Dear Freshmen (and pretty much every other year, too, as this pertains to all of you!) —

The thing about commuter campuses is that you meet a ton of people who come and go. The ultimate goal for these students is to get their GEs done and move on to bigger things on a bigger campus. We’ll call them Movers. Now, there are other people, like myself, who decide to stay on the regional campuses to finish their degrees. We’ll call them Stickers.

The very first thing I noticed when attending OSUM my freshmen year in 2013 was that no one really wanted to build a legitimate friendship. It bummed me out because I was here almost all day, every day, and when you have no one to talk to, it sucks. It sucks bad. I’m a Sticker, so most everyone moved on after the first or second year, and a lot of people didn’t see the point in making friends with someone who wasn’t joining them in Columbus. It was probably one of the hardest first years of my entire time in any form of school — like, harder than that one time I decided to switch schools for 7th grade. That’s saying something.

Adults have a hard time making friends in this sort of situation; some people might think it sounds weird to say, but it’s really not. Whether you have social anxiety or you’re a straight up people person, it can be difficult to adjust to a new place, new lifestyle, and new people. It’s a bit overwhelming, but don’t sweat it. Don’t be afraid to make friends. Even if you’re a Mover, there is nothing wrong with chatting up the Sticker sitting next to you in your Spanish class. Or, as a Sticker, don’t feel left out if you’re the only student in your Pre-Calc class who isn’t switching campuses. Some of my best friends are moving on to Columbus campus, but I don’t let that bother me at all, because they are here currently and its their companionship and support in this very moment that matters.

Don’t isolate yourselves; we are human beings, a species that isn’t made to be left alone or to live in seclusion. Only in groups do we succeed. From the support, constructive criticisms, and aid from others, we become the best person that we can be. Put your happiness first. No, I’m not a motivational poster.

I’m just telling it to you straight.

There are plenty of questions that I had upon entering college: What classes do I need to take? What can I do with my major? How am I going to afford all of this? What’s the damn point of it all?

Truth is, even now that I’m forcing the last semester I need down my throat, I still have questions. Some have just morphed into others.

One thing I hear a lot, as an upperclassman and also as someone who works in the student industry is: I don’t know what I want to major in.

Good! Nobody really knows what they want to do when they first start college anyway. When I started back in 2013, I thought I was dead-set on majoring in English and eventually becoming a teacher. As the semesters passed, and I was trying to force all of my Gen Eds into a couple semesters in the hopes to move on to the classes required by my field, I realized I wanted to do so much more than what I declared.

I wanted to be an American Sign Language Interpreter.

I wanted to study criminal psychology.

I wanted to learn about mythology.

I wanted to explore the world of classical art.

I still want to do all of those things, but I’m limiting myself; because if I had the opportunity to, I would double major and minor, and I’d be here forever. My point is that it’s okay to want more than one thing. Some people go into a field that will make them the most money, others go into something because it’s been in their family for generations, and then some people major in things because they have a curiosity about them, or a sense of devotion to that subject. Maybe it’s none of these, or maybe it’s a combination of all of them, but that should in no way make you uneasy.

My opinion? If you don’t know what you want, then get a taste of everything. Go as undeclared for a couple of semesters and take some classes that sound fun. Figure out what you want or need and then go from there.

Isn’t that what they say during orientation?

College is for growing. So get out there and grow.