My First Two Months at Stephens
The night before move-in day was the first time I’d ever been to Stephens College, or Missouri for that matter. Walking through the quad I found Pillsbury Hall and called out to my mom, “This is where I’m going to live!” I was so excited to be there.
The following morning, my family and I set up my room and brought all my belongings up to the second floor. A couple days later I waved good-bye to my teary-eyed parents just before I had my first meeting with my advisor. I was finally on my own! My advisor was very nice and helpful. It was obvious that she had my best interests in mind when helping me with my schedule. She even helped me add a non-major ballet class so that I’d be able to continue my hobby.
After a busy week of orientation activities, classes finally began. I was so nervous I wouldn’t be able to find my classrooms or that I’d get lost and be late. But my first day wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be. I found my classes easily, was on time, and all my professors were really friendly and inspiring. It was a little tricky getting used to my syllabi at first. I had to be sure to check them continuously to keep track of when assignments were due and when tests were scheduled.
A month into the year, I’d gotten through my first round of papers and tests. I was pleased to receive good grades. Meanwhile, I had fun hanging out with new friends around Columbia and participating in on-campus activities. I’d go to a comedy club, parties, concerts at The Blue Note, movies on campus and many other fun things. Sometimes just hanging out with friends in our rooms was fun.
Although I was enjoying college life and independence, it was always nice to receive a care package from Mom and Dad or mail from friends back home. Keeping in touch with family and friends was a huge comfort during a time of adjustment.
Stephens was the only school I could picture myself at when I was in the process of choosing a college. Now that I walk through the quad and see the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, I feel as if I’m in a picture on a brochure or on the college web site. I can’t believe I’m really here. It’s a surreal and exciting feeling that assures me that there’s no other place I’d rather be.
It is almost unbelievable that it has almost been two months since I moved into the Stephens community. Time has certainly flown by quickly and it has been amazing to get to know so many new people and form new relationships outside the comfort zone of home.
Being away from home and going to school in a different place has been a great enduring adjustment both in good and bad ways. It has been tough to leave my friends and loved ones behind at home while I continue my educational journey, but at the same time it has been quite liberating. Being without your parents is quite hard for some people but I could not be happier being without them now. It is nice to have your own freedom to do what you please without having to ask for permission, but still having the responsibilities to do your work and be productive in your learning. Making a whole new group of friends outside of high school has been absolutely amazing. Coming to a women’s college when most of my good friends happened to be male, I was a little worried about how I would adjust to being around girls for a change. It has been a very smooth transition and I could not be happier with the fantastic women I call my friends.
Through my first two months at Stephens I encountered roommate problems. It was not as if she was a bad person and we did not get along – we got along great. I started to feel cooped up and stir crazy with someone in the same room with me every night without any real time to myself to study and unwind after my day. I eventually got my own room, and the freedom to do what I please with my room has really excited me.
To any young woman considering Stephens: I can already tell by being here, even for such a short time, it is a great environment to grow into your own and meet some of the best people you will probably meet in your whole entire life.
My transition to college was not nearly as difficult as I had expected. Before I came to Stephens I worried that I wouldn’t find any people like me, that I wouldn’t measure up in the theatre program, and that I wouldn’t be able to sustain my relationship with my boyfriend. Maybe it’s just my case, but my transition from high school into college has been a pretty smooth one. Of course there were a few common hard times like stressing out over workload and auditions, but I’m enjoying myself here at Stephens.
I am on the Honors floor, which has really helped me to find people who have things in common with me. Now, only two months into college, I already have two girls on my floor who I am very close to, and I’m finding more. We vent our worries and share stories of our days. We eat meals together and help each other out, whether it be that my suitemate locked me out of my bathroom, or that I just need someone to listen to my worries.
The theatre program has turned out to be really great. It’s intense the way a pre-professional program should be, but it’s also welcoming, encouraging and has friendly competition. All the professors I’ve come into contact with know my name and greet me daily. My acting teacher is very open to providing me with advice on her class, and on the program as a whole. I was cast in Babes in Arms, the first musical, and the rehearsals are focused, organized, but not brutal.
As far as my relationship with my boyfriend, it’s going really well. He lives here, but he’s in his senior year of high school, so I worried that we wouldn’t have enough time for each other, but since he works at the cafeteria we see each other every day after I get out of dance class, before he works. We also have time for each other on the weekends.
All in all, I’m finding Stephens College to be a great fit for my college education and personal growth.
