It’s been almost two weeks since I moved into my new home on Chiles 200. I drove around the circle with my massive amount of cargo in tow, hauled countless boxes and furniture into my shoebox of a room and hastily organized my personal 4×7 space. I then proceeded to go to the transfer orientation (note: I’m a transfer student) where I was latched onto a freshman hall for the remainder of the Fall Orientation session. I partook in awkward icebreakers and had some severely uncomfortable encounters. Now two weeks, 12 classes, a football game and a musical festival later, I am officially an oriented new student at Furman University.
I’ve been through orientation before. At camps, the Governor’s School of North Carolina, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I completed my freshman year of college. What I’ve come to realize over the years is that, while the place may change, orientations do not. It’s still the same old stuff: clumsy move-ins, awkward meetings, cheesy games and nerve-racking new beginnings. Regardless of the location, starting over somewhere is always hard. Leaving the familiar is gut wrenching. It makes your palms sweaty and your heart achy. But it can also be amazing and thrilling and eye opening.
Orientations end. Classes begin. You join clubs and sports teams. You meet your professors and get to know them. Classmates become friends. Strangers turn familiar. You reach out and make an effort and always keep your feet moving forward. While it was sad to see the camp-like atmosphere of orientation leave, it’s a thousand times better to settle in and start making a home for yourself here. This is where you will learn and grow and evolve for the next four years (or three in my case). But this place is only as home-like as you make it. Go to a game. Hang out with your roommate. Make memories and forge connections. Don’t be afraid of this new beginning; embrace it.
