As a freshman at Catawba College, life can be a bit scary for the first few months. It’s the process of transitioning from a high school student to practically an adult, figuring out what they want to do for the rest of their life. Life will be overwhelming for a while, but there’s always one thing that gets my freshman self through it.

For the first two weeks or so, I cried myself to sleep every night. The transition was extremely difficult for me, mainly because it was a new experience and I’m not good with change. I missed my family, old friends, and my old school. I was comfortable where I was at and I wasn’t giving my new life a chance. However, as I called up my dad every day to help me get through it, he would always tell me the same thing –– “You’re not giving Catawba a chance”.

Over the summer, starting a new life sounded so fabulous. Now that I began this new fabulous life, I suddenly didn’t enjoy it. I was acting as a recluse in my dorm room for the first few weeks and I wasn’t getting involved in anything. One weekend, I went home and I talked to my parents and they sat down and told me to quit my crying and go live my life. I didn’t take this advice well at first but I listened. I came back to Catawba and I slowly began to get involved. Plus, as a new, scared freshman that is probably the best advice to go by.

Once I began to get involved in different things, something clicked. I ended up changing my major within the first week of school, joined about three clubs, and made tons of new friends. I finally gave the school that I picked for the next four years a chance. I got to know my professors like I knew my high school teachers. Even though it’s still early in the school year, I finally acclimated the way I hoped I would.

If another freshman next year goes through the same thing I went through, the one thing they need to understand is that it gets better. Your life will change for the better. College is not here to scare you or push you away –– it might not be for everyone and that’s okay. There is a plan for everyone; they just have to figure it out slowly. Don’t give up and think about transferring the first week of college like I did. It will get you nowhere and you’ll just end up worrying about all the wrong things. Worry about your classes and who you’re going to eat lunch with that day. Don’t worry about things not getting better; because once you stop your worrying, things will start to get better.

I’m only in month two of my new college adventure and I couldn’t be happier. Even though I’m not with my immediate family every day, I found a new one. My roommate is like my sister and she gets me through absolutely everything and anything. My whole set of friends are very supportive in everything I aspire to do in life. I could not asked for better friends to go throughout college with. Plus, now I know that they aren’t just my friends, they are my new family.