Hitting the Ground Running: A First-Year Journey

Going from a tight-knit high school to a large university was mind-blowing. There was always energy in the streets as students rushed to their classes, people lounging at Lancaster Walk, or just hanging out around the food trucks. I was surprised by just the amount of people, half of which would never know me. It was oddly comforting — the idea that there are people on the campus who will never know my name or interact with me aside from the few seconds we passed by each other. I was drawn to the hustle-and-bustle culture of Philadelphia, and I was eager to hit the ground running.

The first quarter hit me hard and fast. My Design I class required a lot of time and attention with a continuous stream of projects. I'll never forget lying on the floor in Bentley Hall with my acrylic paint and poster boards. It was the first time I was in an environment with a lot of talented people, and I sucked at painting. I sucked a lot at painting. Through that experience, though, I found that the peers I was surrounded by were inspiring and motivating me to push myself toward my goal of getting through the class. There were moments where I found myself questioning if this was the right major for me and, because of this, I pushed myself deeper into my work and experimented more. Even though it felt like there were never enough hours in the day, I emerged from the quarter with a sense of accomplishment, and was ultimately able to pass the class.

I was drawn to the hustle-and-bustle culture of Philadelphia, and I was eager to hit the ground running.

To those who are looking at Drexel, my goal is to offer reassurance. Yes, my story may not be the flashy college story that you may have hoped for — in fact, college as a whole may not be the "best four years of your life" — but those events that I went through taught me the importance of perseverance and time management (Bill Reese is laughing somewhere right now as I'm writing this). I can't promise you the best four years, but I can promise that the transition from high school to college, while difficult, will be rewarding, and you will come out of it with skills to last you a lifetime.