“You’re on your own in college. The only rules you have to abide by are your own,” says senior Stefan Zier. For those planning to move away from home next year, the anticipation of leaving home can be exhilarating.
“Independence is key,” says senior Haley Wilcox. “I’m excited to meet new people.”
Senior Jordan Murti says, “I’ll be surrounded by people with similar interests.”
Moving away from home is a large undertaking that thousands of students across the country experience every year when they go away to college. For some, the distance to college is only a short drive from home; for others, it can be 2,000 miles.
Many seniors have begun contemplating what life will be like in college. Senior Ethan Canton says, “On a scale of one to ten, I’m a seven [regarding preparedness for college]. I need to learn to cook some real food.” For many, leaving home means leaving home-cooked meals. Managing new responsibilities may come easily, but being in charge of one’s own food can be challenging.
“I’m used to making appointments for myself and doing laundry and that kind of stuff. The biggest thing for me would be learning how to cook,” says senior Nicole Horita. “My biggest concern is that I have to keep track of everything—meals, cleanliness, and laundry. There’s a lot more responsibility.”
It appears many freshmen express a strong drive to move away and be independent. “My mom had taught me things before I moved out,” says Vanessa Poon, an Aragon alum and freshman at California State University, Monterey Bay. “For two years of high school, I had to take care of my sister, so taking care of myself isn’t too hard.”
“I feel like I’m ready and have everything covered, but I know I don’t. Something will pop up and I won’t know how to deal with it,” says Jamie Lo, an Aragon alum and freshman at UC Davis. Meal plans are a requirement for freshmen at Davis, but Lo says, “I’m going to balance it out. I have a kitchen in my dorm building, so I’ll cook for myself, but mostly I’ll eat in the cafeteria.”
In addition to food, laundry can be an unexpected challenge that college freshmen face. “One time during fall quarter, I had put my laundry in the washing machine, but then forgot about it,” says Jamie Moore, an Aragon alum and sophomore at UC Santa Barbara. “I came back and my clothes weren’t in the machine. I looked over at the counter, and someone had put them in the dryer, folded all my clothes, and left a note that said ‘Nice music shirt, from Max.’ My friends and I ran up and down looking for this person. We finally found him and he was really nice.”
“Moving away is both nerve wracking and incredibly exciting,” says Jessia Hoffman, an Aragon alum and junior at Stanford University. “I felt an independence I had never felt before. There was something really empowering about it.”
“Seniors aren’t aware of just how different college classes are. You really have to be on top of your stuff,” says Hoffman. “Freshman year, I took a feminist studies class, and we had reading the first night, but I couldn’t figure out what to read. Turns out, I just didn’t understand the notation.”
Along with basics such as cooking and classes, diving into the college community can be somewhat intimidating for freshmen. “Going from Aragon to Berkeley, I didn’t want to get lost in the numbers,” says Nick Tom, an Aragon alum and sophomore at UC Berkeley. “Luckily, my roommate and I bonded quickly. We went to every club meeting we could, poking around for people with similar interests. I ended up joining a ballroom dance team.”
“I wish I had challenged myself to do something outside of my comfort zone,” says Kathryn Miyahira, an Aragon alum and sophomore at Saint Michael’s College. “My school has a wilderness program with rock climbing, snow shoeing, etc. I wish I had tried something [new].”
Jason Galisatus, an Aragon alum and junior at Stanford, shared wisdom for current seniors for when they move out, “Something that gets overlooked is your sleep schedule. Make sure you don’t stay up until 4 a.m. every day.”
