can also help to make connections for the future, open yourself up to new ways of life, and can help you get out of your shell and become more social.
You may even find that in making friends outside of your room and becoming more social on campus, you’ll eventually make a name for yourself at college, and thus, you will feel more motivated to maintain who you are as an individual.
2. Join clubs and organizations that you’re passionate about.
The biggest mistake I made the first semester of my freshman year was not joining clubs and organizations that I had real, genuine interests in. I thought joining a club would make me happier at college, but when you join a club or organization you couldn’t care less about, it just becomes another task on your to-do list.
After dropping out of that club first semester, I actively shopped for a club that catered to things that I was passionate about. I became confident enough to begin going to meetings alone—without a friend—and found that it did not feel like a job to me. Rather, it was an enjoyable experience. Joining clubs and organizations without friends allowed me to explore my own interests and figure out what I liked and what I didn’t like.
Ultimately, what I’m saying here is you should define the things you’re passionate about or may have an interest in and see if Quinnipiac has a related club. If not, create your own club! Joining clubs and organizations is a great way to meet new people and, typically, is a great learning experience outside of the classroom.
3. Have a voice and let it be heard.
Don’t just be another face in the crowd, a number or a statistic. Let people hear your thoughts, your questions, your theories and your ideas. When you write down and share this information, you’re sharing who you are as an individual and what beliefs you carry.
Writing for Her Campus has allowed me to do this by creating an outlet for me to share what is going on inside my brain and expressing it to anyone interested or willing to listen. Having a voice on this website and having my words read has helped me to establish a stronger sense of personal identity and distinguish what makes my thoughts unique from others’.
Even if social media or blogging are not your fortes, there are multiple other ways to have your voice heard. Ask questions in class, participate in discussions and debates, share ideas at club meetings, etc. Having your voice be heard lets people know you exist, and in college, I think that is something every student wants.
4. Stay motivated and focused on your goals.
Our identity is shaped by numerous things…goals being one of them. Remember the main reason you’re at college: to get an education that will prepare you for your future. What type of life do you want to have when you grow up; where do you see yourself in the next five or 10 years?
The answers to these questions should be the driving forces behind your hard work now. The harder you work, the better you will do in your classes and the more internship experience you will gain to help you achieve your goals.
Staying motivated by being focused on your future will help to put a lot of things in perspective in your life. You’ll begin to question the type of person you want to be—not only in the future, but also now, today.
In this cycle of questioning, you’ll find yourself and the person you were meant to be. This change can seem scary, but it is also an exciting phase of adulthood.
5. Study abroad or travel.
You’re young with no strings attached! Now is the time to go abroad. For many people, including myself, going to new places with different cultures has become a valuable tool on the path to self-discovery. Immersing yourself in new cultures and countries can broaden your horizons and help you see life’s bigger picture.
There is so much more to the world than your hometown or Hamden, Connecticut, and when you travel to other places, this concept becomes much easier to grasp. It’s difficult to explain, but traveling has allowed me to look at people, the world and myself in a completely new and refreshing perspective.
You’ll start to believe that it is possible for you to be the person that you always have dreamed of being. Maybe this is because you realize that the world is a big place where no one knows who you are, and you’re free to have a fresh start.
Once you study in or visit a foreign country, you will fully understand what I am trying to get at here.
For anyone who is unsure about his or her college experience so far, these tips will make college the best four years of your life. These tips have personally helped me become a happier, more well-rounded individual and have aided me in discovering my identity and self worth.
While high school was probably a great time, change is inevitable as we go through college. We grow up, we become more responsible, and we have different views of everything and everyone around us.
As scary as this seems, I have realized that this is not only what college is about but what life is about. So embrace change and embrace who you are and who you want to be during college.