“no one is 100% ready for college, and that’s ok”

I remember staring up to my ceiling fan in the middle of the night. My heartbeat was faster than the fan turned. I spent the entire summer not having a worry about leaving home for college. Yet, in my final week in Oregon, this is how I’d spend my nights. Looking up with a racing heart, and going through all of the questions that had no answers. 

How badly would I miss home? Will the kids like me? How do I do laundry without my mom’s help? 

Can I get through this? 

Am I good enough? 

I became deeply afraid of leaving home, as I’ve never lived on my own before. I went to like one sleepover camp when I was a kid, and even that was death-defying for me. I believed moving away meant moving on from my friends, and that in itself is a harrowing feeling.  With immense self-doubt, I’d tell myself I was going to get eaten alive in school. After spending the past couple months convincing myself I had everything figured out, I realized that I was completely lost. But, one night I realized, that’s ok. I was not alone in these feelings.

I kept repeating the same phrase over and over to myself. 

No one is 100% ready for college, and that’s ok. 

When I arrived to Chapman, so many of my concerns faded away instantly. I was able to become really close with the people in my dorm, and it made the transition way smoother than I could’ve asked for. In football, people say that your nerves always go away after the first hit. That’s how it felt for me. I was dropped into this new environment, and I couldn’t really do anything besides try my best to keep up and have fun. My problems were all based on my confidence issues, so I’d say the best advice I could give to someone like me is to just always keep your head up and don’t be afraid to socialize. College is tough to navigate, and even tougher if you do it all alone. Being a good friend, maintaining good study habits and relationships with professors, and making time to exercise and relax will take you far in college. If you can take care of the little things and worry less, your questions will be answered and your worries will diminish. 

The students I talked to Orange High were pretty awesome. All of them seemed like they had everything figured out, but I could tell they had some nerves deep down about the next level. Like many students, their main concerns were about finances. My advice would be to pick the school that has the best mix of affordability and personal fit. I told them that it’s ok to be lost. I’m going into my sophomore year as a former biology student wanting to study film. I’m still lost to this day. But, I take it day by day. All I can do is keep striving to be the best person and student I can be, and if I’m actively trying, then I’m happy. 

Thanks for peeping the blog. You’ll be just fine. See you next time.