You’re Not Alone

Navigating the first weeks at Union

What will people be like? Where is the amphitheater? Will people think my accent is weird? When will it snow? These are all questions that you may have thought about during the past weeks here at Union. Students think about so many different things the first two weeks of school, especially if you are new to our Union family. 

It’s not just the questions — it’s the changes you face. You have to adjust to new sounds like the constant opening and closing of the stairwell door, or the silence in your room, no longer filled with annoying siblings or muffled voices from down the hall. With so many questions and changes, it’s easy to feel alone and overwhelmed.

 And it’s okay to feel that way, filled with a strange mixture of anxiety and excitement. This new chapter of your life is going to be challenging at times. On occasion it will be exciting, or maybe even just plain scary. Every semester is full of new experiences and a wide range of emotion, but even when it feels like you can't do it, don't give up. On this small, beautiful campus, there are a lot of people who are here to help. It might be a staff member or friend you’ve met on campus. It might even end up being someone you don’t yet know at all!

Other students have asked many of the same questions that you might be asking; they too have felt overwhelmed and alone, but this shows that you are not alone. When you have to get away from the constant opening of the door to your room, grab one of the booths at Student Success. When the silence that is no longer filled with your annoying siblings becomes too overwhelming, try playing pool in the Student Center. When you are unsure about the muffled voices down the hall, grab your sneakers and your sweats and hit up the Reiner Wellness Center. 
Some people will be nice, others will be reserved, and some you will never get to know. You'll find the amphitheater in the basement of Dick building, and figure out that it is different from the Atrium. Your accent isn't the only one on campus — there are many international students here, and few worry about how their voices are perceived. And as to the question of when it will snow, no one really knows, but some hope it won't be until January.

By: Chris Martinez