Sarah’s summer and start of semester
Even in the starting few pages there is already a parallel between myself and the main character Sarah. She is at her graduation ceremony waiting to graduate one panel and the next she has graduated. This is very similar to how I felt at my graduation, my whole high school career had built up to this moment when I graduated. Once I got on the stage it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye. Sarah and I both had a summer job but unlike her I worked at a grocery store near my house. I enjoyed it.However Sarah went to a camp with her friends, I didn’t do anything like this and I regret it. I wish I had done more fun things with my friends before going off to college. In the weeks leading up to her school starting Sarah’s school sent out an informational course on the dangers of drugs and alcohol and her friend says you’ve been doing that forever. Longwood also sent out a module with the same topics for us to do which was quite long and it didn’t help that I accidentally closed out of the tab multiple times and had to rewatch videos. In Sarah’s story she moved in after her roommate so she didn’t have much say in how the dorm would look because her roommate had already decorated. For me I moved in a day before any of my suitemates so I was able to pick which side of the room I got. After the first night Sarah and her roommate attend presentations about activities at school and school safety. These are similar to the new lacer days we had at longwood. I felt these days were fun and not too repetitive. I met my peer mentor and got to make a few friends in my group. Sarah doesn’t take it well as she feels as if she’s turning skeleton listening to all of the presentations but she makes it through them. On the first day of classes she sits in a big lecture hall which is much different than the lecture experience I’ve had as the lectures I have are no more than 25 people. Although Sarah and I are two totally different people we have shared many of the same college experiences. So maybe college isn’t as scary and unpredictable as it might seem.
Dear Brooks,
My college experience was in the middle of you and Sarah. I did things you did, or it was the complete opposite. The feeling you had at graduation was like mine in the way of feeling like it went too quickly. But I had more the feeling of a pit in my stomach that I was about to get my diploma in front of people that I either have known since elementary school or I didn’t know at all, and I thought the whole time, “I just finished” wait “I have to do it all over again.” After graduation, I had no clue what to do with my last summer not living at home, maybe hanging out with friends and family or get a summer job. The first thing I did was get a job. I worked down at the beach, and I made smoothies. My work schedule took up a lot of my summer, so I didn’t get to hang out with my friends as much as I would have liked to, as you said in your blog post. The move-in day came so much quicker than anyone was hoping for. I had an easier time with the roommate situation rather than Sarah on these pages; my roommate is my best friend from high school, so I didn’t have to get to meet a stranger. But I was the opposite of you; my three roommates moved in days before me. So, when I moved in, everything was decorated except my sad side of the room. However, I don’t think I could move in before everyone because I would feel scared to go anywhere outside of my room by myself. Our first week of college was exactly like Sarah’s in the book, but ours was called “New Lancer Day.” I know you said you thought they were helpful, but I thought the complete opposite. I thought they could have been done better and more thought out. I wish they were connected because we would all leave an assembly that was an hour, and then they would give us a 30-minute break. But one thing I have learned from reading everyone’s post and commenting on yours is that everyone has a different path to get settled into college but it’s whatever works for that person.
Hello Brooks,
Move in was something right? This is my 2nd year so it was much easier this time. But last year it was frightening to say the lease, I was moving into a unfamiliar place far from home with people I have had maybe 3-4 conversations with and yet never met. My greatest fear was that my roommates would be horrible and that I would not get along with the person i was supposed to be sharing a room with, though looking back with hindsight I probably could have requested a room change if i did not like them but oh well my roomie was the best so all well that ends well, but honestly I would not have swapped my roommate for anyone he was great and while I am rooming with someone new this year we still hang out. The week of just presentations honestly was such a bore for me but it was useful info and I am glad for it, being able to get text alerts of what is going on is rather useful for trying to stay safe, but the thing that most exited me was first day of classes, in contrast to you my first class was actually a rather big lecture, Microeconomics if i remember correctly, but to rehash what your said in your post, We are two separate people with similar and different college experiences.
Enjoy your school year,
Logan Wooton