{Featured Image from 2U.com}
College seems to be the pinnacle of a young person’s life in today’s society. The world seems to highlight the benefits of getting a higher education. They place a pedestal on the concept of obtaining more suitable jobs, and have a glorified idea of college life and its hypothetical fraternity-like nuances. It can be extremely easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Why are you truly attending college? What keeps you coming back each year? What incentive do you really get throughout the 4 or so years you’re here prior to obtaining your degree?
A lot of the college experience is self-exploration, and during my freshman year, I had an identity crisis. I was one of those kids who dreamt of college their whole lives. I used to boast in elementary school about how I’d get into Havard or Yale one day. In middle school, I took a more serious look at what kinds of institutions would truly fit me. In High School, I went on all the college trips available and attended all the college fairs I could find. I made an effort to get interviews with multiple schools up until my senior year. I did dual enrollment, took university classes during the summer and thought I’d be well on my way to being a star college student. I was terribly and utterly wrong.
No matter how much preparation I had, I only really prepared myself for the academic portion of college. I had no idea that I’d be tackling emotional, mental and societal turmoil alongside worrying about my academics. I dealt with crippling homesickness my first year. I yearned for a simpler time, and craved the familiarity of my hometown. I struggled to make friends and connections due to social anxiety and drastic overthinking. I was overwhelmed with the countless choices of majors, and ended up changing my major even though I really thought I wouldn’t. Not to mention, the responsibility of a first-generation college student was an enormous weight on my shoulders. I’ve never even had a real life job before, not until I started my work-study on campus. Maintaining my first ever job while juggling everything else. Needless to say, it was a roller coaster.
In light of these events, things have gotten significantly easier. I slowly but surely found myself more comfortable with living on campus, and soon enough I met a group of friendly faces who helped me more than I think they realize. I found myself enjoying my job, and the money that came with it. I fell in love with my new major, and experienced more clarity of the future I wanted because of that. While I feel my homesickness never truly went away completely, I was able to envision my future at Arcadia nonetheless.
I’m attending Arcadia University because it’s been kind to me through the toughest year of my life. It guided me, gave me the resources to succeed despite having an emotional freshman year. I fell in love with the faculty, the environment, and the sunsets over the Haber Green. I maintained a newfound independence, met new people, and figured out the exact path I want to be on, all because of Arcadia. The incentive for me is that Arcadia gives me what I need as a student to thrive, even in tough circumstances. I hope everyone who attends Arcadia feels similar, and I can only hope the same for those who attend other institutions.
And if you’re feeling lost, uncertain, and overwhelmed. Just know, you’re not alone here. We all feel it, I feel it. Though, I know you’re more than capable. You got this far, so enjoy your college experience, even if it gets hard sometimes. ‘Cause just like High School, it’ll be over before you can even blink.
