My first day of school...

[HeckaBekah]

Today was my first day of school at a university and it started off pretty badly. I am a transfer student and am used to a smaller campus and a small number of students so you can imagine how difficult it was for me to adjust to the new environment. At first I got a little lost on my way there, but I managed to find my way to the campus and then found the first parking spot I could find (not even noticing that it was a compact spot). I ended up hitting one of the cars next to me! There were a few dents and scrapes...nothing too serious but it was noticeable. I've never been in a situation such as this and so I panicked but the whole time I was on the phone with my mom, which helped me calm down. I didn't think I had the ability to refocus my energy on getting ready for my classes so I drove back home.

 

Of course first days are difficult to deal with and after awhile one gets used to the new environment. However, I was so nervous to begin with, perhaps too nervous. The bad traffic, number students and lose of direction scared me and I am wondering if I should go back. I'm also wondering if I should avoid environments such as this the best I can. I know I will go through situations like this one in the future, but I'm afraid of pushing myself too hard. To be honest with you all, I feel so abnormal for even thinking this way! I don't have much common sense and lately I haven't been sleeping well because I have so much on my mind. I feel as though I can't function normally like everyone else. I'm afraid of bombarding my friends with new problems since lately it seems I have been talking to them about other problems. I feel so lost right now but I know that I have so much I want to accomplish. I didn't realize how much desire I had until I had an obstacle in front of something I was heading for, which is a better education.

 

Like I said before, I don't have much common sense and it scares me to be in situations where I can do more harm than good. I'm the kind that is really good with understanding concepts, "the big picture", but when it comes to little details I am at a loss. That's why at times it's difficult for me to be productive because I tend to day dream about the near and distant future and what I need to learn about life. I tend to procrastinate in most of the things I do because I think that preparing myself will stress myself out more. I'm not sure what environments I should better my talents and also develop new skills in without damaging any hopes I have for personal growth. Does anyone have advice?

[sweetheart230]

The best I can say is just take one step at a time. When I transferred to my school, I made friends with my roommates friends, but this year I didn't have a single friend (we sort of broke apart). So I didn't look too far ahead at me and took baby steps. I did what I needed to do at the moment. We all have days where everything goes wrong. Those seem to happen on days when we're tired, sick or nervous.

 

Just keep your eye on the ball. Don't think about things too much; just live moment to moment and things will just sort of fall into place until you get used to your school. Later you can concentrate on your future. But for now, just focus on the now.

[HeckaBekah]

Thank you for your advice. I really needed some comfort. I actually know some people who attend the university, but no one I am friends with so I've been pretty much alone in this process.

 

I was thinking of taking time off of school to figure things out since I've already been so confused about where I'm at in life right now. I thought that if I kept myself productive then my thoughts would just go away, but I was thinking of maybe doing something more active then sitting in class to get things off of my mind. Actually, my mind really wanders when I'm sitting in an environment such as a classroom so don't think anyone would consider that to be productive lol. My job also involves a lot of sitting since I work in an office. I was thinking of maybe starting a new hobby and/or getting another job. I know how difficult it will be for me to continue a hobby while going to work and school since I like to take my time so that's why I'm thinking about taking a semester off. Last semester I took the most units I've ever taken in college and I got a little burned out because I wanted so much to finish up and transfer to a new school.

 

I think right now I'm more focused on developing new relationships with people and being a part of a community. I've been feeling more alone lately and one of the reasons why I wanted to enroll this semester was so I could have a better social life. I'm such a people person and when I am not surrounded by people I tend to become a little depressed. But then again, I cannot focus at all in environments where so much is going on. I definitely like to take my time.

 

I have taken all the classes I needed for an A.A. Degree, Basic Business Certificate and a Fashion Merchandising Certificate. I still want to take more businesses classes and now that I'm a little confused as to what school might be best for me I'm not sure it's the best idea for me continue going to college without focusing on personal growth.

 

Any thoughts?

[chai714]

Hecka,

 

What you feel is completely normal. My first day at the University was a little rough as well - I was late for a class, walked into a wrong class (walked out once I found out they were lecturing on English when I was supposed to be in a Math class) and I felt like a rookie.

 

I look back now and laugh though. Everything is going to be fine once you fully adjust.

 

If you're losing sleep or overstressing, try working out those emotions on a treadmill and/or with weight training. Even yoga is especially helpful in relieving your body from life stress.

 

On the positive side, you'll meet new people from all walks of life and it will likely be an overall positive experience.

[HeckaBekah]

Thanks again for the advice. The rest of my day was better. I took a bath and then a nap which was relaxing. Also, the owner of the car I hit called me and left a nice message so I'm pretty thankful for that. Now that I have experienced the first day I feel as though I will be more aware of my new surroundings. However, I know that parking is a big issue at the university since new parking lots are being built and old parking lots cannot be used since they are a located at the construction site. So there are definitely not enough parking spaces for the student population. I had to leave a few hours before my class started this morning to make sure I got a parking spot and the one I did see was compact! Hmmm...not sure if I want to prepare that much for school everyday. I think I'm going to take a semester off!

[chai714]

I'm not sure why so many college campuses handle parking in that manner - build a new one, make the old one a "construction zone" and cause chaos among the students fighting to get that one open parking space.