Changes

The transition from high school to college is an extremely important decision in any young adult’s life. I can still remember how stressed out and nervous I was about finding the right school, and the application process that went along with it. I am happy to say that it was all worth it. College is extremely different that what I had expected or thought of. For one thing as an engineer I definitely have more homework that I ever thought possible as a freshman. But my life is completely different than it ever was in high school.

In high school I was completely involved in activities from the student government to sports to after school activities-and for what? I look back at my high school career and realize that I did all of those things in high school in order to put those things on my college application. I wanted to look like I was a well rounded student, so I got involved in activities around my school. Although I would love to do that here at Virginia Tech, I have learned that my life style has drastically changed since high school. Nowadays my time is composed of doing homework and more homework. Yet in the short amount of time that I have been here I have learned more about myself, and become more independent.

This year has also been drastically different, because I have realized that Virginia Tech seems like its own world outside of everything else. When I was a senior in high school my friends and I would always go watch the latest movies, but now I don’t even know what the latest movies are. At home I was always aware of the latest television shows coming up, but it seems that now I am lucky if I watch any television at all. Virginia Tech really is a Hokie Nation, and it own little world at the same time.

Yet I think one of the biggest changes that I have found here at Virginia Tech is the food. When I came here for orientation I was so excited when they took us to D2. I thought that it was so awesome that I would be eating at an all you can eat buffet for every meal. But I quickly learned that West End is the closer to my dorm, and serves much better food. They offer smoothies, brownies, hamburgers, ice cream, steak, lobster, etc. – but still nothing compares to home cooked food. Although I am pleased that our cafeteria’s food is good, I really cannot wait until I go home for a real home cooked meal.

Another big change this year has been sharing a room with a complete stranger. Growing up I shared a room with my sister when we were younger, but it’s a completely different situation when you meet someone for the first time, and are then told that you are going to have to live with that person for the rest of the year. I am glad that I got the roommate that I have this year. She comes from a completely different place than I do, and as a result we spend many nights talking about our hometowns and how different life is for the both of us at home.
With all of these positive new and exciting things to experience at college, there are still changes that are not fun-like laundry. At home my mother would always do my laundry. I would always offer to do it myself, but I only did that because I know she would refuse. Sometime I think she didn’t let me do it, because she thought I would turn all of my clothes a different color, but in the end I didn’t mind.

Life is all about changes. Changes can be good or bad, depending on what you make out of them. But no matter what changes occur, the only thing that matters is that you learn and grow from those changes.