This week, we take a look into one of our AdmitSee user’s first weeks at college. GoMuskies16, Xavier ‘16, tells us all about his first experiences on campus. From understanding the campus layout to settling in after a cross-country move, GoMuskies16 had a brand new place to settle into.
After spending the first eighteen or so years of my life Seattle without ever having traveled further east than Idaho, my transition from the westernmost parts of the U.S. to Cincinnati, which is just a hop away from the east coast, was interesting to say the least. Since I was coming from over 2,000 miles away, I had no idea what to expect when I got off the plane in the great state of Ohio. I had mixed feelings about moving so far away from home. I knew I was going to miss all my friends and Seattle itself, which was the only hometown I’d ever known, but at the same time I was filled with excitement to finally be able live on my own and get to experience an entirely new part of the country.
One of the first things I noticed about campus was that everything was in close proximity—the classrooms, dorms, and dining hall were all less than a ten minute walk away from each other. This made it pretty easy to get used to navigating campus and meet up with new friends between classes. Most of the students were very friendly, and within the first week I’d already met dozens of people from cities and states I had only seen in pictures or read about. It was great to get a chance to hear about what the rest of the U.S. was like, as well as other countries around the world.
I met most of my friends through class or the four-day orientation we had over the first weekend of college. While at first I was nervous about moving so far away from home and having to make new friends, I began to realize coming to this school gave me an opportunity to meet people from all over the country. Orientation gave me a good idea of what campus life was going to be like, and I still have good friends today that I met two and half years ago my first weekend on campus. Unlike most of my friends back home who had decided to stay in-state for college, I was able to immerse myself in a whole new part of the country and broaden my perspective.
Even though the cross-country move was quite intimidating and it took some time to meet and make my new friends, in the end I am incredibly proud of myself for taking a chance by moving so far away and creating a new life for myself that I enjoy everyday. If I had taken the safe route by going to school in Washington with my high school friends I would not have the same outlook and confidence about trying new things that I do now. I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone and came out the better for it. I owe a lot of this to Xavier, whose welcoming environment and friendly orientation helped me flourish in a brand new environment despite my initial uncertainties.
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