Coming into college, I imagined freshman year as the fifth year of high school. While in some respects maybe that has a grain of truth, I’ve found that it really isn’t like high school at all. In high school I was intensely aware of my dependency on my parents. I don’t mean that now in college I’m free and make my own rules and eat ice cream for breakfast and all that jazz, and I also don’t mean that I’m not financially independent and don’t need my parents. In this first year of college, I have signed myself up for a work study position, arranged appointments for therapy by myself, traveled between Boston, New York, Delaware, and Philadelphia, and soon I will embark on an adventure to figure out the T in Boston.

Growing up in a suburb I felt like a car was always the main form of transportation even when I took the bus or train to New York, but now living at college with no access to a car I have explored the endless opportunities afforded by public transportation. Megabus, Amtrak, and Dart have shown me the possibilities of travel on a budget and travel in a pinch. As I bought my Megabus ticket for spring break to Boston South Station, I realized how possible travel is. In some way, traveling by myself or with friends to different cities or staying in my friend’s college dorms has really made me feel like I’m experiencing the beginnings of adult adventures.

Checking with my insurance company and researching different psychologists in the area and emailing and calling has really made me appreciate the support my parents give me and also the strides I’m making for myself. If I could have had my parents do this for me, I know a year ago I would have opted for that, but now having done it myself I’m proud to be making decisions like this for myself. Making doctor’s appointments and checking with my insurance and verifying appointment times might seem like one small step into adulthood, but it felt like a pretty substantial leap for myself.

As I sat at my little desk in the mailroom at Willard Hall, I actually felt pretty proud of myself for seeking out and getting a work study position. It felt good to have worked for something and to have succeeded. Work study, as a distinct college position, made me feel more a part of UD in some way. Obviously making some money is a nice change and much needed, but the satisfaction comes from looking at all of the emails I sent in trying to make this happen.

I didn’t realize that I would feel more adult as I made more decisions by myself for my own well-being. Whereas in high school I knew I was lucky enough to have parents who helped me make decisions, this relationship has changed. Now I will call my parents to tell them of the decisions I’ve made for myself, and I guess this isn’t really a jump into adulthood or a sudden change into an independent person, but it does feel like a change from the norm in high school. I didn’t expect to feel so different from myself a year ago, and I don’t in many ways, but it’s the small strides that sets the person I was a year ago apart from me now. Admittedly, I’m only a freshman and have a long way to go, but I’m proud of the steps into adulthood I’ve experienced so far.

University of Delaware’s almost-two month Winter Break sounds, at first, like a blessing. Two months of hanging out at home with old friends, seeing much-missed family, and maybe picking up a job on the side. At the beginning, yes, the break is great, especially being able to come home a little earlier than others. But as soon as friends begin heading back to school, each day starts to seem longer and more drab than the last. No school work to do, no friends to see, family members might have work during the day, and siblings may have school still. I found myself deciding to binge-watch shows I had previously never had an interest in, or attempting to read books that I would probably never finish, just to have something to do. I offered to drive my sister everywhere just to have the opportunity to do something. In group chats with friends from school we would all share our unproductive days and how excited we were to have homework again to fill our days. I felt like I just needed to leave. I needed to go back to school and get out of the hometown, a place that I’ve always loved, which was a new feeling for me. Continue reading

Is long-distance worth it? This is a question many in long-distance relationships might ask themselves at one point or another. Is it really worth spending four years of college in a long-distance relationship? My answer is that if both people think it’s worth it, then it is. From my experience, the semester has been difficult doing long-distance. There is the constant ache of missing the other person and not being able to see each other, the constant desire to share your life with the other person when you can’t really share everything. Suddenly I found myself at times feeling more bitter than I ever did as a single person when faced with couples able to go to college together. Continue reading