My Freshman Year Experience: Expectations vs Reality

Class of 2025

I was beyond ecstatic to move into Coe's campus back in August. I had prepared a dorm list, had figured out who I wanted to room with, and was set on what major I wanted to pursue all before classes were to begin in the fall (I was trying to be ahead of the game by having set a plan; plans = success in my book). I was ready for this...…. until I wasn't. Everyone has high expectations when it comes to moving into college and starting your first year at the university of your choice ( In our case Coe College). Here are my experiences of what it has been like for my first year, vs the expectations that I had given myself, as it is soon coming to an end.

 My Transition from High School to College

 

                     

Orientation Picture (Ignore the Water Mark)

My Graduation Photo

 

My expectations for college, during my time in high school, were pretty high. I had envisioned myself making lots of friends, acing all my classes, having bought a car, having a job, and overall just having the time of life. You know what they say, "The best years are your college years!". Instead, I was greeted with the complete opposite. I was stressed over failing my first ever class in college *Cough* Cellular & Molecular Biology *Cough*, I had no job, I was pretty lonely, and was definitely NOT having the time of my life. It was also a big adjustment moving from a big city (Chicago) to a much smaller city (Cedar Rapids). I started feeling homesick and I started to miss  my friend group from back home. I feel like no one really prepares you for this huge transition, living with your family to living by yourself in a completely new environment. All of this took a huge toll on my mental health. If there is anything I learned from the first semester of my freshman year, it's the fact that taking mental health days is ok. There are going to be times where you will be overwhelmed and faced with new obstacles, but it is important to acknowledge that there are different resources around campus that are specifically there for your health & wellbeing. I ultimately was able to adjust, and overcome these obstacles, with the help of my friends and staff members that helped guide me to the right resources. :)

Maybe It Wasn't a Good Idea To Come In With a Set Major

When I decided to attend Coe, my intentions were to major in Nursing all four years and then become a nurse practitioner afterwards. I had my whole life planned out ahead of me. It had been a life-long dream of mine to do so and nothing was going to stand in my way of achieving my dream career 😎 ....... until I took my first biology class at Coe (Don't you just hate it when weed-out classes actually does its job?). I then had a moment of truth. I didn't see myself becoming a nurse anymore. It was a scary feeling at first. I didn't really know what I wanted to major in, so I decided to give Biology another shot and decided to try out Psychology (Which I now love btw). 

To everyone's surprise, including mine, I switched my major once more (Psychology & Business Administration)! The advice that I always heard from college graduates was "A lot of students decide to change their major at least once during their time at college." I used to ignore this saying, thinking that it wouldn't apply to me (But then it did). The reality of me switching majors multiple times, even when I told myself I wouldn't, is the fact that this happens to the vast majority of students then to the minority of us. It's important to let these things happen, keep pushing forward, and keep excelling.

Surprise! I Joined Greek Life!

Bid Day (Formal Recruitment Fall'21)

    

Before I came to college, I had told myself that there was no point in joining a sorority. I had stereotyped the people who joined as girls who were popular, partied all the time, blond, etc. So I didn't really look into joining any sororities...…. until my roommate decided to rush for recruitment. She had convinced me to rush with her and I agreed. The day finally came to rush for formal recruitment. My roommate had something come up and thus left me to rush by myself. I ended up loving the whole process and decided to join the sorority that resonated with me more. I am forever grateful to my roommate for pushing me out of my comfort zone and making me try new things. Now I know a bunch of incredible girls who have helped me through tough times, but at the same time, have also been a apart of some incredible experiences throughout my freshman year. 

Joining Organizations & Making Friends

I had envisioned myself joining multiple organizations, and being apart of many friend groups to go out with every day at the beginning of the year. The reality of that was....... actually that was what happened. I met so many incredible people this year and found a friend group who commonly share the same interests as me. I have gotten to experience some amazing organizations; For example, the Tennis team, Nuestra Coemunidad, and WINstem to name a few. I've always been interested in being apart of different organizations and being a part of big communities, so it wasn't difficult to get out there and be social. What was hard was being able to balance a social life and being in good academic standing. I wanted to go out all the time, and would leave my studying last minute (Which I am still guilty of doing at times, I'm still working on it). I've learned from experience that being able to plan things out ahead of time helps with this ordeal. I would recommend buying a planner, or even jotting events down on Google calendar, in order to plan things out ahead of time. If you are more of an introvert, I would also recommend trying out an organization or two and meet people with similar interests as you. :)

                                                                    

Studying for Finals #WINstem

My friends and I going on a hike in CR

Honorable Moments 

Llamas 

Llama photo!

 

I would never had suspected to meet llamas at Coe College, so I was surprised in a good way! (Very good way to destress during finals week btw) 

The Writing Center

CWC Staff Photo 2021-2022

When I had heard about the CWC, before attending Coe in the fall, I had thought that working at the CWC wouldn't really be an exciting job to have (I was wrong of course). I am very grateful for the opportunity I had been given to become a writing fellow, I have met so many amazing people coming from all sorts of majors. Such as Biology, Psychology, Economics, English, and so much more. They really are all here to help you! 

If there is anything that you should take away from this blog post, it would be the fact that not everything will always go as planned (In many occasions based off my experience). That doesn't mean that most things won't go as planned, but things are always changing. I think it's important that you don't let these inconveniences define you, instead let them make you grow as a person, student, or friend. :)