Personal Essay Example: My First Day in College

I lied on my bed succumbed into deep thoughts about how life in college would be. For three consecutive days insomnia was taking control of my nights; oblivious of what the future held for me caused streams of panic and nervousness to run through my body. For days and night I thought and thought; new environment, new friends, new tutors, immeasurable freedom, minimal rules, no uniform, and so forth. Being the second born in my family and the second child to join college, my parents had immense expectations in me that to some extent made me feel I would not live to fulfill their dreams. Joining college was a significant turning point in my life and the start of a new chapter of a long story that I was to tell.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

A day after I got a calling letter from the college (inviting me for a course) and three weeks before I reported to the college, I went to visit my parents at the countryside in order to break the good news to them. I was given a heroic reception; my parents were very proud of me, and the joy that blanketed them was so vivid in their gestures and the look from their eyes. For once I felt like I owned the whole world since my qualification to join college quickly erased the perceptions that my parents had towards me, the ever stubborn child. We indeed had a wonderful time despite unending cautionary pieces of advice I received from my parents about college life and all the negative things that I needed to shun away from. A week to joining college, I bid my parents goodbye, they gave me their blessings and off I left to my sisters place who was to accompany me to college.

On Monday morning, the eagerly awaited day, my sister Diana accompanied me to college. The college was in another town, about three hours drive away. We used public means of transport and, of course, that meant we would take a bit longer to arrive. Because we did not know the destination so well, and that we understood there will be long queues to beat at the college, we had to start our journey very early in the morning so as to reach there in good time. After three and a half hours we arrived. On arrival at the gate of the college, I was perplexed by the exquisite, scenic and tranquil environment that was so soothing and natural. The parking lot was full of high-end and powerful automobile; honestly I felt we were out of place and that colleges were meant for the rich only.

We went through the registration process amidst long queues and horrendous congestion that could land one into suffocation. I was later shown my hostel and given a key to my room. This was a sign that I had started to be introduced into the system. I was a bit naive at first but most of the students I met seemed to be fully absorbed into the system--most of them hugged and walked freely around the college. Time moved so fast, and my sister had to leave because she had a long journey back. My roommate had not arrived, so the room was so silent and mind-numbing. I decided to take a walk around the college that seemed so vast with many fascinating and state of the art buildings and resources. The freedom that filled the air was so contagious that it made the place be like a world of its own.

Naturally I am not an outgoing person so I did not make a single friend on the first day, but at least I managed to locate my department, students cafeteria and my way out of the college gate. That night, I calmly coiled myself in my blanket, covered in homesickness recalling what my parents and sister had told me earlier. The night seemed longer; I cursed the day, but I realized I could not help but to adapt to the new environment.

Works Cited

Biggs, John. "Approaches to learning and to essay writing." Learning strategies and learning styles. Springer US, 1988. 185-228.