College Life (So Far)

As per anyone coming into a brand new environment, I had highly unknown expectations to what college would be like. Would I get along with my roommates? Would I make friends? Would I be able to fit everything into my room?

Currently, I am going as a Biology major (unknown minor/concentration), and am in the Honors Program and am living in Honors housing. One of the perks that comes with being part of the program is being able to move in prior to the majority of the student body. Even still, it was very chaotic initially. We decided to leave early from home, thinking we’d be able to have some advantages. And as usual, everyone had the same idea, families swarming with mini-fridges, drawers, clothes,etc. In my hall I found that my space was on the top floor—meaning all my stuff had to be carried up 3 flights of stairs (and to put it gently, I had brought a lot of stuff).

Eventually, with the help of my family we moved and organized all my belongings into the room. I personally thought it was going to be smaller, and realized how much of a cozy, comfortable environment it is. I share a set of rooms with different members of a suite, with a common area connecting us. There are 4 suites on my floor, co-ed by floor,same gender per suite. The hall has RA’s per floor, and some upperclassmen (sophomores) living throughout.

You know when you put together a vision and ends up meeting your expectations? Well when it went towards decor and styling the wall of my side of the room,it met them strongly.Between posters and a mix of original/vintage photographs, it came together just how I wanted. In the weeks before, I had spent some time combing through Ebay and Etsy hoping to get things that would work. Here’s the results of what it looks like below:

Currently our common area remains quite stark,but we have plenty of time throughout the year to personalize it how we choose.

Some textbooks I bought from someone on campus

Additionally,I have not started classes yet, but I will write later to discuss how they go. My classes range from Biology and Chemistry Honors (lecture/lab), an international relations class (to fill a gen-ed requirement),and a freshman seminar class that is on The Beatles.In regards to textbooks, the bookstore supplies most of them in both used and new condition. However, as most can expect, prices can be totally outrageous and costly. Some solutions I’ve found so far include Chegg and Amazon for rental books, and used books from other classmates who sold me them at cheap prices, below those offered at the bookstore.

One of my main worries in terms of college is remaining organized as possible. Somehow I have the tendency to become messy, and decided to start somewhat of a “plan” to remain organized. Some of the things I’ve done so far include to constantly check my emails to make sure I don’t miss out on anything, refer to the event calendar to be aware of any events/meetings going on, and most importantly, use a bullet journal to organize my thoughts and how I feel. It really helps me express myself, and allows me to put everything down to organize on paper.

My Bullet Journal I started. Sticking with a Beatles theme to compliment my FYS Class

Overall, so far, even though I’ve been moved in for only 3 days, I’ve had so much fun and experienced so many amazing things. Everyones been so helpful and resourceful in regards to adjusting to college life. I’ve already had some amazing experiences that make college life as lively as it is. The Honors Program hosts a sunset walk annually, and it was truly worth the 5am wake up time. I’ve also made friends with various groups of people, including my suite-mates. Each have various general vibes to them, all of which bring a different element of enjoyment to the table. We’ve had many late night meet ups just to walk around the campus for no reason whatsoever, and runs to Target,Rook, and Red Bank, myself acting a local “tour guide” of sorts to those not familiar. I honestly cannot wait for the future throughout my higher-education career and am stoked to see what’s to come.

Some photos from my experiences so far are found down below:

Rook Coffee!