Coming to Geneseo, I was a nervous wreck. I was unsure of whether or not I would succeed, make friends, and find where I belong. I typically become homesick easily. This was alarming knowing I had to come to a brand new school. I never struggled with grades in high school but, all my teachers and older friends told me college is different. Throughout these two semesters, I’ve definitely come to learn more about college.
The first semester flew by in the blink of an eye. Although I missed home, I have an aunt that lives in the village of Geneseo who loves nothing more to cook me Sunday dinners. I relied on her to keep me from getting homesick and missing my family. Socially, I made lifelong friends that I can go to for anything. Academically, I did exceptionally well. When finals week crept up, I wasn’t spending much time in the library as I thought I would. My parents were concerned with my confidence but in the end, I did well. By the middle of winter break, I was eager to come back to school to see all my friends and get back to Geneseo.
My second semester did not go as well as the first. It felt a lot longer than the first since there weren’t as many breaks to go home. Most of the semester, I felt like I needed a get-away from all the stress. My classes were much harder and I had a greater workload than last semester. Difficult classes on top of a large workload and pledging for my sorority took a toll on my GPA. Due to all these factors, my stress level was much higher this semester. These last couple weeks, I’ve been scrambling to get my act together so my parents wouldn’t be too mad at me. I’ve spent more time in the library these last few weeks than I have the entire year. Though, I overdid myself. I pushed myself to the limit and ended up becoming extremely ill and having to take a five-day break from all my work. Luckily, all of my professors were understanding and let me make up everything I missed. With all this stress and sickness, I definitely felt more homesick than every and am eager to get home, which is the complete opposite feeling I had at the end of last semester. I wish I had been prepared for this new lifestyle.
There’s always risks and rewards of coming to any college and taking difficult classes. The majority of professors are willing to work with students and are understanding of personal issues. Although I didn’t utilize Geneseo’s useful resources last semester, I was able to rely on them throughout this semester. It’s important that all schools have resources like tutoring and counseling to help students who are struggling.