Displacement in First Year of College
High school is a totally different environment from college. In high school, it was so easy to socialize and get away with trivial things such as being late to classes. College is all about studying and research; so, when I started my first semester in August I felt like I didn’t belong here. I still had my high school mentality of being relaxed, so when I encounter all the research papers and homework I couldn’t complete it on time. During my first semester, I noticed that I was surrounded by students who wore business attire to school, I felt out of place because I was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt almost every day to class. In college, students seemed as if they have their future already planned; I was the only person who was still exploring career paths. My second semester is coming to end, and I haven’t decided on a major yet. This semester has taught me that college is all about experiencing new things, and that I have to ignore my surroundings in order not feel displaced.
I remember feeling the same when I first came to Baruch. We often feel like we are the only ones experiencing these feelings, but in reality a lot of students feel just like you did. I know I did. It can be hard ignoring our environment. No matter how hard we try it ends up affecting us indirectly. I hope you do not feel as displaced anymore!