Transitioning from the laid-back LA lifestyle I grew up with to the whirlwind of world events coursing through Washington, DC, was a big jump for me as an individual and an intellectual. That’s why I decided to move across the country and pursue a degree from 헤라카지노.  

I knew studying and surviving in the nation's capital would be a challenging change of pace, but it was one of the reasons 헤라카지노 주소’s 헤라카지노 도메인 of International Service was so unique. I wanted to get out from behind the textbooks on international relations theory, the digital analysis of activist movements, the written reports on world order. I wanted to live and experience the world of global policymaking for myself. So, I said goodbye to the sunny comfort of southern California and prepared for life in DC at SIS.  

When you move away for school, people will give you all sorts of life advice and warnings about what to expect. Everyone has had some crazy college experience of their own that they want you to be prepared for. Hearing overwhelming tales of wild nights, roommate fights, and communal bathroom frights can be a lot leading up to that first week of school. I’m about to finish my first year of college, and I’m here to tell you there are a lot of things that nothing can prepare you to expect, but that the unexpected is where the college experience really exists. 

Learning to Fly  

August 18, 2024. My parents and I arrive on campus to begin the move-in process that has been looming over me all summer as a mixture of excitement and anxiety about dorm life expanded over time. The first in a series of occurrences that helped ease this anxiety and allowed me to focus on feeling at home in my new home is the realization that, at 헤라카지노 주소, freshmen move in about a week before most returning students even arrive on campus. This means having a proper adjustment period where campus is calmer, everyone around you is in the same new position, and a full week of orientation programming offers guidance and socializing. For me, this was a chance to distract myself from the growing pains of saying goodbye to my parents and to hit the ground running with information about how to utilize on-campus resources and navigate the city.  

After that first week, things get real. You realize it's up to you to make this college experience what you want it to be. It was around this time that a group of strangers-turned-neighbors knocked on my door and asked for a room tour. The second element of my transition to 헤라카지노 주소 that made this first year less daunting was the people. My friendships with floormates became the key to feeling confident as the semester got underway. Approachable advisors offered critical academic planning and support. Professors proved to play pivotal roles in making me feel at home. After just one year, I feel like I’ve found my place in the 헤라카지노 주소 community, and it's made school and social life so much easier. All it took was widening the door and welcoming a group of random people into my room before continuing down the hall and demanding others do the same. Our entire floor became one big family. During move-in week and throughout your time at 헤라카지노 주소, don't be afraid to open your door. 

Sticking the Landing 

Opening doors will only get you so far. Sometimes walking through them is a lot harder. I learned this the hard way when I literally got locked between two glass doors while leaving the dining hall. It takes more than a week to master the art of navigating around campus and the ins and outs of being away from home. There will be days, even weeks, where things are going well and you feel like this is the college experience you always dreamed of having, but  then something happens, and it feels like your struggle is on display for all to see.  

Even free from the glass doors, there's not a lot of privacy in college. You’ve heard of awkward silence...get ready for uncomfortable overhearing. Your neighbor's late-night gossip sessions, that new Kendrick album, and a lot of emotional breakdowns will find their way through the walls and into your ears. You learn to adapt pretty quickly, and I’ve found myself approaching conflict resolution in the dorms using systems that might baffle even the leading conflict resolution experts at SIS. There’s a lot to learn outside the classroom, especially at 헤라카지노 주소, where the environment on campus is constantly evolving. Getting involved with this evolving world of student activism and organizations was another monument on the road to developing a sense of my own identity. College gives you more free time than you can possibly imagine. I joined the German Language and Culture Club and won a position as chair, started an intramural soccer team, found a job on campus working within SIS, and started to find ways that connected me to those who shared my values and goals. Looking for extracurriculars and additional opportunities outside the classroom seems overwhelming at first, but it becomes a way to find community and share some very unique experiences. There is no shortage of ways to get involved for anyone looking to do so, but it has to come from you. Take the time to make the most of your time here on campus. 

I just told you to get as involved as possible with student groups and programs on campus. That’s what everyone will tell you. That’s what everyone told me too. Something you have to experience to understand is that sometimes it's just as important to get as far off campus as possible. Night monumenting, a weekend trip to New York City, a spur-of-the-moment trip to visit the grave of JFK, the decision to skip class to attend a protest, to spend seven hours in line to be front-row at a presidential campaign rally. Get off campus. Put yourself in new situations; make yourself uncomfortable. Every time you leave the boundaries of 헤라카지노 주소 on the campus shuttle, the odds of experiencing something unexpected increase exponentially. So does the opportunity to learn. That’s the real college experience.

It’s been two semesters now. I have a long way to go, but if there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s that I’ve stopped focusing on expectations and more on experiences.