Staff writer Christian Hargas acknowledges the nervous tension of college life
By: CHRISTIAN HARGAS
Staff Writer
When a student enrolls into college for the first time, fresh out of high school or not, there can be a sense of urgency in the mind and a feeling of nervousness in the stomach.
I experienced those same feelings when I stepped foot on the STLCC-Meramec campus for the first time.
One realizes just how big of a step moving forward in life is, so it is extremely important to get off on the right foot and make the most out of the experience.
I was no different as I saw this as the perfect opportunity to learn the true values of independence and self-determination on a larger scale.
However, it was difficult getting use to the new surroundings and lifestyles of a college campus like this.
During the first few days, I had no idea where I was going and it was pretty intimidating mostly because it was such a new environment.
Coming from the STLCC-South County Education University Center, it was not easy adjusting to the main campus as there were multiple buildings instead of just one.
I will admit that I was afraid of how this experience would turn out for me. Would it work? Could I manage to handle the main campus? Am I better suited for a campus consisting of only one building?
I wanted to prove to myself that I could handle the pressures of being at the main campus and taking on this new challenge.
So, I simply began to just ask for help with directions to my classes, which were impossible to find at first.
Of all the people I asked, I received a lot of mixed responses. A lot of them admitted that they had no idea where those places would be and many others were also in the same position I was.
That is perfectly fine though because I came to find I was not the only one having trouble.
There were a handful of others who were already familiar with the campus and delivered acts of kindness for which I will always be grateful.
Instead of giving directions by simply just pointing in a generalized direction, leaving me to connect the dots and figure it out myself, these kind folks literally showed me the way, taking me to my desired destinations.
The fantastic thing about this was they were students at STLCC-Meramec, not faculty or staff members.
A simple act of kindness by one person can mean the world to another.
Not only did this help me find my destinations, which I now know by heart, it also created a wonderful opportunity for me to meet new people.
It just goes to show that even when one walks into a new world, excited and terrified at the same time, there is always someone ready to lend a hand if needed.
