I’m learning to call college my second home

Haley Miller

Guest columnist

When I moved into the residence halls at Pacific Lutheran University at the beginning of September, I never could have predicted how those first few weeks would go. And in less than a month, things have changed in ways unimaginable.

Here are some of the humorous (and not-so-humorous) curveballs college life has thrown at me:

Taking into account that I have spent a few days at home, I have eaten an estimated 60 meals in the commons — 55 of which were spent alone.

Basically, friendships take just as much work to develop as to maintain. Just about every college has some kind of freshman orientation, a whirlwind of activities planned for first-year students to immerse them in campus life. But those events will only go so far in forming new friendships.

Sometimes, you have to literally insert yourself into a group and say “hello” to be noticed.

Although my roommate and I have yet to call each other “BFFs,” I know she would provide a comfy shoulder to cry on if the need were to arise. Already we have confided basically everything in each other and still somehow find an infinite number of conversation topics to keep us up late at night talking. Roommates are invaluable.

So are professors. Having my teachers learn my name right off the bat, show genuine interest in my identity, beliefs and goals, and willingly counsel me academically makes me really appreciate going to a small school.

Plus, having a more personal connection to an instructor motivates me to participate more in his or her class and put more effort into homework assignments.

At first, I thought I would resent living so close to my hometown — until I realized how very homesick I would get. Every day, I rejoice in the fact that I’m not living halfway across the country.

Now I talk to my parents at least every other day, which is something I didn’t even do while I lived at home. It just goes to show you, the distance and freedom of college strengthens relationships.

I finally say “I love you” to my parents again, scream with joy when I see my yellow lab and admit that I missed my 15-year-old brother in the whole week that I didn’t get to see him.

I don’t care what people say, but the freshman 15 is definitely avoidable. So long as you don’t stock your mini-fridge with pudding cups and beer cans and sit on your top bunk playing video games all day, campus life is actually very active, and I imagine most college lunch rooms do offer healthy eating choices.

On days when dinner options are bland, the salad bar has become my best friend.

Possibly the coolest thing about college is getting to choose what classes to take. Yes, there are general education requirements, but there is also a multitude of intriguing subjects that 99.9 percent of American high schools don’t offer.

Having advanced-placement and Tacoma Community College transfer credits definitely gave me more freedom in terms of my schedule, but everyone gets the chance to explore subjects they never imagined studying before.

Already I’ve read through the entire course catalog twice, highlighting courses I would like to take by the time I graduate (which amounts to half the book).

Once you’re here, you can breathe. Every teenager who has made it through the stress of maintaining a certain grade-point average, completing standardized testing and stunning college admissions officers with flawless application essays is capable of performing well academically.

Even if high school was a struggle, college is a time for starting over.

A Last but not least, I’ve learned that four washcloths will not suffice. Yes, towels can be reused, but personally, I’d rather not recycle mascara-streaked terrycloth on my face.

Lesson learned: when in doubt, bring more.

Haley Miller of Gig Harbor is a freshman at Pacific Lutheran University, where she is the LuteLife editor of the school’s award-winning student newspaper, The Mast.