ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

 The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

Freshman year is easily one of the more influential years in a student’s academic career. You’re in a new school – for some, a new city or state – with a whole new set of people, in a completely new environment that is unlike high school. While freshman year has its highs and lows, it’s important to know that in the midst of the hardships that freshman year offers, college does get better. 

While I can agree now, as a sophomore, that college has been the best years of my life so far, I would not have said the same a year ago. I was extremely intimidated by the new world I was walking into after high school, and I remained that way for the first two to three months of my first year at USD.

I was born and raised in Texas and went to a private high school of about 400 students total. So, naturally, moving out of state to a school that has a little less than 6,000 undergraduates was quite the adjustment. I was completely overwhelmed with the fact that I was living with two girls I had never met or talked to before, forced to live away from my parents in another state and the needing to adjust to fit into this new community I was entering. 

For me, and I am sure a lot of first-years can relate, I was extremely apprehensive of this abrupt adjustment. Not only was college hyped up to be one of the best years of my life, but there was also this pressure looming over me to find the friends that would last me a lifetime. I remember upon moving to college, I would always hear the phrase: you’ll meet your people in college. 

But once I arrived on campus, I struggled with finding new friendships and extending myself socially. I seemed to stick to the same routine that I implemented into my daily life, and never really got to know anyone new except for my roommates and a few people in my classes.

I began to think to myself that college was overhyped and wasn’t at all lining up with the high expectations I had for it coming in. The challenges of being a first-year seemed to disrupt the dream I had hoped college would be. When you don’t have a car, are forced to make new friends, are tired of the meal plan, not getting enough sleep, living in a new city and struggling in school, college becomes a little less exciting. 

I found my biggest challenge was branching out and finding friends I could create a close relationship with. There’s nothing like the distinct inconvenience of wanting to go to SLP having no one to go with, and going alone seems like a worse option than not going at all. 

Though to combat this strange sense of loneliness, it’s important to put yourself out there. While I know this is easier said than done, it’s important to take up the opportunities you have to engage in the possibility of facilitating a new friendship. Talk to your classmate that you haven’t spoken to yet, or join a club that sparks your interest. Take advantage of the fact that many people here don’t know who you are. Explore the possibilities of reaching out and meeting new people. 

I remember coming home for Thanksgiving and feeling somewhat disappointed when I didn’t have any good stories or achievements to share with my family at the dinner table. I was prompted with the question: How do you like college so far? I froze as I realized I honestly didn’t like it all. 

It was hard to see my friends from high school posting consistently at the football games they were attending or get-togethers they were at with their friends. I noticed a stark contrast to my social life at USD where I was struggling to figure out what to do on my Friday night. I would usually resort to staying in my dorm and watching a movie. I realized that during the school week, I was so anxious to get to the weekends, but when the weekends came, I had nothing to do. I felt like I was missing something in my college life, but I didn’t know what it was. 

It’s easy to say that freshman year will remain difficult, and that no matter what you do, it will always be tough to navigate. But the truth is, once spring semester comes around, and you’re more comfortable in your environment and your daily schedules, being a first-year doesn’t seem to be as difficult anymore. 

In my spring semester of my first year, I found myself going to the beach more, meeting new people, nurturing deeper relationships, doing well in my academics and joining clubs that I liked. 

If you put in the effort, your first year of college can be an amazing experience. I like to think of it as what you put into it is what you get out of it. If you join a club you’re interested in, focus on your academics and put yourself out of your comfort zone, you are giving yourself the tools you need to set your first year up for greatness and eventually realize that college does live up to its expectations. 

While it may be daunting at first, your first year is a fundamental year of your college experience, and it’s important to do what you can to make the most of it. Prioritize creating a happy life for yourself, and the rest will fall into place.