"Yes. This is where I want to go to college."
never set foot in the state
never seen the campus
"I want to do medicine."
withdraws from bio13 first winter term
decides they don't want undergrad to be a stress hole
takes way too many sociology classes
but loves their school work
"I know nobody. Oh well."
gets along with first-year roommate fine
first-year floormates are cool
spends first 2 weeks eating with
random people each meal
"Hi. Is this seat taken? ... Can I sit here and chat? Cool."
finds a lot of one-shot interesting convos
finds a few lasting friends
finds (eventual) partner
"I like to talk to everyone."
finds support
... in their house community staff
...in custodial staff
...in DDS staff
...in professors
...with the bike mechanics
...the unlikely places
"This is hard."
learns to deal
...with anxiety
...with toxicity
...stress
...identity questions
"I'm thriving."
but floating duck syndrome is real
but sometimes I forget commitments
but dysphoria locked me into my room
but I know people who aren't thriving
"I'm okay."
because it's okay to be unwell
because I am happy with my choices
because I have agency
because I have a support system
.
