Hello there my lovely readers, I am sorry it has been so long, but I am back =D, now reporting from the amazing University of Rochester. Just wanted to take a few moments to really debrief and tell you all about a few of first impressions and experiences that I have had here in the first few weeks.
MOVING IN AND THE FIRST WEEK:
Moving In was the first part of my college experience, and it was without a doubt one of the most ridiculous first sites I could have possibly encountered coming into college. Imagine a slew of upperclassmen rockin’ brightly colored t-shirts laced with school pride, our school crest, and the phrase “Ask me why I love this school!” boldly printed across their backs. Here at URoc freshman are not expected to carry anything up to their respective rooms, the upperclassmen men and women do that for you. It symbolizes the family-like and caring not competitive environment that is one of the main foundations of our school. The whole fiasco lasted about 2 hours (lines were extremely long) but it was never a dull moment. I got to meet upperclassmen, laugh, and had the pleasure of our schools many a capella groups coming up to my car and singing to my family and I.
The first week was full of awkwardness, unfamiliarity, and becoming immersed in a community that will house me for the next 4 years. My hall, otherwise known as gates 2, was full of interesting and funny gentlemen from all over the U.S and beyond (URoc has a big international population). In the first night alone we bonded over eating foreign candies and randomly crashing into other rooms on our hall. The Resident Advisor in our hall was awesome and a very cool guy to talk too. It’s scary being away from home surrounded by 4,500 strangers, no matter how excited you are about college, and the first week was kind of a make it or break it deal for me. Well after three weeks I am proud to say that I made it, all my college fear have subsided (at least until Finals week) and I can now focus on having fun and working hard.
One part of orientation here at Rochester is that you have to volunteer in some manner in some random location around the city of Rochester. The tradition is in place so that every freshman has a chance to bond with people outside his/her hall and see how important community service and volunteering is to the University. My task was to clean up the local cemetery (basically in the backyard of the University) and cut down unwanted plant life. Needless to say I had a blast and was able to work together with my hall for the first time since my arrival. I love that community service is seen as vital to the school I go to, because it just fills me with a sense of pride knowing that URoc and I are on the same wavelength.
It would be a lie to say that I have made waves and waves of them, but I have a good core 6-10 people that I have grown genuinely close too. My roommate and I hang out with the same people, so I got the chance to grow close to him as well, brilliant people all around. Unlike high school, I feel like all the people here are motivated and eager to push themselves both academically and socially. It’s refreshing knowing I am surrounded by people that are actively pursuing their dreams. I am expecting a good year with them =3.
I have an unconventional dream I want to pursue in life (dance therapy) therefore my interests and classes reflect my weirdness. All my classes are fun yet have a hint of challenge to them, just how I prefer them. It has been quite a hassle trying to make some sort of tangible schedule that I could use to keep track of my academic life, but winging it has also worked out just fine. I do not sleep til 2 am, I wake up and 8, and I spend time in between classes dancing, playing music, reading comics, gaming, or watching Netflix. This is the life I have dreamed of for years. I can finally prove that I can make it on my own. I am too stubborn to fail and have too much pride to let anyone tell me what I can or cannot do. Studying for hours and hours is a new experience, but it is a welcome one, for I know it will become an amazingly useful tool to me in the near future. But so far, I have found a good balance of fun and work.
“EVER BETTER”
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