On Sunday, Aug. 21, I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of welcoming new students to their first day of college. With shaking hands, students would hand me their IDs to check them in. Each time, as I would ask, “Are you nervous?” they would almost always say, “Yes,” and each time, I would respond saying, “Good! You’re supposed to be nervous.”
New students, the nerves you experience on the first day will not necessarily disappear. They will come up again when you are feeling antsy in class, before a test, when you walk into a party filled with strangers or when you walk into a room on the first day of your internship. But it’s not a bad thing, because the true secret is that everybody is feeling them.
We enter college knowing what the movies tell us. We know the stories our older siblings have to share, or even the stories of how our parents met and fell in love at college. We look at our older friends from high school and see how they have joined Greek Life, yet what is often left out is the reality that everybody is struggling a bit.
You have the potential to become your roommate’s best friend, to ace biology 118, to join Pipe Dream, to apply to be an RA, join Greek Life, enjoy Spring Fling, explore State Street, sit in your room and watch Netflix all day and maybe spend hours in a dining hall, but in the beginning the anxiety can be really strong and if you don’t acknowledge it, you might limit yourself from becoming the college student you strive to be.
As I mentioned earlier, those nerves that you are having now might not necessarily disappear, but what you learn through your college experience is that you cannot let those nerves limit your actions. My freshman year, it took me 15 minutes to text my friend asking them to hang out — and now, that person is my closest friend. I didn’t raise my hand in any of my classes, but instead would settle when another student would raise their hand and say my answer. I’ve now learned that my fear of raising my hand and being wrong is completely irrational, and that’s because being wrong is completely encouraged in the college classroom.
To the new students who are fortunate enough to have four years left at Binghamton, wipe away all of your expectations of what college looks like and acknowledge that you’re about to experience your own movie scene. I say, “Good! You’re supposed to be nervous,” because your nerves will be your driving source. We each walk around with our own fears, but the only way to overcome them is by confronting them.
College is about growing and challenging ourselves in a safe environment. Even when you feel alone, you are not alone. There is a counseling center, RAs, advisors, clubs and thousands of other students looking for a friend. It’s not going to be easy, but if you allow yourself to take a breath and acknowledge that your nerves are completely acceptable, you will be okay. If you lose sight of your nerves, you’ll forget to acknowledge the important lessons you gain by embracing them.
Sarah Saad is a senior double-majoring in human development and women, gender and sexuality studies.