My life is so busy right now, as I am about to begin my first year at a college I have never attended before. There is so much going into all of this right now. I have to think about what I am taking, I have to find a job in the area, I have to figure out my workload, I am going to try and make new friends, and so much more. My college process, which I want to make clear in all of these posts, will probably look a little different than yours.
There are two main things I want to point out that might make my experience different from yours right of the top. First off, I am moving in during a pandemic. I will start with a dorm room to myself, though I was expecting a roommate. I may have to wear a mask everywhere and stay about six feet from everyone. Secondly, I am going to a private college. Public universities may run things differently for you. I am also going to a small Christian college, which differs from most other colleges by at least one of those two words. Not all private colleges are Christian colleges, but there are quite a few that are on the larger side. There are some more small private colleges, but most of them are not Christian.
When I showed up on my first day of college (I am staying in the dorms as well, so I will talk a lot about dorm life) I was nervous and excited, but I had no idea why I was so nervous. I sometimes struggle with acceptance, so that could have been a concern of mine. They had little 'booths' or tables set up that I walked right towards to begin the registration process. My college had it set up nicely, I thought, so I was handed a folder with the paperwork I would later need to fill out and turn in, and told the plan. I chose to move into my dorm room first, so I was able to spend a little bit of time setting up my bed and putting some things away.
Then, I had one sheet in that folder that needed to be signed by different offices on campus, so I had to talk to security about my vehicle arrangements or go to the cafe to see where my mailbox was. Most of that process took the rest of the morning, but I did have a few minutes remaining before we all (my family, who was tagging along included) headed to the cafeteria for lunch.
From that moment on for that day, and all of the next day, the college had a whole bunch of activities planned for all the freshmen and transfers to get to know each other and the staff. We all got a better understanding of the campus if we did not understand it well enough before, and we got to make friends. I am so thankful for my college and all the kids there because they are so friendly and welcomed me immediately. By the time I walked into my dorm room for the first time, all my nerves were gone. It was easy to say goodbye to my family the end of that first day.
Many of the forms I had to turn in that Monday, the day school officially started, included more security information, scholarships, and grants information, and my agreement that they can share my grades with my parents.
Based on my personality, just the way I grew up, and who I am in general I viewed college as two things- a place to get an education and a time to start an official job. While I have wanted, and tried, to get other full or part-time jobs, I have not gotten the chance. So, on top of the school schedule, I chose to work on applying for jobs that Monday, when I was not in a class.
There was one other thing I really wanted to get down that Monday (though it would be wiser to do it as many days in advance as you can). I worked on purchasing my school books. There were some used books on school property that I was able to purchase for a reduced price, but there were still some books that I ended up buying on Amazon. Total, I probably spent about 70 or 80 US Dollars on my five textbooks, but again, every school (and every book) is different.
While I do not have my jobs all worked in yet- I have not been accepted, but I need to give them time- and I have not started all my classes yet, I feel pretty settled in and ready for what is going to come next for me at my small college.
