Starting College

College is tough. I’m not going to deny that. While I’ve only been here for less than two months, I’d like to say I’m learning the ropes of it. Between moving away from your parents for the very first time, having to fit everything you need (for some people, everything they own) into a 9'x10' room, and having to share a room with someone for possibly the very first time… it can be extremely difficult to adjust. For me, it wasn’t that bad because my family lives only 35 minutes away. I wasn’t worried about not being able to see them because if I ever wanted to come home, I’d call one of them and they’d pick me up. I shared a room with my sister for my entire childhood, so I was already good at cohabitating… I didn’t need to learn how to live with someone.

Despite the fact that I got through the initial adjustment fine, I still had a hard time. My mental illness began acting up again; it was my first time having to deal with that alone. Since being diagnosed, everyone at home knew my symptoms. They knew when I was having an episode and always pointed it out because sometimes I couldn’t tell when I was having one. Getting used to working through my issues alone took a lot of time, and I’m still not all the way there.

While I grew up sharing a room with my sister, moving in with a roommate other than her was a very weird experience. At UWM, we not only have roommates, but suite mates as well. In the suite, there are three rooms and we all share a bathroom, so there’s 5 of us girls all together. Moving in with Jessica was a neat experience because despite the fact that we had known each other for years, we had never once spent time together alone. We didn’t know how the other lived, acted, or responded to certain situations. Despite that, we quickly became comfortable living with one another.

Living in a suite has also proven to be a good thing. When I first started here, I didn’t know what to do to make friends. I hadn’t had to open myself up to an entirely new group of people in years; I didn’t really know how to anymore. Living in a suite with four other girls forced me to quickly become their friends. I know some people don’t have a good living situation when they move into their dorms—or, as UWM calls them because “dorm” is apparently a naughty word, residence halls—so I was very lucky to move in with the girls I did.

I live with my RA, Kayla, who has a lot of very similar interests as me, which is so nice because if I want to sing musical theater as loud as I can, I know I always have someone right there to join in. It’s also great because if I have a question about anything, her door is just three feet from mine. I feel like living with an RA gives me a different opportunity than other residents as I am automatically much closer to her than some others. In the third room of our suite is Sara and Kedra. Sara is wild, to say the least. She is funny and outgoing and honestly one of the weirdest people I’ve met… but that’s a good thing. Kedra is probably the nicest person I’ve come across in a very long time. Jess and my room has become the meeting place for our suite. When we are all hanging out, it’s in 1470A, no matter what. I’ve gained some great friends just by living next to them and I can’t be more thankful that I have a good group.

In high school, my teachers often told me that they were preparing me for college. Part of me really wants to agree with them, but honestly I just don’t. College is extremely different. Not only am I completely in control of the classes I take, how my schedule is laid out, and if I actually attend classes, but I am actually forced to take care of myself. In high school my teachers always kept on me to ensure that I was keeping up with the class, but in college… not so much. I was lucky enough to get an advisor who agreed with my idea that although I am in the rigorous pre-med program, I should still attempt to keep certain classes in my schedule as a stress reliever. Because of that, I remain in choir and in band while in college. Of course, that will likely change in the coming semesters, but it is nice to be able to experience them while I can.

Another thing that took some getting used to was how expensive everything is. I spent around $300 on books, which was laughable compared to how much some of my peers were spending. Tuition plus my room and board added with my books and dorm stuff and any other fees you can think of (because trust me, if you can think of it, I’m getting charged for it), I’m going to be paying $20,000 (or more!) just for one year at this school. Despite how expensive it is; I am thankful to be going to UWM as it is truly an amazing school.

I miss my friends a lot, but we all stay in contact. Ali, Kelsey, Hanna, and I all have a group chat that is extremely active. We talk about our days and we make plans for when we see each other next and it is almost like we are together again. Samantha, despite living almost 400 miles away, still is managing to make it home when she wants to. We make sure to facetime and text all the time. We’ve never really had to be together for our relationship to work… I guess that’s what 14 (13? I don’t know. It’s been a long time.) years of friendship does to you. Jack and I still talk and when he visits, it is just as great as it was the last time we saw each other. All of my friends—Jordan, Steve, Sam, anyone else—it’s not that bad being away because I know that when I see them next, it will be even more special.

I miss my family too, but it’s a lot more bearable with them. I come home pretty often and I talk to them almost every day. I thought it would be more difficult being separated from them, but I think that because I know that they are so close and I can see them pretty much any time I want, it’s a lot easier for me to handle.

If I’m being honest, while having my high school friends in my life still is wonderful, it sucked not making friends. As I said, I struggled with that. Finally, after a very lonely month of being here, I am starting to break out of my shell and spend time with people other than my suite mates. I am meeting so many new people and seeing new friendships form and I can’t be happier so watch it all unfold in front of me. I still don’t have a solid group of friends to call my own, but I know that I will find them somewhere. I know that in these upcoming years, I will meet some of the most influential people of my life, so I absolutely cannot wait to figure out who those people will be.

I know I said college is tough, and it really is, but it’s also so amazing. I am learning and growing as a person. I am so independent already, and it hasn’t even been two months yet. I am deciding who I am and who I want to be which is exciting and scary at the same time. I know that I am going to make mistakes in my years here, but I also know that I will learn from each one of them. I’m just starting this journey, but I know that when I complete it, it will be worth every penny, every tear, every sleepless night, and every 8am class.

I’ll have more and more crazy stories to tell, and I can’t wait to share them.

Until next time,

Katie

Here's a cute picture of my bed