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Freshman Year: Expectations & Realities

Meibers and her roommate Carly outside their dorm, Havighurst
Meibers and her roommate Carly outside their dorm, Havighurst

I hope my dorm has AC.

I know how this Ohio weather works with its sweaty summer nights and crippling winter days.

Moving into college means no mommy and daddy to do my laundry. I don't know how to do my laundry.

Thinking about the access to yummy food excites me.

I finally get to escape my mom's health kick.

No more sugar-free ice cream (AKA frozen milk).

Miami has incredible dining halls and coffee all over campus.

Learning about subjects that I care about is going to change my idea of school. College won't just be about going through the motions.

I can't stand letters representing numbers for another second.

I guess living so far from Uptown won't be that bad.

I know that the walk is going to be a burden though. All the walks are going to be burdens.

Maybe that'll keep me from catching the freshman fifteen.

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Hopefully my classes aren't too far from Western Campus.

Hopefully my boyfriend's dorm isn't too far from Western Campus.

I hear making friends in college is easy.

Hopefully they won't mind walking to Western Campus...

I can't wait for Mega Fair. It'll be just like Pitch Perfect.

The Miami football games are going to be even better than the games at my high school. The wild cheers and student section.

All these thoughts ran through my mind as move-in day began approaching.

My mind Q and A session with itself every chance it got:

Who will I call my best friend?

You won't have any friends.

Who will I go to the bars with?

Remember, you won't have any friends.

Who will read my writing?

No one, because YOU WON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS.

I struggled to not bring my entire bedroom from home as I packed for college.

However, it wasn't like packing for camp, it was packing for a new home.

Miami seemed to hold my hand this summer, why would they stop once I stepped on campus?

Because you won't have any friends.

Shut up.

What a difference a few months can make.

Fresh into my first year at Miami University, my eyes were wide and naive.

It was ninety degrees outside as I had to trudge to every building, every event, every friend.

I should've brought more deodorant.

I didn't know I'd need a fan in a room with AC.

I didn't know that if you don't make it obvious that the shower is occupied, someone will open the curtain.

I feel like I need to do a load of laundry every day. My clothes are drenched in sweat after twenty minutes outside.

I still don't know how to do my laundry.

Week two, I can't eat this food anymore.

I haven't pooped since I've been here.

The dining halls are trying to kill the weak ones.

Coffee is expensive. I'm a poor college student but it's my fuel.

Week three, my boyfriend is farther away than anything else on campus.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder?

No one goes to the football games. That's prime "darty" time (AKA day party).

Mega Fair was not like Pitch Perfect.

College is not like Pitch Perfect. It is not a movie.

Week four, college is freedom with a long rope.

It introduces you to people that you never knew you'd love.

You learn of cultures and ethnicities that are beyond yours.

It takes you on adventures that can end in trouble, but not too much trouble.

You can earn privileges from your superiors: upperclassmen, parents, professors.

It allows you to explore yourself and the different aspects of the world.

You are being prepped for when the real world cuts that rope college has created for you.

What a difference a few weeks can make.

Read More

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By Anna Reier | November 22, 2024

For many students, the weeks between Thanksgiving break and J-Term can be the longest of the semester. Students break out of their academic routine and default back to their lives at home. As students barrel towards the finish line, they are met with final exams, projects and essays. Here are seven ways to prioritize your mental health to end the semester strong. 

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