My biggest mistake as a frosh

Staying true to yourself throughout university

Summer has come to its sweet end – the suitcases are packed and you are ready to start your new adventure in life. You wipe the tears away as you watch your parents peel off the lot and it finally kicks in that you are starting your first year of university. You are going to experience a lot during your first year, and you are going to be really stressed at times. Your mind will be flip flopping on what you want to do with your life and you are going to have to make a tough decision: The Wheel or Kenny’s? Everyone who has gone through university knows that first year is a wild time. Going into my third year, I’d like to think I have everything under control (for the most part). However, I definitely made mistakes in my first year. One in particular stands out, and I’ll let you in on it.

I was one of those people that was dying to break from high school and the tight reins of my parents. I could not wait for the day to come when I would finally be out on my own in the world. I was excited to discover who I was and who I wanted to be rather than the person that my classmates thought I was or the person my parents wanted me to be. It seemed like once I stepped onto this campus, one would have heard “Break Free” by Queen blasting from the heavens. That was not the case. Instead I shrank into a shell and observed what the masses were like. I tried to fit in, and all I wanted was to get everyone’s seal of approval. To achieve this it meant I was willing to sacrifice who I was. Boy, did it suck, and boy, did I suck. I dressed the way I thought was cool by taking notes on what all the other girls wore. I acted and carried myself in a certain manner, and talked to people that I thought would help me maintain this “fitting in” idea. I would go to social events that I kind of hated, but hey, that’s what everyone else was doing! I became obsessed with what others thought of me. I wanted so desperately to fit in that I kept up this act of being somebody that wasn’t me.

Towards the end of the year, I had a wake-up call. I looked in the mirror and saw the reflection of a girl that I didn’t recognize. She looked sad and zombie-like, and you guessed it - that gal was me. It was quite alarming to see myself in this state. That shock to the system worked; I finally shed the fake skin I had grown so used to and decided to be my true self.

I definitely did learn from my mistake - I learned how damn important it is for you to be yourself. Think about it: why waste the time and energy on trying to be someone that isn’t you and morphing into somebody you don’t even know? Embrace who you are! Don’t shy away from who you were born to be. You won’t be alone on this campus, trust me. I found my best friends purely by being my organic self. While this first year of university is going to throw a lot at you, I have one thing to say to you: be yourself kid, and stay weird!

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