Fasten Your Seatbelts

The picture below, is an in movement shot of "The Rock'n Roller Coaster" in Hollywood Studios,
Walt Disney World.

For you freshmen (and maybe even seniors like myself), your first day of school can feel exactly like getting on Rock'n  Roller Coaster.


Approaching the Queue- So you are walking up to the line to pass the passenger tracker, your friends are convincing you that this is going to be fun, "its the best roller coaster ever".

      For you freshmen, your parents leaving you last week was this moment. Your teachers, older siblings, and parents keep saying, "College is the best time of your life", and "Its going to be a blast". But if you were anything like me, I cried uncontrollably when my parents left me 18 hours away from my home. Just like passing that queue entrance, my parents leaving was the beginning of a long road on my own.

Waiting in that long,long line- Your parents are gone, and your nerves are "ok". They are there, but as you try to prove you are worthy of this so called,  "best time of your life", you shove them deep down. Crying is now not allowed in public and you can't let your roommates, or the few acquaintances you have made, notice you aren't ready for the challenge. You tell yourself over and over again, "I can do this, why am I so afraid? It's just school".

Entering the building- Orientation is over and you have managed to smile and laugh at least a few times. Calling your parents is still a daily must, but you feel confident that things aren't going to be so bad. You have found a few clubs that interest you, maybe they excite you because they are vastly different from your involvement in highschool or its something you always wanted to do. You are finally feeling the "change" that is becoming a college student. Those nerves from before...they are almost non-existent. Orientation has been a blast and you even got to go out this weekend. Getting dolled up, eyeing up college boys, and finally putting on those killer pair of heels has you feeling on top of the world. Its like you are living in in a Gossip Girl episode.

YOU SEE THE COASTER= FIRST DAY OF CLASSES- Its the first day of classes and suddenly all those "exciting", "I can do this!", "fun" moments are gone and those nerves, worries, and doubts are erupting inside you like a volcano. Its here, and its real. It sets in that college is going to be a lot more than hanging with your roomies and cafeteria jokes. All of a sudden, you aren't sure you can do it. I mean think about it all. You were never confident in the high school you went to. And lets face it, most of us girls have never really grasped the full concept of confidence in our high school years.

But now as you read over the syllabi that have been posted on Blackboard, you aren't sure if you are going to see your bagel again you had this morning or burst into tears.

The tests, group projects, assignments, movie reviews, finals schedule, and daunting rumors about your professors are suddenly too hard to bear. Not to mention, all those clubs you were excited you joined, are only adding to the pending panic attack you are about to have.

 

Take a breath.

Here's my advice:

JUST GET ON THAT COASTER

 

 

Freshmen year is exactly like getting on Rock'n Roller Coaster or any scary ride. You were confident you could do it in the beginning, but when it's really there, in front of you, suddenly you are the size of an ant.

 

 

Here's what you do. Here is how you beat those "First day of school" jitters:

 

 

• Remember your past successes- What did you accomplish this summer or before graduation you were proud of.  Remember, if you were successful then, you will be successful now.
• People love you- Nothing is more comforting, then taking a moment to flash back to a favorite memory with the people you love and love you. It brings you back down from all those doubtful thoughts and reminds you that at the end of the day, "All you need is love".
• Remember why you are going to school- Did you always dream of being a kindergarten teacher or swimming  with dolphins as a marine biologist? All those idols you have in those fields, they went to college too. It is a part of getting to your dream career and your dream life. So take it as a routine must, something everyone has to do. Trust me, you definitely aren't in this alone.

 

 

Finally...

 

• Imagine the feeling of reaching your goal and suddenly it won't matter what stands between it and you because you will be willing to do whatever it takes to get there.

 

 

Freshmen, you got this.

 

 

Best Wishes,

 

Meredith