“The beginning is always today.” -Mary Wollstonecraft

Starting college and leaving high school behind is a scary and eye-opening experience; being surrounded with new people, new classes, and new experiences that’ll be memorable forever. At this point in time, you’re wondering what the future holds for your time at college. These are all of the thoughts that are running through the heads of the recently graduated Norwin Alumni. That beckons the question: Where are they now? How do new high school graduates feel about college so far? And how has the transition been to life beyond the grassy hillside.

Many of the 2022-23 Norwin High School graduates are finally getting settled into their applied colleges and getting used to a brand new routine. Moving away from home can be scary, but also relieving. With this new place comes immense amounts of freedom, letting these graduates explore the new world around them. One of the first words that may come to mind is independence.

“I absolutely feel like I have more independence,” Alex Fumero, Astrophysics major and attendee of Duquesne University said. “I come and go from my dorm as I please, I take walks to explore the city and I do my work on my own time. It’s very liberating.”

When first transitioning to college, new college freshmen often find more open spaces in your schedule—depending on your course load and employment status. Typically, undergraduate students juggle between 12 and 18 credit hours each semester (four to six classes).

According to The Nook, “Whether you take classes online or on-campus, the bottom line is that you’ll have bigger blocks of time off during the day. This means you’ll want to have a plan to manage your time and structure your schedule.” Because of this more flexible schedule, this will leave more room to see what’s happening on campus and explore.

This newfound independence can lead to so many good things including: meeting new people, finding activities to do outside of classes, and going new places outside of campus. Parties and get-togethers may call your name, but they should not become the main priority. All of this new independence comes with great responsibility, and that includes having a healthy balance of school life and social life.

According to Bay Atlantic University, the number one problem college students face when they first start college is budgeting. “To help overcome these budgeting problems you may face, coming up with a realistic budget for incomes and expenses is a good place to start.”

New college students can do this by keeping a journal or a log of all of the purchases that you make and all of the money you earn (from a job, other earnings, etc). This constant feeling of being overwhelmed about budgeting, keeping up with classes, and more can lead to anxiety and even certain levels of depression. Data shows that half of college students experience feelings of anxiety and depression, and unfortunately are reluctant to seek help. Never be afraid to ask for help from the people you trust. They will always want to reach out a helping hand.

Though the college life can come with its challenges, it also can come with its rewards. Walk through your campus and meet new people to call your friends, sign up for a new activity you have never tried, try a cool, new restaurant outside of campus, have fun. You never know what may happen during your college days. Your entire experience may exceed your expectations, or maybe you just didn’t worry about that moving ahead.

“College so far has felt fairly relaxed and fun,” Natalie Bowman, alumni attending Slippery Rock University remarked. “I didn’t really have any ‘big expectations’ going into college, I just wanted to go to school and do my own thing.”

Keeping up with academics is important, but finding time to unwind and destress is important as well. Taking time off of social media and spending more quality time with the people who mean the most to them is really beneficial in the long run. More time on social media sights can drain a college student’s mental health and send them into feeling even worse. Remember to take breaks, and go take a breath of fresh air. Set up a picnic with some friends and chat. Make sure to savor the moments that matter the most.

Though these new college students might be having fun at college, they may still feel this lingering feeling of stress and doubt. They start to wonder if all of this is truly worth it. Fortunately, no one is alone. All of the Norwin alumni have felt this way one time or another, and it is completely normal to feel like that.

“My advice for people who are scared to start college is this: it’s totally normal to be scared,” Bek Whittaker, Graphic & Interactive Design major at Point Park University said. “Actually finding a college I loved and knew would support me helped me to be excited about college, despite the anxieties about class and scheduling. It is a totally new environment but it should be a process that is exciting! My best advice is to always look on the bright side of things and to stay positive, stay in the now rather than worry about what your entire college experience should be.”

 College can be scary and intimidating, but there is so much good that comes with it. No matter who you are, hopefully you feel better about college life and everything about it. A special thank you to the amazing 2022-23 Norwin alumni for helping others and guide them on their way to greatness.