Kate: What were your thoughts about starting college the summer before your first semester? Avanti: I think I was really sad that I had to leave behind all of things that I knew from high school, and I knew my relationships with parents, teacher, and friends would never be the same...and I liked the way they were. I didn't want to start all over. I was not super excited to go to Brandeis either to be honest. I also remember being really nervous to leave what I was comfortable with from home... but I know we both knew we had each other's backs and that even if she was not excited to go to Brandeis at the time, she would grow to like her experience there. "Question Number 2" I said! Kate: How did high school prepare you for college? Avanti:I was prepared for college in terms of oral presentations and writing but a lot of things we learned in high school were not applicable to the style of teaching in college. High school made me more comfortable to talk to in classes, network with people I have not met, and ask faculty for help in my classes. Going to a high school that was about "depth over breath" made some things in college a lot easier for us, but other things took time to get used to. Not having tests in high school, made that adjustment tricky, and going to coverage over depth sometimes was a little strange at first. However, both Avanti and I agreed that our high school made us more comfortable going to office hours, participating in class, and doing projects or presentations. This led me to ask about the differences she saw between the two schools... Kate: What were the biggest differences between high school and college? Avanti: In high school you did not have a choice in what you wanted to take. Everybody had very similar high school experiences, but in college everyone has the opportunity to have a different experience. In college you can stay in your room all day or you can go out and socialize or really make it your own. I really like that about college because it is more personalized to my experience. I can make college what I want it to be. I liked that my friend saw this as a positive thing right away. I too, liked that college meant more choices, and the chance to go your own path, and do what you wanted in a day, but I also felt a little overwhelmed by this. Everything was new and there was so much going on, there were so many opportunities, and that was exciting and scary at the same time! One experience I always find interesting, I asked about in my next question... Kate: Did you have any experience with dorms? Avanti: I live in a forced triple. It definintly got kind of crowded and messy at times but I met my future roommates and best friends in my hall. Even though I did not want to live in a forced triple, I ended up loving my roommates. Ugh in college though you don’t realize how gross people are, they make a mess of the bathrooms, and don’t flush the toilet, and don’t wash their hand sometimes. And you would not necessarily pick up on those things in high school I laughed. People can be gross, but she is right. You meet some gross people n dorm life, but you also meet some of your best friends! I continued... Kate: What was the transition like? Avanti: It was definitely difficult. I had a really rough first week, but after that is kept getting a little better. Adjusting to the academics has been a struggle, since we had a whole different grading system in high school. It was a really tough experience, but it helped me learn to grow up and start realizing how to be independent and how to be an adult, and I think that is an important growing experience. I smiled and thought back to a few months ago when everyone I knew who had done "the college thing" before would tell me that is just takes time and that it is important growing experience. Deep down, I knew this was true, but it was not always so easy to believe. I asked... Kate: What did you do to make being on campus easier? Avanti: I used my support system from home and I ate a lot of junk food. Tons of smoothies called F’reals got me through. I called my mom and put myself out there to make friends. She was right. It is all about the little things. It can be as simple as a smoothie to make you feel more at ease, and then it's easier to be yourself and "put yourself out there". I went on.... Kate: What was it like to start college without having classes and seeing your high school friends and teachers on a daily or weekly basis? Avanti: It was definity hard. I really wished people from my high school came with me. A lot of people knew each other all ready and I had to start from scratch which was really hard. AMEN to that. Starting over was one of the best and worst things about going to college without your old support system, but it makes us even prouder in the end that we could do it! I was almost done with my questions. "Two left I promise" I told her. Kate: What was the whole idea of picking a major like or being undeclared if you are? Avanti: I think it was kinda of toss in the air. You have to try new things and see what is best for you and it is ok if you change your mind. "Absolutely, you won't ever know unless you try things out" I said. I moved on to hear her last thoughts about our conversation and the Freshmen transition. Kate: Wrap up thoughts? Avanti: I thinking.... ultimately especially now in my last week, finals week, I am realizing that I grew a lot, but am also remembering and I am not going to see all the friends I just made over the summer…..and that's kind of disappointing ... even though transitioning was a necessary evil, I felt like if I had not struggled and it was all easy, I would not have appreciated all that college has to offer. I nodded my head, feeling good about our conversation. Getting through freshmen year was not easy, but it shaped who we are a little bit more, gave us time to grow, and made us appreciate all the opportunities we have at college. If we did not go, we never would have learned what we did academically, and outside the classroom, nor would we have met the friends that we did. |