College is a place where a person is able to make a fresh start. For me, starting fresh means I get to experience numerous things that I have never experienced before. Every single person has a different first experience and/or fresh start when they begin college. I’ve experienced many things in my first week of college, including living in a room with someone else, sharing a bathroom and learning to live on my own. I know I have been feeling a mix of emotions, as many of you are too. 

Learning to live in a room with someone, let alone living in a suite with seven other girls, can be extremely challenging. I am an only child and not used to sharing a room with someone or a bathroom with other people. For someone like me who is so used having a bedroom and a bathroom to themselves, it’s definitely an adjustment to learn how to live others and how not to be a hog of space. 

It’s also been an adjustment learning how to live on my own. I’m trying to learn how to do laundry, manage my time, get exercise in, not gain the freshman fifteen and many more things. It can take a while to get adjusted to a certain schedule and make time for things like a study schedule, a social life, etc. For the first week, it’s difficult for to start figuring out how to manage time properly with school work and a social life. After going through my first week of classes, I have a general idea of everything will go. 

I’m sure every freshman entering Castleton feels a mix of emotions. Some of the emotions I have experienced my first week here are homesickness, nervousness about being on my own for the first time and excitement about making new friends and experiencing something totally new and different. Eventually, all these emotions that I am feeling now will become a distant memory and I hopefully won’t feel these set of emotions again until after college.

Starting college can be difficult for some people and not so much for others. In my case, I was extremely lucky that I had the chance to really connect with my roommate before we got here and that definitely made things easier. My suite mates and I get along really well which is also a good thing. One last thing that has made my first couple days better here at Castleton is how helpful and kind everyone here has been. I am feeling pretty good about this fresh start and hope you are all too!