Essay #1 'Move in Day'

I grew up in a small town named Wren, population roughly two-hundred. Living in Wren was fun growing up because everyone knew each other. I grew up on a farm on the edge of town beside my grandparents so I always had family around me. Wren was safe for me because I always had my own little bubble and never had to step out of my comfort zone, but coming to college defiantly made me pop that bubble. When I first arrived at OSU-Newark I was very afraid to leave my home town and my comfort zone; however these new experiences were an invaluable tool to prepare me for the transition to main campus.

My heart was pounding and I had no idea what to expect when we pulled into the parking lot. I was so thirsty yet I had just drank a bottle of Mountain Dew but my mouth was as dry as it’s ever been. As I got out of the car I looked around and saw people moving things into the dorms with parents and family members, I was shocked at how many people were walking around and getting there stuff out of there cars. I looked across the row of trees toward the dorms and saw some tents and decided that’s were I needed to start. As I walked up to the tents I was so scared I barley could talk to tell the girl my name so I could check in. I finally muttered “Hi, my name is Elizabeth.”

As I walked up the steps to my dorm with my first load of things from my car, I got a sudden feeling like I thought I was going to get sick. I couldn’t comprehend that I was actually moving into a dorm at college. I was so scared that I wouldn’t like my roommates and that we wouldn’t get along. I think I almost hyperventilated when I finally got the door to open. The first thing I saw when the door opened was a lot of people sitting on the couch diagonal from the door; they were the family members of one of my roommates. I looked around letting it all sink in; I saw how our couches were just wooden frames with ugly looking pattern cushions. I also noticed that our kitchen was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be and I thought it was going to be hard for six people to live here. As I made my way down the hallway I peeked in both bathrooms and noticed that one is significantly smaller than the other, which doesn’t really seem that big of a deal now as it did at that moment. I finally got to my room and I sat my stuff down and looked around. The beds were bunked on top of each other to the left of the door when you walk in. The closets are set back into the wall with a little wall dividing the sides, and two desks sit on the wall across from the beds. There are two dressers inside the closets. When it all finally sank in, I decided there was not going to be enough space for all of the stuff I had brought with me.

When I finally got all of my stuff out of the car and into my room, it looked as if I took everything I’ve ever owned with me. It was about that time when I met one of my roommates Marcy; she was defiantly just as nervous as I was because I could barely hear her when she told me her name. After meeting Marcy I just got more nervous because I was afraid that we all were going to be really shy and quiet around each other and not talk at all. I then met Erica who was just as quiet as Marcy and I defiantly started to get scared. I thought I was going to get stuck with girls who would stay in their rooms all the time and never want to do anything. That was until I met Molly. She defiantly was not scared of meeting new people because she came bounding down the hallway and gave us a huge “Hello!” and introduced herself. It was then that I knew that I would be okay. I was scared of making friends with my roommates and other people because I have never had to make friends before, or at least I don’t remember making them. I’ve always had the same group of friends from home so coming to a new place and having to make new friends was my biggest worry.

After I got some things unpacked and my parents decided to leave, mostly because I looked like I was going to pass out I was still so scared, we sat down with our roommates and got to know one another. I finally started feeling better after we talked and got the little things worked out like who would use what bathroom and who got what cupboard in the kitchen. I’m not sure why I was so nervous for my first day at the dorms, but I think it mostly had to do with moving away from my comfort zone. It still is weird for me to live in a place bigger than Wren, but I’m getting use to it and I will have to expect even bigger next year when I go to the Columbus campus.