Learning To Swim & Bad Metaphors
Hello there, blogland!
I know, I know. It has been a while since you’ve heard from me.
Let’s just say second semester freshman year is a time of much business and much commitment. College gets real, guys.
During your first semester, you do a lot of running around and looking confused. You attend many meetings for many different clubs. You make a lot of new friends. Oh, and you eat. A lot. Basically, everything is so new and your opportunities are so vast that you spend much of your first semester flailing around in a pool of new experiences. It is an absurd amount of fun, trust me, and it can really have
Ah, but now it’s midway into my second semester and things are different. I am still having tons of fun, no worries there, but it comes from a different place now. While first semester was dedicated to new experiences, second semester is a lot about commitment. I am still meeting new people, but I have formed really meaningful bonds with a few people whom I now have the privilege of calling friends. I still attend a lot of meetings, but I have narrowed down my clubs and organizations to the few I am truly passionate about and can dedicate my time to. There’s still a lot of food involved though, so I can’t say much changes in that regard–not that I’d want it to.
I really feel as if I am getting a hold on what acquiring the college experience is about this semester. It’s a lot like diving headfirst into a swimming pool and then learning to swim. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed, and this is completely natural, but you soon figure out how to keep your head above water and which stroke suits you best.
All I am trying to say here is that I really like college. In fact, I love college. I love Vanderbilt. I love that I am finding my groove here. There were definitely times last semester that I didn’t think it would be possible. Thanks to my friends, some amazing professors, a great support system at home, and a lot of nights spent with EasyMac, I was able to swim my way through some early rough waters of college.
So if you’re worried about diving into deep waters your first semester of college, fear not. You will learn to swim. You can make it. Vanderbilt students are resilient, smart, and driven. They don’t drown. However, there are always lifeguards standing by to help if you struggle, and I’ll always be here with a bad metaphor and a smile.