My freshman year of college was one of the most challenging years of my life. I’d rather not reflect on this time in my life as I struggled mentally and disliked my environment a lot, but I am happy to share the biggest lesson I learned from it all. I decided to commit to a small private college with a student population smaller than my high school’s. I didn’t really know what I truly wanted to do and where I wanted to be when I committed to this school, which leads me to my first piece of advice for high schoolers going into college — visit your future college campus numerous times before you attend (if you can). The first few weeks of my freshman year were very exciting. I quickly became the best of friends with my roommate and we found ourselves in our first college friend group. Attending class was scary but exciting. I loved the college routine a lot — grabbing a coffee, walking to class with friends, attending a lecture, eating at the dining halls, going out for the night. It was a new routine of independence and with this, you’re able to learn a lot about yourself and what your internal priorities are. I encourage freshmen to really focus on what they find exciting in their college routine. If you like going to the gym, make that a priority because it can quickly become your comfort zone for when things get confusing. If you end up cooking for yourself often, keep learning new recipes and enhancing your skill set, because again, it’ll be your familiarity when times are uncertain. Stick to the routine that provides moments of happiness or excitement, because freshman year is filled with uncertainty and uneasiness, so having any kind of structure can help you feel somewhat sane. 

After spending a few weeks at my college, I visited my friend at Penn State for the first time. We attended a football game where I witnessed Penn State’s insane student section and the constant entertainment taking place on the field and on the screen. I completely fell in love with the Penn State culture and the large community atmosphere, the energy and pride that every Penn State student clearly had. I wanted that too, as I came from a high school that was not only massive, but valued unity and pride in their school. I wasn’t getting that with my new college since it was so small and had little hype surrounding sports or activities, and many students commuted, therefore there was definitely a lack of a social life for students. I mean there were things to do, but it was nothing compared to Penn State. I loved the idea of working at the BJC or becoming involved in a student-run music festival, or joining the entertainment committee for THON. It was all so thrilling and huge, something I felt I was missing out on at my college. I returned back to my school very unhappy. As the days went by, I grew more and more bored with my surroundings and became more and more jealous of every student attending Penn State. I decided I did want to transfer, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision. There was a gut feeling in me that said I was supposed to be in State College, but there was this looming doubt that kept replaying in my head — if I was supposed to be there, why didn’t I start there as a freshman? Why would I have to go through the pain and hassle of transferring? I wasn’t able to transfer my sophomore year, I would have to complete a year at a branch campus first, making the idea of transferring that much more of a burden. There was a constant tug of war in my brain for months. I loved Penn State and all it had to offer, especially for what I wanted to accomplish in my career, but I was already settled at my school and I had a group of friends that I really enjoyed. I felt like I had met my best friend for life and didn’t want to go to a different school than her. But then I would think about being involved in THON and Movin’ On, and going to all of the football games, and creating my own little college routine at this big university full of possibilities.

 It was a really hard decision, but I obviously ended up transferring to Penn State. Thinking back to my freshman year self, I was really unhappy with where I was and while I did try to give my school a chance before I made the official move to transfer (joined clubs, attended career forums, etc.) I could not shake the feeling that I was not meant to be there. Fast forward to now, I am so beyond grateful I made the transfer. It was a really stressful and difficult process, and while Penn State has definitely challenged me and given me some tough situations and experiences, I feel like I grew at Penn State, as a student and as an individual, more than I ever would have anywhere else. My biggest piece of advice for freshmen would be not to settle. If you have this gut feeling that you are in the wrong place or wrong major, or something in general is off, but you are too afraid to make a change because things are so new and scary, push the fear aside and follow your gut. Getting to know yourself is the biggest reward you receive from college personally, and that starts with stepping out of your comfort zone to search for what makes you really, truly happy.