First Day of College

Like most students on their first day of school, I was very nervous. I was so anxious I couldn't even eat my breakfast. So, I went to school with butterflies in my empty stomach, worrying about whether college would work out for me. In movies, they make college seem like another world or hell, and I had no reason not to believe them. I remember every moment of the long, yet short, car ride from my home to the school. I felt as if I was a prisoner, strapped to the car seat by my safety belt, watching the free world go by. When I stepped out of the car, I looked at my surroundings, half expecting to find people passed out on the floor from a brain overload. Thankfully I didn't, or I probably would've ran the other way. As I tried to find the classroom to my first college course, I saw some familiar faces from my high school, which helped ease a bit of my anxiety. I realized then that I wasn't going to be entirely alone in this new world.

As I was sitting in my classroom, I began to wonder about the kind of teachers I had and unwillingly started to anticipate the worst. Then, my English professor walked through the door with a welcoming smile on her face. I wasn't expecting that. I actually thought the professor would walk into the classroom with a sour look on his/her face, and begin to scare us by informing us of his/her high expectations and how no one has ever reached it. But it was like a breath of fresh air when my English professor walked in. It allowed me to calm down a bit. Then, she introduced herself and told us about the course and what we would be doing throughout the semester. My nervousness for that class seemed to melt away immediately. College wasn't another world or hell, it was just a place with classes that required more devotion than an average high school class.

By the time I was heading to my other college course, I was more confident. I wasn't terrified like before because I saw that there was a chance my math professor could be like my English professor. There was hope this time. When my math professor walked into the classroom, he didn't have a welcoming smile on his face, but he warmed up to us as the class went on.

When I went home, I didn't have the knot in my stomach anymore. It turned out I was worried about nothing. It seems I unconsciously anticipate the worst, and because of that I'm never disappointed. It's horrible to deal with in the beginning, but I have a good, relieved feeling at the end of the day.