The worst part about moving into college was sitting on my bed knowing I was going to be alone for the first time ever. Luckily, I met an incredible group of people who spent the entire day with me. The feeling of loneliness didn’t linger long, as I was immediately swept away by orientation activities and meetings. It made me think about how sometimes you take life at home for granted. I missed my friends and my family so much despite being only 40 minutes away, which is not the case for some people. I ended up calling home at least five times a day, but don’t worry, it gets better.
Most of the people I asked had trouble finding their roommate, but that was hardly the case for me. I met mine at the Admitted Students Weekend in April and immediately connected with her. Although living alone is hard, it is so much easier when you are doing it side by side with your roommate. Now we have made room 223 at Davis Hall our home for an entire year.
Through my roommate, I met someone who I became extremely close with in such a short period of time. What started as simply meeting someone I’ve seen on Instagram quickly turned into an inseparable friendship. It’s crazy to think that the people you meet unexpectedly end up being the most important parts of your journey and the many memories you make here.
The best part about college is that everyone is willing and eager to meet new people. Whether it be asking for Instagrams, trading Snaps or phone numbers, or even leaving the door open to say hi to neighbors in passing, the Stevens community is unmatched when it comes to connectivity.
There are always certain things that remind you of home, and for me it’s my parents’ chai and my brother’s wet clothes on my bed. Although there is only one thing I miss out of the two (hopefully you can guess the right one), there are a plethora of moments I wish I were back at home, drawn to the kitchen by the aroma of tea leaves boiling in milk. But don’t worry. When you are surrounded by amazing people at an outstanding university, even the cockroaches (I found two in my shoe), unrenovated bathrooms, and the longing for your mom’s cooking don’t hold a candle to the memories you are making.
I finally realized that this was the start of a new journey when I woke up the next morning to the sunlight streaming through the enormous windows at Davis Hall. I finally stopped thinking about Stevens as a place that I was staying at and started accepting that it was a place where I belonged. Somewhere between the ice cream runs on Washington Street, beach volleyball on the Palmer lawn, and late-night card games in the Castle Point common room, Stevens started to feel like home. Although there might be some lingering feelings of loneliness, you will forget all about it when you walk along the Hudson at night, staring at the city lights. Stevens is home away from home, made up of wonderful faculty, our “dads and moms” on campus protecting us 24/7, and the bright new faces that might become lifelong friends. But don’t forget that college is a completely new journey, and you don’t stop missing home when you leave it. You just start building another one.
