Written by: Aashmika LeekhaT
To the freshie in me,
Congratulations on starting college. All those late nights worrying about grades and whether you will get into a university, panicking about packing away your whole life to move to an unknown place with unknown people, and just incessantly worrying about the future. Well, here we are, better than ever before.
When I was getting ready to go to college, it seemed like the hardest thing I would ever have to do. Leaving behind everything you have known, your friends, family, home, and everything that comforted you. Well, it was the hardest thing I had ever done but, it does get easier. Meeting your roommates for the first time and knowing that you’re not in this alone makes it easier. Getting to know your roommates and classmates makes you feel safe, reassured by the fact that we’re all in this together.
And soon, as Buddy Project commences and classes start, you meet new people, some you like, some you may want to keep a distance from, but you end up meeting people who you know will become your new home. As the first semester progresses, the pressure starts to build. Adjusting to a new timetable and navigating a campus much larger than your previous school can take time. With assignments and tests, hectic schedules, along with friends and parties, it may feel overwhelming at first, but you eventually get the hang of it, with support from your professors and classmates. When the assignments start coming in, the real hard work begins. From essays to presentations to exams, the workload is diverse, and you quickly realize that your independence is truly taking shape. It gets a bit overwhelming, but you’ll adapt, and soon, that’s where you’ll find the most joy. Studying for exams together, taking ‘short’ coffee breaks at Tapri, getting ready with friends to have fun at Biswamil or on Thursday nights, driving down to Delhi, or just chilling at YB (Yellow Box), everything comes together and soon, you’ll find yourself becoming more comfortable with the demands of college life.
As the semester comes to a close, with the end terms and deadlines approaching and the new year just around the corner, the new life you’ve built for yourself finally feels like it’s taking shape. You feel a sense of belonging and start to feel more settled in. You make friends with people from all over, learn new things and grow from your experiences. You get close to people you never thought you could be friends with, find love, and create bonds that will last a lifetime. Of course, college life can get challenging sometimes, but we get through it because it’s just a part of life, a part of becoming who you are.
So, you’ve got this, and I’m proud of the person you’re becoming. Your future, more confident self.
