Hannah
As I sit here typing in my tiny dorm room, I can’t help but think about the fact that in three weeks, my freshman career will be completely over. While it may sound cliche, this school year has flashed before my eyes - it seems like just yesterday that Emerson was a scary, exciting, unpredictable place. Now it’s comfortable and normal; now it’s my home.
I remember being in your position. Just being accepted to Emerson, I was totally proud of myself and excited to see my dream of studying journalism in a northern city come true. But I wasn’t just excited - I was terrified. I couldn’t move more than 1,000 miles away from my family to live in a city that I had never been to. I couldn’t move away from my best friends and boyfriend without knowing if our relationships would change, or end. I couldn’t do it...or at least that’s what I told myself.
So if you feel like you can’t do it - know that you can. Change is hard, but I can promise you that it won’t be as bad as you think it will be.
It is true that I missed my friends, family, and home tremendously the first week living in Boston. It’s true that I ran to my mom twice before she finally walked away after saying goodbye and sending me off for the final time. And it’s true that I cried four or five times within the first few weeks of being at Emerson College. But it’s also true that I wasn’t the only one to do so.
I live in a suite with five other girls, and during the first week of orientation, we all cried. We gathered in our small living room after the events of each day and talked about our families - our homes. And in doing so, we created our own - our own home, and our own family.
The bonds you will develop within your first year of college will astound you; they will be stronger than you could ever think would be possible. So if you’re afraid that friends won’t exist outside of your close circle or hometown, don’t. Because the bonds you’ll make this upcoming year will most likely be stronger than the ones that you already have.
Throughout my first two semesters, my roommates have been my confidants, my friends, my parents, my bad influences, my good influences, my sisters, my personal makeup artists, and the sweetest girls that I could have ever come to know. Yes, we’ve quarreled and had our fights, but in the end, they are the ones that I can count on.
They have been there to cry with me, to comfort me, to push me, to encourage me to excel, to believe in me, to relate to me. They are a mix of majors and yet they still completely understand the problems that I face.
So if you’re hesitant about college, just know that you’re not the only one. Because while going to college is probably the scariest adventure you’ll ever embark on, I can promise you that it will also be the most rewarding and exciting experience you’ll ever have - and you’ll make a variety of friends - family - along the way.