Seven months ago I packed up all of my prized possessions and moved exactly one hundred miles away from the place I called home for eighteen years, and four months. For days I went on www.stjohns.edu to check out the new school I was attending. It was a mixture of fear and excitement as loaded bags into my father’s blue mini van and headed to my new place of resident.
The air was dry, and the sun was shining as we pulled into the large parking lot. My parents and I sat in the car for a few minutes till my dad turned around and asked” Ready to move in and start your new life?” Not sure if I really was, I gulped and nodded my head furiously. He smiled” Let’s officially make you a college student.” That is how my St John’s experience began on August 25th, 2007.
Now that the year is winding down, I find myself asking “where did my freshmen year go”. It feels like it was yesterday I met my roommates, who are now some of my closest friends, and that I would walk aimlessly, trying to figure out where I was on campus. I am able to dash all away across campus in five minutes, and in eight minutes in heels. It now a familiar place that I spend more time out than I do at my home in Philadelphia.
For some of my friends, they disagree with my completely, saying that this year has drug on is inching slowly to the day classes ceases. After hearing their points, I realized why my year has sped by, while they were counting minutes and seconds. As a new resident to the city of New York and a new student at St. John’s University, I saw it as a fresh start. A place where I can try anything I can, without having baggage or preconceived notions. For years I heard college was the place of self discovery and reinvention. I decided to join things which I enjoyed back in high school, such as the Torch, the school newspaper, and the drama club. They were both outlets for creativity and to hone my craft as an actor and a writer.
Money was also an issue, so I went on a job hunt my first week of school. I was able to find a great job called Jumpstart. It is an organization which promotes literacy to four year olds. It allowed me to work with children which I enjoy, while making money and helping the community I had moved to.
By participating in these things, I was able to meet countless of new people, all with different stories and backgrounds. It gave me a sense of community, and helped me stay concentrated on time management. By keeping busy, I was able to stay on target, and it forced me to be organized.
So as I am now preparing to end my freshmen year, I see prospective students on tours, looking just as awe struck as I was. I smile at them, wishing that I could give them my input and advice, but then I realize- It would take all the fun out of freshmen year knowing what was in store.
