Alli Coleman, Contributor

Growing up in a small, suburban town made me that much more excited to go to an urban school in the heart of Minneapolis. Going into my first year of college here at Augsburg, I didn’t really know what to expect. I was overwhelmed and excited to go to a school that I honestly believed was the perfect fit, which turned out to be true. I was also nervous about going to a new place, knowing almost no one and living away from home for the first time. I didn’t expect to adjust so well here, but, to my surprise, I did.

My first semester of classes were wonderful and helped me adjust to college life, but I’m not going to sugarcoat it, not all days were easy for me. There were days where I would miss home so much and wonder if I made the right decision. I wondered if I could do this, if I was ready. The stress from classes hit me about a month and a half in, and things started to become difficult; I was meeting so many new people, drifting away from friends back home and trying to find time for all the things I needed to do. Eventually, I found a way to balance everything out and give myself some time for fun, which I quickly found out was so essential for success in college.

At first, I had trouble getting involved on campus, mainly because I was worried I wouldn’t find a place where I fit in. As I went through the Emerging Leaders Program, I figured out I wanted to be a part of something more and find my place as a leader on campus, leading to my interest in becoming an orientation leader. I am beyond excited to hopefully make my orientation students’ experience as memorable as mine was.

  As I come to the last few weeks of my first year at Augsburg, I can now say that I was so ready to take on college, and I definitely made the right decision. I proved I was ready, I got through the hard and soared through the good. I expected things to be a lot harder for me than they were, and I didn’t expect to handle the bad things so well. I still call my mom and dad every day. I honestly can say that I have grown so much this past school year, and I have become more independent, more educated about the world around me and more open to trying new things. I have found so many amazing new friends here at Augsburg that accept me for who I am. I am so beyond grateful to have chosen a university that celebrates me for who I am and has such a positive, inclusive community. Here, I am inspired to work hard.

This article was originally published in the April 26, 2019 issue.