Geneseo’s newest incoming class has spent the last week adjusting to life away from home and learning how to balance their new responsibilities (Courtesy of Emily Ludwig ‘20).
Freshman year of college is flooded with a sea of conflicting emotions like fear, excitement and anxiety. It can be one of the most challenging times in a student's life as well as one of the most rewarding. No matter how long ago one’s freshman year was, people remember the highs and lows of getting through their first classes, making new friends or trying out for a college-level sports team. A pair of new Geneseo students reflect on their experiences from the first week of the academic year.
“The most challenging part about being a freshman in college, so far, has definitely been adapting to living away from home and being completely on my own,” biology and psychology double major freshman Allyssa Richmond said.
Becoming involved in campus activities can certainly be hard for any student, especially freshmen as they are still learning to balance schoolwork with having fun and may feel overwhelmed because of more challenging course work. They also have more freedom to make their own decisions and decide which is more important to them: course work or socializing.
“I would definitely say that I’ve found it challenging to put myself out there and join clubs, just because I’m still trying to adapt to college life and figure out how to balance my schoolwork with extracurricular activities,” Richmond said.
Everyone comes to school with expectations of what college will be like and hopes of what they will be able to gain from it. Whether the goal is developing friendships that will last after college, taking advantage of traveling opportunities or even just getting their degree, students have certain expectations for how they want their college years to turn out.
With these expectations come lots of new opportunities for excitement. Undeclared freshman Zach Church said “[I’m most excited about] new experiences, such as college level soccer and nice bathrooms.”
When asked what she hopes to gain from Geneseo, Richmond said “Overall, I hope to gain a lot of new friendships, experiences and opportunities from my college experience. I want to explore new places and gain a lot of new knowledge.”
The freedom gained in college, particularly in comparison to high school, has perhaps the greatest ability to excite first-year students.
Church said that “the new surroundings and being out of high school,” were the best things about being a first-year student at Geneseo.
Living alone for the first time and navigating adulthood can be scary for some students, but it will also be rewarding when students look back on their freshman year and realize how much they have accomplished and how far they have come in even just one year of being a college student.