I Attended College for a Month... And Hated It

Hello everyone it's me Valentina Z, and yes I am typing to you instead of a video this week. I have so much planned, but I forgot how much fun it was to actually type my words rather than film lol. Anyway, for this week's content I have an amazing article written by my BEST FRIEND Lynsey Musser (insert round of applause). It all started out when I was on a call with her about how college life was going...

They say attending college is a magical and life-changing experience. Many people go into it intending to study for 2 or 4 years, graduate, then go into the workforce or continue their education. I was one of many bright-eyed freshmen that went into college with the same idea. I intended on going to college for 4 years, graduating, then getting an average-paying job that I hate. But after about a month of being in college, I’ve already changed my mind about all of that.

At the beginning of my senior year of high school, my parents forced me to visit a college that I didn’t want to attend. I wasn’t happy about going, but I was glad that I got to miss a day of school. Even though I knew nothing about the school, my stubborn little brain had me convinced that I would hate it there. But much to my surprise, I ended up loving it there. It was a small school located in the middle of an even smaller town on the west side of Pennsylvania. There was a 24-hour dining hall, and the freshman dorms were actually air-conditioned. I felt as if I belonged there, and I saw a future for myself there. A week after the visit, I sent in my application, then... I got accepted. 

Senior year was a crazy year. I experienced some of the best moments of my life, as well as some of the worst. I graduated from high school and had the best summer of my life. Before I knew it, summer was over and my move-in day had come. My parents and I packed my things into our truck and drove to my new home. Move-in day was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that my parents were emotional wrecks. Soon enough, we said our goodbyes, and they drove home without me. I missed them already, but I was excited to be there.

A week and a half later, my classes began. Since I only had two or three classes every day, college felt more laid back than high school did. I was happy here. But as the weeks passed by, I felt less and less at home. I felt like I didn’t belong here anymore. Although a small town seemed appealing to me at first, I soon discovered that there wasn't much to do. I was bored every weekend, and I felt trapped in my dorm room. And as much as I love my roommate, I was getting annoyed with her. Most of the time she'd acted like I didn’t exist. She would sit in her room for hours without saying a word to me. When she did speak to me, she would only talk about how much she hated our school. Her mood swings and constant complaining made me want to rip out my eardrums and bury myself six feet under. OK, it wasn’t quite that bad, but you get the point.

Fast forward to about a week ago. I’d been there for a month, and I was miserable at best. My roommate hated it there as much as I did. She told me that she was moving back home at the end of the year. I started to think that I should do the same. There was a college near my old high school that I swore I’d never go to. But the tuition was cheap, and the town was much bigger than the one I was living in. I started to think that I'd made a dumb decision when I decided to move away. But now I realize that I would’ve never known if I hadn’t moved there in the first place.

So yes, I decided to transfer schools after a month of being in college. And yes, I believe it is the right decision for me. At first, I was convinced that this was my dream school. I thought that I belonged here. But in about three months, I will be moving back home and starting at a college I swore I 'd never attend. Some mistakes are meant to be made, and you’ll never really know what you're meant to do unless you explore the world a little bit.

 -Lynsey M