I’ll admit that the title of this blog post sounds a little bit like a video game tagline, and I know it’s cheesy, but the message still stands. In a short month and a half, you’ll embark on the first semester of your college career. It’s a huge milestone, and a massive transition. Especially considering how crazy these past few months have been for you all, another big change is exciting, but potentially scary!

My name is Rachael, and I’m a rising 5th year student at Towson. You’ll probably see me around a lot, and I’ll take some time at the end to introduce myself more thoroughly, but in the meantime, I want to take some time to discuss this important change in your life. Whether you are an incoming freshman starting college for the first time, or a new transfer student transitioning to a new college, Towson is about to become a very important place and community in your life.

Personally, I was really scared for that transition. A bad experience in a summer pre-college program before I left High School left me terrified, to the point of assuming that perhaps I shouldn’t go to college at all. I spent the summer leading up to my first semester of college not celebrating or dying to head out, but dreading it. I was scared for move in, for classes, for meeting people. I had found a roommate that I liked, but I was still very afraid that something would go terribly wrong, that I wouldn’t make friends, and that I would spend four straight years hiding out in my dorm room, avoiding everybody. My future felt very bleak.

I share that because at the time, I felt very alone in those concerns. I knew that other students might be nervous, but for the most part, all I saw was excitement and enthusiasm. As for me? I felt like I had finally just found my place in High School, and now I had to leave it for a whole new place where I might not fit in. That was terrifying, and it wasn’t really the type of thing you excitedly post on social media as you count down the days to move in and classes starting.

I hope that most of you are really excited to come to Towson, but I also understand that many of you may be nervous. Maybe you’re feeling a mix of both things, and probably a bunch of other emotions complicated by recent world events that likely impacted your final semester at your previous school. Those feelings are extraordinarily complex, and extremely valid.

As for me? Well, I’m happy to say that my bleak expectations for my life at college could not have been further from what actually happened. I immediately made friends through Honors Orientation, my roommate has become one of my best friends, and I quickly established myself in my new job. Since my freshman year, I’ve picked up two more jobs (my dream jobs, I might add!), joined the Orchestra, participated in ASL Club every so often, and changed my major a bunch. It took awhile for me to find my way, but I am so grateful to have ended up here, and I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish and survive since I arrived.

I am determined to help all of you get the same positive experience that I have found here. I am committed to ensuring that you all get the same welcome to ease your transition, and that you’ll be able to quickly establish yourself as a strong, successful member of Towson and its Honors community. Those incessant nerves I felt in the months leading up to college are exactly why I do this– I know how complicated and scary this transition can be, and I want to be there for other students, giving them the same positive first impressions and welcoming atmosphere that was created for me when I got here. Whether you’re excited to come to Towson, scared, or both, I am here for you, and I cannot wait to get to know all of you.

Had you told High School Senior me that within four years, she’ll have actually survived the transition to college, made a bunch of friends, started her dream job, learned an entirely new language, and given a TED talk….I don’t think I would’ve believed you! But my favorite thing about Towson, and about college in general, is that there are just so many random, unexpected opportunities that you can come by. If you’re passionate about what you do and what you love, you’ll find those too. My advice? Go for them. Take them, and run. Worst case, you can say you tried, but best case, you’ve got a really awesome experience and a resume builder. Towson Honors students really have a knack for this, and the Honors College loves to support students with anything they may aspire to try or to be. (You can check out this page for stories of some of these Honors students).

The purpose of this website, my project, is to help ease your transition and build your excitement and enthusiasm for coming to Towson. I know that many of you were not able to visit campus before making your final decision to come here, so I have done my best to build a place that could help you get a sense for what Towson, the Honors College, and our community is like. We cannot wait to welcome you here when the time comes, but in the meantime, I hope that you’ll enjoy learning more about our campus, students, and lives from our perspectives. This isn’t from a staff perspective, this is all students– we’ve lived through it and learned a lot along the way, so this website is designed to share our knowledge and our love for our campus with all of you. Every week, we’ll post another blog post (like this one) each written by an Honors student– that way, you’ll hear from more voices than just my own! Our Honors community is vibrant and eager to share their stories and thoughts with you all.

I hope you’ll enjoy, and I really look forward to meeting you all in person soon!

 

Rachael Daudelin is a fifth-year student at Towson, studying Deaf Studies and Psychology with a minor in English. She works as an Honors College Student Director for Recruitment and a Student Academic Advisor in the Academic Advising Center on campus. After graduation, she hopes to continue working with and helping students through a full time Advising, Admissions, or other University position.  You can read more about her or contact her by reading her bio here.