I have become used to feeling uncomfortable during the last two years (for those of you who didn’t read the columnist bios, I was a freshman at Northwestern in 2005, transferred away last year and now I’m back).

Even if you haven’t played the hectic game of musical alma matter, I am sure you know the feeling. Asking and answering the same six questions over and over again with every person you meet: What’s your name? Where are you from? What are you studying? Do you by any chance know…? That’s crazy, did you guys go to high school together?

One week into the school year, there is a noticeable air of insecurity on campus.

Of course the freshmen feel unsettled. Discomfort is an expected part of the transition to college. It is impossible to feel immediately comfortable living far from home for the first time, submerged in an ocean of unknowns.

But even returning students are plagued by new school year anxiety. Sophomores are adjusting to harder classes and living with their friends. Many are also entering the chaotic reality of fraternity and sorority houses for the first time.

Juniors return to NU with many of their friends scattered across the globe and must fill a social void by reaching out to new classmates.

Seniors, with one foot out the door, face the “before I graduate college, I just wish I had time for /What am I going to do?” dilemma.

It is human nature, or at least my nature, to seek security, routine and comfort. Transitional periods are brutal because they force us to question every action and decision we take.

It is easy to shy away from the discomfort of uncertain situations by establishing a routine. Who m you hang out with, where you eat lunch, when you exercise and what activities you do shape your daily experience and make living here feel like home.

But my irregular college experience has given me a new perspective. You don’t want to feel uncomfortable and insecure forever, but uncertainty is also an opportunity. Transitional times give us a chance to explore, reflect and restart. We get a special chance to reconstruct the structure of our lives, and hopefully improve our experience.

During these first few weeks of school, try something different. Meet someone new. You will feel comfortable soon, just don’t waste the chance to mix things up.

I am neither a novelist nor English royalty, so I will steal Margaret Drabble’s wise words. “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” Embrace uncertainty.