A period of acclimation

Having the first term behind me feels incredibly relieving. While I've grown to enjoy life at Centre, the academic stress, which was sharply heightened during the week of final exams, has exhausted me. I'm looking forward to getting a couple of full nights of sleep over the next few days in order to recuperate from last week.

I can't say that my first term at college was exactly what I'd expected it to be. Having grown up in Tennessee, I hadn't heard much about Centre before the college selection process, and even then I didn't fully grasp the level of academic intensity that the college maintains. After completing my first term, I've learned the hard way that college will be much more difficult than I'd assumed it would be. I came to discover the true value of free time, because the average combination of professors at Centre doesn't leave you with very much. The next three and a half years of my life will necessitate a larger amount of scholastic commitment than I'd previously thought.

Not all aspects of life at school, however, are so ominous. Over the past term, I've made a strong group of friends that I know I'll maintain for years to come. Living with many of these people has created bonds just as strong as those that I had with high school friends, in about an eighth of the time. I also got to know professors on a level that I'd not anticipated. I presumed that my instructors at college would be professional and stern, but I soon discovered a level of accessibility that surprised me. My professors have been willing to meet with me out of class to discuss basically any topic that vaguely pertains to the current subject matter. Through these interactions, I've made connections that will certainly be helpful in the long run.

I'd also say that I'm fairly satisfied with the living conditions that I've created for myself at Centre. Though our dorms are a little old, to say the least, my roommate and I have managed to spruce ours up as much as we can, so that it at least resembles a living area. If I ever need some exercise, the workout facility is less than three minutes away by foot. Food at Cowan (the dining hall) can definitely get repetitive, but the "flex-dollars" that each student has gives opportunity for variety at the other dining facilities.

All in all, my first term has been a period of acclimation. I feel like I now know the school pretty well, so perhaps my second term will be focused on finding my specific niche in Centre's environment. Now I'm on winter break until January 3, so I don't have much to worry about until then. After grades come out on December 13, I should be able to rest at ease until the start of CentreTerm.