Freshman Year by Sarah Mai is a relatable book to me in so many ways. This book so far has made me feel the emotions I went through while moving to college once again. I first related to Sarah when she came home after graduation and asked herself if that was it, because after my graduation I asked myself that same question. The realization that I was about to start my college journey hit me that night, I was now an adult. Though I was already an adult, I still did not feel like one and the realization that I was starting my independence journey dawned on me.

One scene that stood out to me was when Sarah was on a family trip and told her mom how she was stressed about everything, took me back when I was preparing for my college move in. I planned how my summer was going to be like, me doing everything I needed to do for college and my personal life. I wanted everything to be perfect, which I learned the hard way that nothing is perfect. I had planned to go skydiving with my friend, but my expectations were shattered, because my friends and I had schedule conflict and were not able to hang out much. I did get to spend quality time with my family, which brought me joy.

When reading I noticed similarities between Sarah’s mom and mine, especially in the shopping scene where Sarah’s mom overbought supplies. When shopping with my mom she often wanted to buy things I did not need because she didn’t want me to miss home too much. It was funny to see her worry more than I did, even though I was the one moving away. I particularly related to Sarah’s mom when she mentioned how her mother drove her nuts but was happy to go home in thanksgiving, because I cannot wait to go home during fall break to see my mom and eat her food.

Another scene was how Sarah’s room was mess from packing. It reminded me of how I procrastinated all summer and started pacing days before my moving day leaving my room in a similar state. The emotions Sarah was going through when Finn and her drove to the corn field was something to which I could relate. I felt like I was moving away and never coming back, even though I knew that was not true.

On moving day, my mom was in full “mama bear” mode, giving me a talk on the dos and don’ts and thinking of every possible scenario that could happen to me. So, I can relate to Sarah siting through her father telling her things she should do and not do. Overall, I find many similarities between Sarah and myself and I look forward to seeing what more we share by the end of the year.