At one time or another, we were all seniors in high school. Whether it was last year or several years ago, we all remember the pressures of SAT and ACT tests, applying to college, having the “perfect” resume, and surviving daunting college interviews. Then, out of nowhere, arrived the double-edged sword of college decision day. Personally, I can say that December 15th, 2014 was going to be either the best or worst day of my life. I would be either accepted or denied from the only school that I had applied to (ill-advised by my guidance counselor to say the least) and that I had my heart set on.
Thankfully, the odds were in my favor that day and I got the news I had been waiting for; I had been accepted to Stevens Institute of Technology, and on top of that the 5 Year Master Program for Software Engineering. I was ecstatic! It turns out, working hard in high school and pushing myself out of my comfort zone paid off in the end. I felt on top of the world and I could just picture my whole future ahead of me. From earning my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Software Engineering and owning my own Software Engineering company to buying and living in my dream home; a quaint Brownstone apartment in Hoboken, there were no limits for what I felt I could achieve.
Before I could go on, however, I stopped myself. I had almost forgotten how I would achieve all of these great things. Sure, I would have to graduate college and earn my degree; but first and most importantly, I would have to survive my freshman year of college. I would have to get used to living on my own in a place away from home for the first time ever with someone who I hardly know, survive (or at least minimize) the “Freshman 15” which will present itself as a challenge with the mandatory unlimited meal plan, become friends with people who are in the same exact position as I am, hopefully feeling the same way I am, learn the ins and outs of the best and worst places to walk in Hoboken, find my way to classes without getting lost, and impress (hopefully) the professors with my work ethic and ability to get work done before a deadline. I can keep going, believe me.
This new, exciting, opportunistic, and slightly daunting experience comes around once in a lifetime. Hopefully I can capture the true spirit of what it is like to be a freshman at the school of innovation and opportunity while also surviving the first year of the rest of my life and the beginning of my career at Stevens Institute of Technology.
