First Semester Reflection - Freshman Year

It is absolutely unreal to think that I am already 1/8th of the way finished with college. I was almost sad when a friend of mine told me that considering these are supposed to be the best four of my life and they are already flying by. It is crazy to think that this time last year I had no idea where I would be attending college and wouldn't even hear back from Furman until February. Furman is definitely the right school for me and I thought that now would be a great time to reflect on my experiences thus far.

I know a lot of people have a hard time adjusting to living away at college and I think that going to camp during the summers and working at camp nearly all last summer really made my adjustment easier. (Although I won't deny the fact that I cried when my parents first left) It also really helped that I ended up with a fantastic roommate and a great bunch of girls on my hall! I am so thankful to have been blessed with such a great group of girls who I know I can go to at any time and they would be more than willing to help me in any way knowing I would do the same for them! This is the precious group of girls that I am going to New York with for Spring Break! I am also so glad that Shannon who blogs at Prep Avenue and I have become so close and I can not wait to continue to get to know her better! She did a post like this that you can find here.

I know that your roommate can have a major influence on how your freshman year goes considering for me at least she was one of the few people I knew before heading off to school and we had only met once. Our living situation could not have worked out more beautifully and hopefully if things turn out our way in January we will be roommates again next year! We clicked from the beginning and I know she is going to be a lifelong best friend!

The hardest transition for me came with being "new." I have gone to the same school since fifth grade and I graduated with 53 other people that I have known for ages. We all knew each others talents, hobbies, parents, and middle names which is one reason my college search focused on smaller liberal arts schools as opposed to large universities! With all of that being said, I have not been new since fifth grade. It was really strange coming to a school and no one knowing anything about me. No one knew how much I loved soccer or how I participated in many clubs that meant a lot to me in high school. For some this blank slate could be great but I didn't completely want to ignore my past, I was proud of what I accomplished in high school!

Fortunately though, I feel like my high school did a great job of preparing me for the workload I would face in college. I have always been very driven when it comes to academics but separating school time from "play" time in college is a little tricky since technically you never leave school! Pretty much everyone at Furman is super smart and sometimes I feel like if I am not being diligent all the time I may fall behind. There were many Saturdays that I spent working on projects and papers (thank goodness my research paper is finished) and my parents were great about reminding me to have some fun too. Sometimes you need someone to remind you that while these grades really matter now and it is great to focus on them college is about something more.

I know this next semester will allow me more opportunities, more friendships, and hopefully just as much fun! I can't wait to head back in a few weeks!