Freshmen adjusting well to campus life, Milledgeville

Home may be where the heart is, but for millions of young people across the nation, now is the time to leave the familiarity of home for a new and exciting adventure – college. College is a place for new beginnings and fresh starts. Students from diverse backgrounds with unique cultures come together to get an education.

In theory, this is a beautiful process, but sometimes putting it into practice can be absolutely bewildering. College is also a time of self discovery and making life-long friendships. Here at GCSU, many incoming freshmen are trying to find where they fit in the hustle and bustle of college life.

Freshman Drew Norby is from metro Atlanta, and came from a public high school of over 4,000 students.

“There are 8,000 people here, tops, compared to the 7 million in Atlanta, so obviously it’s different. Most people seem to be adjusting just fine,” Norby said.

He enjoys the smaller town life, and believes that “compared to home, people are more friendly and down to earth here.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Erin Kelly, also a freshman from the outskirts of Atlanta. Prior to coming to GCSU she attended a small, private academy of 1,000 students. GCSU is very similar to her old school, she said.

“It’s small like private school, and because of that everyone knows everyone,” Kelly said.

She misses having a uniform, which gave her a sense of confidence, as well as saving her the time and effort of having to choose an outfit during time she could have been devoting to her studies. Kelly considers GCSU to be much more diverse than her previous school, and she said she is enjoying her time in Milledgeville meeting new people of different cultures and communities.

Freshman Laura Dunn is a native of Milledgeville, and attended a nearby public high school of 1,000 students.

“I like that (GCSU) is still here,” she said, “because if my car breaks down, I’m home.”

Though she is still living in the same town, she admits that her life has changed considerably. Unlike many other freshmen, Dunn is able to maintain a job year round. As a result, she faces the challenge of balancing work and school, as well as the occasional trip to her parents’ house. She is familiar with the workload due to her joint enrollment during her last year of high school, and therefore feels that she is adjusting well to college life.

Another freshman attending GCSU this fall is Sarah Crile. She hails from Cedartown, where she attended a high school of 800 students.

“It’s not too overwhelming because it is basically the same as my hometown, minus the college. The overwhelming part is the amount of people and being able to fit in,” Crile said.

She is planning on visiting home once a month, which she hopes will keep her from feeling too homesick.

“The biggest difference is that it’s busier here and more routined at home, because of the college and the campus activities,” Crile said.

Overall, the freshman said she is enjoying her time here at GCSU, but as anyone would be, she is apprehensive about starting over.

Being a full-time student at GCSU is a career all on its own, and adjusting may be a challenge to many new students. Most are learning to fend for themselves quite well, and enjoying their newfound freedoms. Though it may or may not be just like home, Milledgeville has its own charm that can be quite comforting. Most students are enjoying their time at GCSU and learning to adjust to college life without too much difficulty.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 4 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry