The transition from high school to college can be overwhelming, especially when it means moving states away from home and suddenly being surrounded by unfamiliar faces. For many Northwestern freshmen, the first few weeks come with feelings of imposter syndrome and the pressure to figure everything out right away.
But students are finding ways to work through that early uncertainty by keeping a positive mindset, connecting with people who share their interests and finding outlets beyond campus to alleviate stress.
Much of that process begins during Wildcat Welcome — a packed week of orientation events meant to help students get settled into life at NU. It’s a mix of meeting new people, learning about the campus community and getting a first taste of NU traditions, like walking through the Weber Arch and cheering on the Wildcats at a home football game.
But once orientation ends and classes start the following week, the stress can start to creep in.
“It was really overwhelming to start over,” Medill freshman Carly Ellermeyer said.
Coming from a “fairly small” public school in New Jersey, Ellermeyer was used to knowing most of her classmates and being involved in several clubs and leadership roles. Now, entering a larger school, she described the transition as going “right back to the bottom,” having to readjust to not knowing anyone and join entirely new clubs.
It was also a shift, she said, to be surrounded by so many students who highly prioritize academics. Ellermeyer said she felt like her peers were already far along in their academic paths and more experienced in their fields.
But she has since found ways to move past those feelings of imposter syndrome. What’s helped, Ellermeyer said, is changing her mindset: realizing that everyone brings something different to the table and that being smart doesn’t look the same for everyone.
Rather than comparing herself to others, she’s learned to embrace her own strengths.
“Everyone is a different kind of smart,” Ellermeyer said. “Even if you’re not textbook intelligent, people have skills here that I would have never imagined.”
She said she’s made some friends, but is still looking forward to meeting more people through shared interests — something that’s worked well for others.
Weinberg freshman Carissa Ye said she didn’t have to put much effort into branching out at her small, all-girls private high school. Arriving at NU, Ye said she was suddenly thrown into a much larger environment.
She’s come to learn that finding people with similar interests and people she can recognize in classes or clubs has helped with that.
“It’s always nice to be able to see a familiar face in a huge lecture,” Ye said.
She met many of those familiar faces through her peer adviser group — a cohort of about 14 students from her undergraduate school, led by an older student — that students are placed into during Wildcat Welcome.
Ye added that attending dorm events and getting to know people on her floor has also played a big role in helping her feel more settled. Ayers Hall, the residential college in the Northeast Area of campus that she lives in, hosted events like watch parties for “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and a poker night in the first week, opportunities where residents had the chance to meet each other.
“(Events) at the residential college have been a very big part in me feeling more comfortable and feeling more at home,” Ye said.
McCormick freshman Nathaniel Allen said putting himself out there and being open to different activities on campus has helped him find those connections as well.
Allen said the stress started to build as classwork piled up during the first week, but staying active and spending time outside has helped him keep a positive mindset amid the pressure.
“I was trying to stay outside, just stay out of my dorm,” Allen said. “I want my dorm to just be a place where I rest.”
He’s found small ways to explore campus and city life, creating a list of “side quests” to keep his college experience fun. His list includes biking along Lake Shore Drive and checking out museums in Chicago.
Allen said he’s still in the early stages of his freshman year and doesn’t have everything figured out yet, but is confident things will get easier with time.
His advice for other freshmen?
“Trust me, it’s going to be okay,” Allen said.
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