Through my eyes: Adapting to college
*This is a new series presented by At the ApEc, which will chronicle the life of an incoming freshman at the University of Minnesota. Writing is portrayed through the eyes of the student, including tips, frustrations, trials and tribulations.*
When adjusting to college it is important to embrace every opportunity that comes your way.
Move-in day was an adventure. I was kind of nervous at first to trying to figure out how check-in worked. It was actually put together very well, with staff everywhere to help give directions. At first, I was wondering if I brought too much. I had two full carts. After taking a look around, I realized I had a reasonable amount compared to others who had a U-Hauls to unload.
I was kind of anxious going into welcome week. It was a combination of nerves and excitement. I really appreciated the set up of welcome week. They had a couple mandatory events at the beginning, which forced people out of their dorms. As the week went on, the events became optional so students had control over their choices. Welcome week did get to be a bit long, which I think was intentional, as it gave students time to adjust. However, it may have also been intentionally long in order to give students the urge for classes to just START ALREADY!
When the first day arrived, it was interesting because every teacher taught differently. Some expected you to have the syllabus printed off and in front of you before class, whereas other teachers were still making last minute changes.
Getting yourself to class and the RIGHT class was an adventure in itself. I lucked out (and no snark, I really mean I lucked out!), I am on all three campuses. I ventured out the day before class started to get an idea of where my classes were. Starting in Saint Paul every day, ending on West Bank and living on East Bank. I quickly learned that I couldn’t avoid the connectors and circulators forever. It is okay to get lost, just ask for help because everyone you will run into has been lost at one point or another.