Moravian recently held an Accepted Students Day on Saturday, Feb. 15. I volunteered to help with an English major information session, as well as an information table for Gamma Sigma Sigma during lunch. 

Being a senior in my last semester, I naturally began to think about how I was in these students’ shoes only four years ago. Many of them seemed excited, just as I was. Many of them also appeared anxious over such a big change coming their way, just as I was. 

Four years ago, I was likely more anxious about starting college than the average person. More specifically, I was anxious about whether or not I would even be able to begin college. 

My senior year of high school started great; I loved my classes (even statistics!), I had a great group of friends, and I was filling out college applications like most everyone else. 

Then I got sick. Not just a little sick, either. I did not have the flu or a stomach bug or strep. I have always had a slew of digestive issues, but they got significantly worse the second half of my senior year. I could barely eat because anything and everything I ingested resulted in extreme pain, so I lost a ton of weight. My insides were so irritated, raw, and discolored that my doctor told me it looked like someone lit them on fire. 

As a result, I had to spend the last three months of my high school experience in my bed, a doctor’s office, or the hospital. I did a lot of reading, played a lot of video games, and watched a lot of Netflix.

My school sent one of my teachers to my house once a week to tutor me so I could actually graduate, but that was the extent of my social interaction at the time. I could not see my friends, attend my classes, go to prom, or have a last day of school (at least one that I knew was my last). 

Of course I became depressed. But my biggest fear was not being able to start college that fall. I had just chosen Moravian as my home for the next four years, but now all of that was no longer definite. 

Thankfully, my health improved significantly over the next few months and I was able to start on time. Looking back now, I realize that the world would not have ended if I had to start a semester or even a year late. Lots of people take a year off, start working first, enter the military for a few years, etc., and start school later. Everyone has their own timetable, and I was just afraid of not meeting the one that I felt obligated to. 

When I finally did start at Moravian that fall, I was super excited. I have always loved school and had been counting down the days until move-in. Orientation was great; I liked my roommate, befriended a few people, and had a lot of fun. 

Then I started classes, and I hated them. It is totally normal to have a rough first semester. A lot of people struggle adjusting to college classes because, let’s face it, they tend to be harder. So, if that is you now or what you experience in the future, you are definitely not alone. 

The classes I was enrolled in my first semester here were not necessarily difficult; I was just so bored. They were all gen-ed courses that I essentially got stuck with, so I resented going to class every day. I did not have anything to look forward to in terms of my education that semester, which is not a good position to be in. 

I distinctly remember going home one weekend and my mom and I went out to Applebees’ for lunch before she took me back to my dorm. I picked at my food the entire time, not wanting to go back to my dreadful schedule. I had also just gone through a killer breakup, so I was not having a great time in general.

But, long story short, I clearly survived.  I am a senior, I am in good standing, I am involved in a lot, have a great group of friends, love Moravian and my college experience more than anything, and I am graduating in May. 

The moral of the story? You can do it! Whether you have setbacks in the beginning, middle, or the end, you are going to reach an ending that is right for you. You are going to have great college experiences, terrible ones, and everything in between. You are going to question your intelligence, your major, your worth, your future, your present — everything. 

So, for all of the freshies out there, and the potential students coming here in the fall, take a deep breath. If I can do it, you can too. Sometimes all you can do is wait for things to get better, because they always do.