Same Old Place, Entirely New year
Starting college for the first time can be daunting. You’re in a new place, with people you’ve never met, classes that are much harder than high school, and have a whole new life ahead of you for the next four years. After completing my first year of college, I assumed that returning as a sophomore would feel like picking up right where I left off; but when I opened up my new door expecting to see my freshman year dorm on the other side, I quickly realized that this year would be different.
A new year was the start of many new beginnings in my college experience. No longer living on north campus, I’ve learned to embrace my 25 minute walk to class, calling it, “my workout for the day.” While I was used to opening my door and seeing the same familiar faces in the hallways, I now open my door to some new faces and some old. I’ve gotten to experience the excitement and joy of living with my friends who I didn’t get to live near last year, but I can’t seem to shake that there is something missing from my day when I don’t see the friends I no longer live near. Sophomore year has taught me that sustaining friendships requires making an effort to see people and stay updated on their lives. It’s not the same as walking 20 feet to your friend’s dorm to check in; it’s important to cut out time from busy schedules to keep freshman year friends in your orbit.
Although I may know the ins and outs of the different food lines at Terrace and shortcuts to avoid the HumEc hill, there is still so much I am learning and adjusting to in my sophomore year. As an English major, I enjoyed the structure of the Freshman Writing Seminars; being allowed to write and rewrite essays until they were exactly what the professor was looking for. However, these writing seminars are meant to prepare you for future harder classes and are not a measure of how essays will work when you are no longer a freshman. I’ve learned to take advantage of professor and TA office hours before submitting papers, instead of handing in something decent and waiting for feedback. Classes become harder as you get older, and this is something I will have to adjust to every year I return to Cornell. Nevertheless, albeit harder, I’ve noticed there are so many more opportunities to take classes I am interested in. Freshman year can be a bit structured, but as a sophomore I’ve had much more flexibility in the kinds of classes I take; most notably, Creative Writing and American Drama and Theater– two classes that freshman cannot enroll in. Although it may seem daunting at first, taking classes outside of my comfort zone is something I did not get to experience as a freshman and is an opportunity I am enjoying as a sophomore.
As a freshman, I loved living in my dorm surrounded by all of my friends and still feeling the sense of care-freeness that I felt in high school. At the beginning of this year, the concept of becoming a real adult dwelled on me as I started to make plans for next year. Since juniors are not required to live on campus, there is a rush of people searching for somewhere to live in Collegetown and other nearby places. I had no idea where to begin in touring places, speaking to landlords, and figuring out my living situation for next year. It seemed too early to be thinking about, but I was no longer a freshman whose worries were about how to find my classes. In just three months I became an adult who needed to figure out how to find a place to live for the following school year. It can be very stressful going through this process for the first time, but this important transition between freshman and sophomore year has taught me skills that I will use for the rest of my adult-life.
I imagined that returning back to school after the summer I would feel completely comfortable and know exactly what to expect. However, what I’ve learned is that every year of returning to college is going to be an adjustment. Nothing ever truly stays the same and it is important to embrace the differences and adventures that come with each new year as a Cornell student. Every year is an opportunity to make new friends, have new experiences, and discover new places whether it’s on campus or around Ithaca.
