Life on My Own: Inside scoop of college from a Park Alumnus
January 14, 2010 • written by Erin Gibbs
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve imagined what it would be like to be a “grown up”. I’d dream about being independent. The glamour of not having a bed time, eating whatever I wanted when I wanted it, and simply not having to ask to go to a friend’s house was captivating to me. Groundings were another thing. I would never be able to be grounded again! These may appear as petty freedoms, but most people take them for granted. I knew friends that never got grounded, never had to do chores, and grew up not caring about keeping things tidy or being able to recognize consequences. I can say that I have been raised to be responsible. Now that I am at college, I can take care of myself, and resolve issues with ease.
The transition from Park High School to Winona State University was an exciting one. I remember being so pumped for the dorms, though in retrospect I have no idea why. Walking up to the skyscraper that is a dorm for the first time, pushing a cart stacked 5ft high with all of my most important belongings, and feeling unbelievably excited for the move in. Once I entered the bare room, I realized this was now home, for the next year anyway. It was so empty and white! My paintings and pictures couldn’t wait to hop on those walls. It was my first home away from home, and I had to make it mine.
Starting to unpack was a nuisance just because I didn’t know where to put all of my junk. There was a closet, a couple shelves, a bookshelf, a bed, and a desk complete with it’s own chair! I brought a plant to place on the desk. My boyfriend had bought it for me as gift the day before I left. My mother helped me unpack my clothes and books. Before we knew it, I was all moved in! My parents gave me a hug and went off to help my twin brother move into his dorm across campus.
There I was, in my new home. It was over 100 miles away from where my parents were, and that was the best knowledge. On the other hand, it was 100 miles away from where my boyfriend was. That left me feeling conflicted. I was excited to be here, and very lonely as well. I knew that I didn’t want my relationship to end just because of distance, so we didn’t separate like many do. I would rather know that he is still mine because we have such a strong connection and I wouldn’t be able to find anyone else like him again. So all of you that are worried about long distance relationships, just know that mine has been a cinch. However, that’s something you will have to figure out on your own.
Along with leaving my boyfriend behind, I left many close friends as well. I was looking forward to meeting new people, but found myself asking, “Would I be as close to them as I was with my high school friends? I hoped to not get too involved with the girls that partied way too often and way too much. That lifestyle would be hard to be around. Since I’ve been here, I have seen those types of girls and it is sad to see how carelessly they live. Maybe they are just expressing their freedom in their own way. Maybe those girls may have been really reserved in high school, but now that they are on their own they are taking it to an extreme level because they can. I don’t know, I can’t read minds. Just take this advice: find friends that you have something in common with. It will be very easy to find comfort at college if you meet people you actually connect with. I’m glad I chose to come to Winona State University. I made good friends here, ones that I see myself being around for many years to come.
Photo: Erin Gibb’s actual dorm room at Winona State University
Loading ...
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!