The Next Step by Madelyne

The Next Step by Madelyne - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Graduating from high school was a very emotional time in my life. The reality of leaving my hometown hit me in waves. Some weeks I would be super happy and excited to continue my education but then one of my friends would commit to a college and it would hit me that we are all going our separate ways. This would be when I would break down crying. I was scared, excited, and nervous and it was just too many emotions for me to handle all at once. I did not want to leave my high school friends because I grew up with them, saw them every day and that was what was familiar and comforting to me.

When I committed to IUP, I was well aware that being four hours away from home meant that I would not be visiting or seeing my family very often. I had accepted that and moved on. My best friend at the time had also committed to IUP, which I was very excited about because that meant I would know someone. I did not know anyone else at this school, which was frightening to me but also very exciting because it meant that I could start over and make new friends. There was one big problem though. I am very shy and can have bad anxiety when I am on my own without at least one other person I can call a friend and that is what happened when I moved in a week earlier than all other freshman did. IUP has a program called CUSP in which I decided to attend, to force myself out of my shell and meet new people. I did not want to wind up clinging to the side of my best friend from high school because I was determined to meet new people and take advantage of as many opportunities to get involved as I could. Coming out to school that week early was one of the best decisions I could have made for myself. That week, I meet the girl who would become my best friend and since that day, we have created so many memories already and our first year is just now ending. I also joined ski club and went to Vermont with them where I made new friends and memories that will be unforgettable. Recently, I have also become a member of Phi Eta Sigma, and I am super excited to get involved with community services projects this organization takes part in.

Advice that I would give to younger students, especially high school seniors about to become freshmen, either at a college or at a technical institute would be that it is okay to be scared for the next step in your life. You are not the only one who is feeling this way. For a long time, I felt like I was the only one out of my friends who was not excited for college. As we all moved in, I learned that was not the case. My first day at college, I spent the entire time in my room after my parents left. It was not until later in the week I met who is now my best friend and as we talked at the first of one of our many lunches we had together, I realized she had many of the same worries as I did. This next step in your life is scary and not knowing where things will go can be intimidating but as college freshmen, we are all trying to figure our lives out and make friends. We are all on very different but very similar journeys and can relate to one another more than you probably think. There is a good chance that the kid you sit next to on your first day of class is probably just as nervous and anxious as you are and that is perfectly okay.
As you move along in your first semester, your dorm will start to feel like home and your friends like your family. You will start to find your place and you will become more relaxed. Times will most certainly get bumpy as you get farther into your college career, but everything will work out in the end. Remember to have fun and take care of yourself, mentally and physically too; the “Freshmen 15” is real. It would be a good idea to set a realistic goal in the beginning of each semester and apply yourself to your studies, keep organized and remember to breathe every once in a while. It will all be worth it in the end and you can do it.