My Experience In My College Experience : Going Back Home

The campus itself felt comparable to the size of a town. A brief feeling of excitement was overtaken by apprehension. I had never lived on my own before, I was in a new state, and my parents were much further away than a walk down the hallway. These were some of the thoughts that filled my mind at the time. Before they left to head home, we had an exceedingly long and emotional conversation over dinner. They handed me a photo of us all which had a note on the backside. The note summarized their level of confidence, proudness, and despite forthcoming complications, they will always be there for their son. Tears of love ran down each of our faces as we said

The month after graduating from high school I watched six seasons of the CBS show “Survivor”. When my dad insisted I socialize with my friends, I invited them over and we all watched “Survivor” together. I was obsessed. Winning the game involves a certain finesse that changed from season to season, yet the key elements remained consistent. This show offered a new perspective on how to approach and adapt to challenges.

Returning to school is a big step and an even bigger decision. So many things have thrown me off in going to college. Between deaths, finances, and work, I never thought about having the time for it. I have put off college for almost 2 years now, which is entirely too long for me. I have decided to go to college at this juncture in my life because of personal, emotional reasons, and to better my education.

In short, the move to college was rough. Transition into college is an experience unlike any other and one that I had to find resources for on my own. Being the first generation in my family to attend college, I didn’t not have much by way off aid in order to help guide me through the process of applications and subsequently the process of entering the university academic world. Having no knowledge of how to write an essay or what college would require of me, I attempted to take it head on, and spent my junior year working; spending all of the money I made in order to hire a college counselor who could help me, first, even get into college. This turned out to be a poor choice on my part; I made it through the application process but never learned the why to the choices we made for my essays and applications or how they would relate to other applications in the future.

It was just another Saturday afternoon, but instead of my family taking their usual places in line, my friends took their spots. As our lives settled to move on without us, my brother would stay at home to do homework, my dad would stay with him, and my mom still brought me just like before, only she now sat in the lounge working on her unfair laptop instead of accompanying me on the mountains. They all grew up a little more, so I tried to, too. And even though I missed

The first time I went back home after coming to college was a rollercoaster of emotions. After arriving home I was embraced with open arms by my mom and dad. This was the first time I had seen them since being dropped off at college and I suddenly realized how much I missed them. I called every so often but being in my own home being able to talk and with them was something I hadn’t ever experienced. All of my worries about homework and future exams were gone and I got to enjoy the company of my parents. At the beginning of college I constantly felt like I couldn’t be myself. Coming home these feelings vanished because I was surrounded by those who loved me. After spending a few hours catching up, I went to reconnect with my high school friends.

The time has finally arrived, college. It’s been a whirl of emotions attending college from intimidation of not knowing exactly how college works or where my classes would be to an exciting anticipation to explore the city of Miami up close. I’m the first in my family to go to college and it is an honor. I’ve always imagined what college would be like and now that I’m here it’s has exceeded all my expectations. The reasons why I’m attending college are for my parents because I want them to see that their hard work was not in vain. Also, for my future family who I hope to provide for one day and lastly for myself because I want to pursue a higher education.

I close my eyes, then take a deep breath. You’re going to be ok, just try to be more social I tell myself. I get out of the car and gather what I can and walk up to the second floor to my room. Inside, I see my friend, who is also my roommate already putting her items away. Looking at my side of the room I groan internally. The bed was smaller than the one I have at home and the closet would need to expand two sizes bigger to fit my belongings. After unpacking everything, it was time for me to say goodbye to my family. I hugged my mom, which felt like a lifetime. I hope I fit in here I told her. Just be yourself she said. At the time I didn’t know, that who I was is perfectly fine and I didn’t need to be anyone else. That night I feel asleep early, so I could prepare for this new

In combination with my uncertainty in myself, I also became homesick during the first quarter. Even though I wanted to attend a school far from home, I didn’t think I was ready to leave home. I didn’t want to leave my friends and family. When I arrived for move-in day, I

I was very exhausted with our first trip. But we weren’t even halfway done. It took my family and I about an hour and a half and at least five more trips up and down the stairs to finish unloading all of my things. To top it all off the day was sizzling hot. I remember see my orientation leader at move in day. She offered to help me move some of my stuff up to my new room. As I was moving in, she gave me tips on how I could survive my first year of college. Some of the tips she gave me was to manage my time and to get help when I need it. The first time I walked into my room it felt as small as a shoe box. I felt like none of my things were going to fit in a tiny closet. It was very hard to fit my whole life in a shoe box. After I crammed everything in my new room I went with my family. They said goodbye and with tears in my eyes I felt very heartbroken. As I saw them ride off I remember all of the things I had to go through to get to where

A few months pass and it is now June. It was my last night of work before leaving, so I did overtime at work. Drained and once home, I went over all the things I would need while gone. Everything seemed to be in order, so I turned out my light and went to bed. “Wake up Boo, you need to get in the shower and finish a few things before you leave, gripped my mom. I groggily rolled out of bed, got in the shower and loaded my suitcase in the Jeep. Our drive was silent. Mom always hated dropping me off at the airport. She felt as if she would never see me again. At the departure terminal, I said my good-byes and made haste to the security check. Once threw security I waited around until my boarding time. I was headed to Detroit, Michigan.

As I sat in the passenger seat of a truck that usually brought me so much joy, I was overcome with sadness. North Carolina State University was the destination, and in the eyes of my family, it was the best day of my life. The tour was booked months in advance, and the most dreaded day in the summer before my senior year had finally arrived. Instead of the usual conversation with my grandpa, the three and a half hour drive from Whiteville, North Carolina to Raleigh was filled with an emptiness, as we sat in silence. I received many sweet good luck texts and smiley faces from my mom and aunts. I knew they were only being so nice because I was exactly where they wanted me, which filled me with so much confusion. I was frustrated with my

Graduation day arrived and I had butterflies out of this world. It seemed as if I misplaced everything. I could not find my dress. My family came from one state to another. I finally got to the church were the commencement was going to be held. I

The drive home was a solemn one; the realization that while my acceptance into an out-of-state college meant freedom, it also meant distance. It had been 2 days since my graduation and in 3 more my brother 's 22nd birthday would come to pass. The wedge that had seemed to be growing between my brother and I would only get bigger, and for a moment I felt an incredible urge to stay home. However I knew that as much as I wanted to stay close to my mother and brother; it would only disappoint them both. Having dropped out his sophomore year of highschool, my brother always felt it was his duty to push me when it came to my education. “One of us has to make mom proud,” he 'd say to me and my mom would yell at him every time because although she never really says it; she has always been proud of us both.

As the end of the night approached us, I couldn’t stop thinking about how many mixed emotions I had about starting a whole new chapter in my life. I couldn't wait to go to college, meet all new people, get a degree so that I could start my career path, but I knew that meant I had to say goodbye to my two best friends, who were moving several hours away from me. This was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do in my life. We all cried a little, and then made promises to keep in touch, and then we were off into the real world! I was very happy to be at this point in my life, but I was scared deep down inside.