Challenges for the first year of college start early
My excitement about college hit last December after I was admitted to my top choice, George Washington University, for International Relations.
Suddenly, all I could think about was my future life 2,806 miles away and what it’d be like finding my way around the city and making new friends.
Part of what drew me into GW is that it’s in the Washington, D.C., city center, a few blocks from parks, coffee shops and the State Department.
In April, I started looking for a roommate on Instagram and ended up finding three. We all instantly hit it off.
Many out-of-state freshmen debate whether to room with someone from their hometown or branch out. Both have their perks, but I’m glad I chose the latter.
Since my roommates are driving from Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, I’ve been shipping my bedding to them so I don’t have to fly across the country with everything. Now I’m hoping I can fit the rest of my belongings into just two suitcases.
After my roommates and I applied for housing together, we were assigned two additional roommates from the Bay Area. I feel lucky that our apartment brings together people from both the East and West coasts.
We’ll be living in Madison Hall, where apartments can house anywhere from two to six students. The only challenge is that every apartment has a different layout, so we still don’t know exactly what furniture or decorations we’ll need.
Waiting for those details has made planning a little stressful because we’ll have to buy many of the finishing touches after we move in.
Besides move-in, I am looking forward to registering for classes. I am most hopeful to register for GW’s Introduction to Farsi class.
Due to the U.S conflict with Iran, college students are increasingly interested in learning Farsi. As a result, there are only nine spots left for freshmen to take the class.
This is worrisome for me because I started learning Farsi at the beginning of this summer and I’d like to continue it.
Orientation is only a couple of weeks away, and I’m excited to finally meet the roommates I’ve spent months talking to on Instagram and FaceTime.
We have a group dinner planned with our parents at a restaurant called the Founding Fathers, which is on brand for D.C., and because we are all international relations majors.
Although this has been one of the most exciting times of my life, I know I’ll also be excited to come home, see my family, and, of course, convince my mom to do my laundry.
Beyond campus, I’m excited to explore Washington, D.C., walking past landmarks I always saw on Scandal or finding matcha shops or attending policy events – all of this is what makes D.C. my dream city.
Knowing that I’ll spend the next four years in that dream city makes my nerves worth it.
As I close the chapter on writing the “Teen Corner” columns, I’m excited to begin a new one with “College Corner.” And while my perspective may have shifted from high school hallways to college campuses, my goal remains the same: to share stories, experiences and reflections with the Orinda community about college life, new challenges and opportunities and the moments that make this journey memorable.
