Feeling Like A Big Fish AND Being in A Big Pond!
This past year after deciding to go to N.C. State, I got a lot of questions, mainly: "Wow...N.C. State is such a big school...I don't think I could ever go there!"
And to be honest, I thought that a year ago too. My heart was set on going to Milligan College in Tennessee, a school that was smaller than my very own HIGH school! Crazy? Yeah. Long story short, after months of stress and feelings of being overwhelmed, I decided to go to State instead! Instead of being 1 out of 1200, I was headed towards being 1 out of 20-30,000. Big change. Up until July, I was worried I would just be a number at State. I wouldn't be valued for who I was or even for my academic success, because, let's face it, I'm not a genius. My grades will not be the highest nor the lowest of a 200 person class. After my orientation, I felt a little bit better, and a little more confident about finding my place here.
College life...it's definitely busy! And I'm an introvert, so I wasn't exactly thrilled about the whole "meeting new people" thing. Even living with someone is a totally new experience to me. But I like it. One of the things I absolutely love about State, is that they are VERY intentional about making every single student feel accepted somewhere. You just have to get involved...nobody is going to hunt down every last little freshman and make sure they attend a certain event. When I applied for housing way back in March, I also applied for a learning village called SAY (Students Advocating for Youth). I moved in with this village, I live with this village, and I had a retreat with this village all before school started. What is SAY? Well, it's kind of like a class. Every week we'll meet together and either hear a seminar, or we'll go into 1 of 2 elementary schools. After getting to know the kids there, we'll each pick one "buddy" and for the rest of the year, we get to hang out with them. Fun, huh?! Well, if you like kids it is :) But...I haven't done that part yet! The past few weeks I've gotten to know the other people in SAY. They're so much fun! Everyone is in one small group, and you have an "EA" who is your advisor. They're sophomores/juniors who have already done their first year of SAY, and they're here to help us out, and make us feel like a person to somebody at State instead of just a number.
Another thing people always say they hate about big colleges is big classes. I thought I would too...but I actually like them! I don't feel like I have to impress anyone or dress up for class or make a certain impression...and I love that! Maybe I'm just weird. After my first math class (which is one of the large classes!), I got an email from the Disabled Service Offices, asking for volunteers to be notetakers for that specific math class. I hit reply as fast as I could saying I was interested! First of all, I LOVE taking notes and organizing them and whatnot, so I'd be doing something I loved, and second of all it would be helping someone who couldn't take notes out! So I did an online tutorial, printed off my certificate, grabbed a copy of my notes, and made the long trek down to the DSO! I met some really nice people there who were just thrilled that I was willing to help! So, in just a little bit, I am going to go meet the sweet girl I'll be taking notes for, and I couldn't be more excited. If time permits, I might even look into volunteering for the DSO...there's nothing that brings more satisfaction to me than being a helpful hand :)
Another way I've gotten involved is by looking into getting a job...a job?! Yes, a job. I know it's my first semester, but my classes are not that hard at all, and hours for where I want to work are VERY flexible! I've applied to Carmichael Gym to be a facility monitor, which basically means I'll get to clean the equipment and make sure people are using the equipment correctly. I made it through 2 rounds...and tonight I find out whether or not I get a job! I don't mind if I don't get it, it would just be nice to earn some money during my free time. Carmichael also promotes itself for being a tight-knit community of people who work together, much like the YMCA. I'm excited at the prospect of being able to be involved with them!
Lastly, I am looking most forward to getting involved with CCF (Campus Christian Fellowship I think??). It's a small church group here (and by small I mean 60-80 people!) that meets every Tuesday night. I am looking forward to worshipping God with them, learning more about Him, and being His hands and feet by helping serve Raleigh and NC State!
I am incredibly excited to be on this 4 year journey at NC State. I may not have gotten these opportunities to serve God at another school, and I can't wait to see what more opens up. Last but not least...GO PACK!
And to be honest, I thought that a year ago too. My heart was set on going to Milligan College in Tennessee, a school that was smaller than my very own HIGH school! Crazy? Yeah. Long story short, after months of stress and feelings of being overwhelmed, I decided to go to State instead! Instead of being 1 out of 1200, I was headed towards being 1 out of 20-30,000. Big change. Up until July, I was worried I would just be a number at State. I wouldn't be valued for who I was or even for my academic success, because, let's face it, I'm not a genius. My grades will not be the highest nor the lowest of a 200 person class. After my orientation, I felt a little bit better, and a little more confident about finding my place here.
College life...it's definitely busy! And I'm an introvert, so I wasn't exactly thrilled about the whole "meeting new people" thing. Even living with someone is a totally new experience to me. But I like it. One of the things I absolutely love about State, is that they are VERY intentional about making every single student feel accepted somewhere. You just have to get involved...nobody is going to hunt down every last little freshman and make sure they attend a certain event. When I applied for housing way back in March, I also applied for a learning village called SAY (Students Advocating for Youth). I moved in with this village, I live with this village, and I had a retreat with this village all before school started. What is SAY? Well, it's kind of like a class. Every week we'll meet together and either hear a seminar, or we'll go into 1 of 2 elementary schools. After getting to know the kids there, we'll each pick one "buddy" and for the rest of the year, we get to hang out with them. Fun, huh?! Well, if you like kids it is :) But...I haven't done that part yet! The past few weeks I've gotten to know the other people in SAY. They're so much fun! Everyone is in one small group, and you have an "EA" who is your advisor. They're sophomores/juniors who have already done their first year of SAY, and they're here to help us out, and make us feel like a person to somebody at State instead of just a number.
Another thing people always say they hate about big colleges is big classes. I thought I would too...but I actually like them! I don't feel like I have to impress anyone or dress up for class or make a certain impression...and I love that! Maybe I'm just weird. After my first math class (which is one of the large classes!), I got an email from the Disabled Service Offices, asking for volunteers to be notetakers for that specific math class. I hit reply as fast as I could saying I was interested! First of all, I LOVE taking notes and organizing them and whatnot, so I'd be doing something I loved, and second of all it would be helping someone who couldn't take notes out! So I did an online tutorial, printed off my certificate, grabbed a copy of my notes, and made the long trek down to the DSO! I met some really nice people there who were just thrilled that I was willing to help! So, in just a little bit, I am going to go meet the sweet girl I'll be taking notes for, and I couldn't be more excited. If time permits, I might even look into volunteering for the DSO...there's nothing that brings more satisfaction to me than being a helpful hand :)
Another way I've gotten involved is by looking into getting a job...a job?! Yes, a job. I know it's my first semester, but my classes are not that hard at all, and hours for where I want to work are VERY flexible! I've applied to Carmichael Gym to be a facility monitor, which basically means I'll get to clean the equipment and make sure people are using the equipment correctly. I made it through 2 rounds...and tonight I find out whether or not I get a job! I don't mind if I don't get it, it would just be nice to earn some money during my free time. Carmichael also promotes itself for being a tight-knit community of people who work together, much like the YMCA. I'm excited at the prospect of being able to be involved with them!
Lastly, I am looking most forward to getting involved with CCF (Campus Christian Fellowship I think??). It's a small church group here (and by small I mean 60-80 people!) that meets every Tuesday night. I am looking forward to worshipping God with them, learning more about Him, and being His hands and feet by helping serve Raleigh and NC State!
I am incredibly excited to be on this 4 year journey at NC State. I may not have gotten these opportunities to serve God at another school, and I can't wait to see what more opens up. Last but not least...GO PACK!
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