First Year Stony Brook Experience

 My First Year at Stony Brook was life changing.  I love the diverse population and the amount of people I had the chance to meet.  The different cultures and life styles opened my eyes and influenced the way I view the world.  I feel that throughout my first year, I grew as a person in ways that I never imagined.  Living on my own has given me independence, freedom, and of course more responsibility.  Choosing Stony Brook was the right decision because I have become so close to my friends and I am definitely excited to start next year!

Top Ten Successes

1.  Joining the Ultimate Frisbee Team - Before college, I could never have pictured myself playing Ultimate Frisbee.  Surprisingly now, it is one of my favorite passtimes.  Going into the practice without a clue about what the sport was like, was very intimidating at first.  Surrounded by the returning players who have played for many years made me realize how much I needed to practice.  The time and hard work payed off in the end since I was elected secretary and was even able to attend tournaments in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania!  In addition, the people on my team turned out to be some of my closest friends.

2.  Meeting new people - Meeting new people is one of my favorite things.  I love learning about how they live life and the challenges they may have had to face.  I see these moments as great learning opportunities and a chance to personally get to know someone.

3.  Living on my own - Living in a dorm is a great new experience.  I have to admit, it took a long time to get used to the fact that I was living with a complete stranger and on my own, but I feel that I have matured as a result.  Dorming at Stony Brook makes me excited for the next three years!

4.  Going to the Library - At first I was not sure how difficult college was going to be but I knew so much more time is needed for studying.  Going to the library actually takes off the burden of studying.  I find that the environment is more friendly and comforting than sitting in my dorm room.

5.  Happy with my grades - It may be stressful during the semester and especially finals week but the grade in the end is worth all the hard work.

6.  Life long friends - I quickly realized that some of the friends that I have come to know better in college, are now some of my closest friends.  The people that I am closest to will be friends for the rest of my life.

7.  Moving around campus - Exploring is very important especially in a new place like a college campus.  My first week on campus was intimidating at first because I had a fear of getting lost and being late to my first few classes.  However as the year progressed, I found out the short-cuts and realized the campus is smaller than it looks.

8.  Attending lectures - To me, missing a lecture is like tearing pages out of a textbook.  The lectures will only be taught once so if I miss them, the material will not be explained again.

9.  Finding a balance - Having a balance between school work and social life is very important to ensure success at college.  From my experience, I found that study groups work great because it combines studying with the social attmosphere of spending time with friends.

10.  Having fun! - College is not all about studying and homework.  In my opinion, having fun is a must!  In my spare time I like to toss my frisbee around campus or just sitting and talking to my friends relieves the stress of school.

Greatest Challenges

The biggest challege that I faced during my first year of Stony Brook was getting adjusted to the different lifestyle that college demands.  The amount of work increased but it is manageable.  It was hard during the first few weeks because so many changes took place in such a short amount of time.  First was move-in day, then classes, then homework.  Even though everything came at once, I was not alone because all the other freshman were experiencing the same changes I was.  Despites these challenges, my first year was still awesome!

My advice to next year's freshman

If I could advise next year's freshmen, I would tell them to make the most of every second of college.  Many people told me that college goes by way too fast, but I never believed them because it is four years after all.  Now as a student finishing the last few days of freshman year, I actually see what they mean.  It still feels as if I just had my first day of classes.  College does in fact go by way too fast, so take advantage of the opportunites, and live your college career to the fullest!