Fall Semester Reflection

I find that reflecting on the past is very therapeutic and can help you learn from your mistakes. Last semester was such an amazing experience and I learned so much about myself, other, and the real world. If you want to go check out my goals that I set back in August, click here!

A few monumental things that happened in the Fall of 2015:

• Survived the horrific flooding in South Carolina
• Went to a Hoodie Allen concert
• Started a vlog channel
• Passed all of my finals

The first few weeks of college were like a dream. Hanging out with my floor, the cute boys, and all the late-night ramen sessions with my friends. At that point, homesickness hadn’t kicked in and I thought it never would. I loved my new life, my new school, and my new friends. College was everything that I thought it would be and more.

After the excitement of all of the newfound freedom dissipated, I was hit with the reality of my current situation. I was in a whole new city, in a whole new state, and I really knew no one. During the first weeks of college, everyone seems friendly. Everyone seems like your friend. But once people start to find their place and I started to find mine, I realized that they weren’t really friends. They were just acquaintances.

I remember the one time I felt really homesick was when I was driving back to Columbia from Knoxville. I kept thinking about how I was missing my brother growing up and making a life for himself. Or how one of my best friends is a senior in high school and I’m not there to help her through. Or how a majority of my friends from high school went to the University of Tennessee and they all have each other. At that moment I really questioned whether USC was for me.

My number one struggle during my first semester would be finding friends. That sounds really sad, I know. But, trust me. I’m very introverted and I love hanging out by myself. I’m not into the whole party lifestyle. I don’t drink and I just don’t enjoy that environment. From my point of view, it seems like everyone is so concerned with how much they drank last night and how wasted they got. To me, that’s just not important. I want to talk politics, religion, pop culture, and about what’s going on in the real world. I do blame myself for not getting out and joining clubs and getting more involved. As a Computer Information Systems major, it takes a lot of work to get A’s and B’s in my classes. I know how hard I have to work to get those grades, and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for socializing. I had weekly coding homework, two JAVA labs a week, and all of my other classes on top of that. I basically had to learn and become fluent in another language in about three months. That takes a lot of time.

Once I found my groove of going to class, going to the gym, and doing homework, the days started to fly by. A day would turn into a week. A week into a month. And a month into an entire semester. I spent many Saturdays cheering on the Gamecocks in football, and let me tell you, SEC college football games are so much fun. I am already so pumped for football season this fall!

After spending about a month away from campus, I realize how much I miss it. Although it may not have seemed like I fit in in the fall, I know that USC is my home. I think that feeling like you don’t fit in freshman year is completely expected. I mean college is a HUGE lifestyle change. You don’t know what to expect, how to feel, or if the emotions you’re feeling are normal. Overall, I cannot wait to start back at USC for the spring semester and see what adventures it brings!

How was your first semester of your freshman year? Do you have any advice on how to get involved on campus? Or an advice on finding your place?

-Abigail T.

Check out some of the college posts I’ve done: