Falling off a Philly Skyscraper

School, mall, movies, repeat. School, mall, movies, repeat. My high school is located in “middle-of-nowhere”, New Jersey, also known as Colts Neck. Besides horse farms and school buildings, there was the mall and the movie theater. The town consisted of only a few thousand. Being one of the safest towns around, I felt extremely comfortable living there; with the only thing to worry about at night was the sound of the crickets. Because it was extremely safe, my parents allowed me to drive to places alone and stay out late. By the time I was able to drive, I became extremely independent, going out with friends and coming back home late that night. From growing up in a safe rural town to getting thrown into one of the most populated urban cities in the country, I could easily say my transition from high school to college threw me off of a cliff, or rather a city skyscraper. Yet birthed around the Manhattan area, I was quite familiar with the urban life. However I never experienced a new city on my own, without family by my side, holding my hand as I looked both ways before crossing. I would say the experience was more exhilarating than overwhelming or scary. I am definitely less comfortable in the city than in my hometown, always worrying if there is danger and that I do not walk alone at night and so on. Crime is definitely more prominent at Drexel, so I definitely am more on guard than I was before. Nevertheless, descending down the stairwell of the subway and rushing onto the train before the doors crushed me was an experience that I could only get going to an urban university. I truly enjoy taking advantage of the vast city that lies only ten blocks away from center campus, as I’ve explored tiny restaurants, shopping upon shopping upon shopping, and some of the heartiest gelatos and ice creams. Living in a large urban campus also provides me the opportunity to frequently meet new people. I attended a high school of about 1500 students, so the idea of passing by new faces everyday was familiar. However I can understand how multiple college students adapt to the feeling of loneliness, as each student has an individualized schedule throughout the day with no set lunch periods or time when the bell rings and everyone rushes to the yellow school buses. It has been harder to get close to classmates, yet I am well connected with those in my building and especially my roommate. I was lucky to be granted with a roommate who has similar interests and most importantly a similar work ethic.

The day after I moved into Drexel, my parents split. I do not ask for pity, rather a sense of understanding. I truly do not believe that these past ten weeks at college has made me be different. Rather, the situation that came with entering college has made my life be different. I now have to adapt to commuting to two separate parents, rather than one family. However I do not come into contact with this weird transition every day, as I am no longer living at home. The whole situation was definitely an added factor of something I had to deal with besides the entirety of college itself. While my life at college was changing, so was my life at home. Realistically, my life is not perfect and I have come into contact with changes that will affect me for life and others that only affect me in that instant. Unfortunately this change will definitely affect me for life. Yet, I look at this transition within my family as one that would better each member as an individual and the family as a whole. It has made me a stronger person, as I have had to learn to balance school, my social environment and my familial environment all at the same instant.

Clearly, the transition of living alone in an urban city has changed my environment, but not really my mindset. I continue to have the strong work ethic that evolved in high school, as I took many Advanced Placement courses throughout ninth to twelfth grade. Minor changes have appeared, like eating snacks between classes more frequently and doing my own laundry weekly, yet overall my personality and work ethic has remained constant. Academically, high school wasn’t easy, and college is even more “less” easy. The most difficult change to get used to was the schedule. Because classes only occur about once a week, it became easy to forget the homework for that class because it was not due the very next day. Therefore I see myself heavily relying on my planner even moreso than previously because if I don't write something I need to get done down, by the next day I would forget it completely because I would have a completely new set of classes to focus on.

Ultimately, college so far in these past ten weeks hasn't really changed me that drastically. I am drastically more independent, but I was always an independent child growing up, as my grades were based upon my own motivation rather than a nagging parent. I hope that continuing being in college might change my personality for the better and teach me more independent living skills. Yet as of now my ethics and views that carried on from high school have successfully been working throughout college. No longer am I stuck within the cycle of school, movies and the mall, and am frequently building my own schedules each day.