Living at Scott Residence Hall was so much better than I expected! I enjoyed the company of my three roommates: Quamesha, Eranti, and Vicky. I am so used to being an only child and having a lot of time and space to myself that sharing the fridge, bathroom, and sink space was a bit of a culture shock. I think I adapted well though. Before I got to Scott Hall on the first day I was TERRIFIED! Being a people person is not always my strong suit... but my roomies were great at getting me over it. I especially want to thank Vicky for making my first week excellent. She went to great lengths to get me involved in all of the games and activities, and she also listened to my problems and helped me figure out solutions. I didn't intend to get into this program to make friends; all I was interested in before was the free college credit, but I have made more friends in one week than I have for my entire life!
There is no way you can get me to neglect talking about the food... I have never had so much great-tasting food all at once! My stomach was never empty, and every time I started to get hungry, POOF it was magically mealtime. I felt nervous the first time I walked into the cafeteria because I don't usually like buffets; I'm always afraid I'm going to knock things over and break stuff, but it was very well organized and easy to navigate. There was no shortage of vegetarian choices and everything was prepared to perfection! I appreciate this experience because now I don't have to worry about what it's like to eat on campus.
Another thing that I noticed is that all the stresses of college work and the activities that were planned this week left me craving naps. I USUALLY HATE NAPS! In my mom's opinion, probably the best thing I learned on campus this week was how to wake up by myself and appreciate sleeping. Balancing schoolwork and other engagements was challenging, but after I figured out how to manage my time I felt really accomplished. The Summer Scholars Program has kept me from having yet another boring and unproductive summer. If you want proof, just look at my notebook. I took 24 pages of notes in four days and I have read 119 pages from the textbook. I have been really busy and I'm LOVING IT!
In all, my life on campus has made me realize some very important things. For one, it is critical to make friends in college. There will always be a time when you need notes from someone or need advice. I also learned through our activities this week that joining groups/clubs is a great way to meet people and to learn to work as a team. On the high ropes challenges at Camp Carol Joy Holling I discovered that I would not have tried half of the things I did without the support of my team. The only thing that I am sad to have realized is that living on campus for an entire school year just really isn't for me. As much as I loved my slumber parties and having company all the time, I know that I would get more things done if I had my own space. Also, the constantly opening and closing of doors was just too distracting for my O.C.D. self. But I greatly appreciated the experience anyway.
This week I conquered my fear of going off to college!
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