First-year students describe their experiences before moving in
By GRACIELA TIU — features@theaggie.org
This past week, many incoming first-year UC Davis students have been preparing to leave their homes and transition into their college lives. New students can experience a range of emotions — excitement, nervousness, sadness and more — upon moving into the dorms and acclimating to life on campus.
“This will be my first time not being with my family for a long period of time,” Seren Mah y Busch, a first-year animal science major, said. “I’ve never even traveled without my parents or anything like that, so I would definitely say that’s very new for me. I would also say my family is very, very close-knit, so I’m worried about getting homesick and stuff like that.”
As Mah y Busch said, a significant aspect of the change for many incoming students includes leaving family, friends and loved ones.
“The hardest part is saying goodbye to the people I care about,” Rachel Pangilinan, a first-year philosophy major, said. “But at the same time, I’m excited to have the chance to meet more people I’ll care about, too.”
The transition to college can feel different for every student depending on their background and previous experiences.
“I feel a sense of powerlessness as I’ve only ever gone to small schools where everyone knows each other, and now I’m going from 400 students to 32,000,” Mah y Busch said.
With the uncertainty of a big transition, many incoming students feel pressure to quickly make connections and meet new people.
“Just finding my people — everyone seems to say that they found their lifelong friends in college — adds this pressure to find the perfect people right away, even though that’s not realistic,” Katie Coppersmith, a first-year international relations major, said. “I know I will find my people in time, but it’s definitely something on my mind.”
When anticipating what to expect, many incoming students turn to social media to try to get a sense of what college life is like.
“Social media definitely portrays a version of college that highlights the best parts without showing the challenges,” Coppersmith said. “I just try to remind myself that everyone’s experience is different, and [as] with all things social media, it’s best to take it with a grain of salt.”
A unique element of the transition for many University of California students, in particular, is the timing of the quarter system — especially in comparison to the semester system.
“[My friends] have been moved out for a while now, whereas I’ve been feeling a kind of [fear of missing out], almost like I’m taking a gap [year] or something like that,” Mah y Busch said. “I’m three months out from high school graduation, but I haven’t [necessarily] taken the next step. It feels like something so abstract, especially because all my friends have been telling me about their college experiences.”
Despite the nerves that come with moving away from home, this year’s incoming class of students are still looking forward to the opportunities their first year can bring.
“A successful first year for me would mean finding my purpose here,” Pangilinan said. “UC Davis has so many resources, and I’m excited to take advantage of them to figure out who I want to be.”
Written by: Graciela Tiu — features@theaggie.org
