As I close out the first few months of my college experience, its hard to believe that move-in day was only weeks ago. In the days leading up to orientation, I remember being really anxious about feeling homesick or not making friends, but as it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Theres so much to do here on campus that I dont have time to feel homesick, and Ive met so many amazing people that I have to stop and say hi to someone every five minutes.
That being said, it sometimes feel lonely to be a first-year. The transition of saying goodbye to your high school friends can be really emotional, and it sometimes feels impossible to gauge who actually wants to be friends and whos just being nice. As I consider this balance, it does sometimes feel like college is one big social dance, much like the contra dancing event I attended a few weeks back.
Authors note: if youve never been contradancing before, I highly encourage you to check it out! Here on campus, hosts events a few times each semester, and each one is an evening filled with folk music and swinging your partner until youre dizzy.
So, without further ado, here goes my take on an extended metaphor: your first semester in college as a night of social dancing!
As the evening (semester) begins, everyone is buzzing with nervous energy. Some people are feeling a little shy, others are more confident. Most people have never tried anything like this before, but theyre looking forward to it.
There are a couple of more experienced dancers, and theyre available to help out if you get confused. These dancers represent Peer Advising Leaders and Residential Assistants, as well as miscellaneous upperclassmen. Theres also a caller which is someone who explains each dance and talks you through it the whole time. Think of this kind of like your academic advisor or first-year seminar professor.
As the night goes on, youll start to gain confidence in yourself. Youll get more familiar with the steps, and who knows, you might even learn a thing or two. Youll probably dance with a bunch of people you havent met before and maybe a few people you knew ahead of time. Its more than likely that youll make some new friends, but some of your dance partners might not click right away. Thats normal. Some dances will catch you off guard, but others will come naturallykind of like taking classes in different departments. You might trip and get hurt (my friend Zo禱 broke her foot the first time we went!) but you will recover and get back on your feet. Also, there will be incredibly talented student musicians performing the whole time. You will be in awe. At the night's end, youll be exhausted but fulfilled, excited to do it all again the next time.
All this is to say, it wont always be easy to navigate the social dance of college, but it will help if you put yourself out there. Invite someone to grab lunch after class, go see a concert, or even just go for a walk. The worst they can do is say no. I have found that the most interesting connections happen when you least expect it. Keep on dancing!
