My sense of disorientation reached a breaking point after classes began.
AS SOON AS I RECEIVED MY ACCEPTANCE letter to college, I began to imagine what my first semester would be like. I saw college as a welcome change of scenery, because of the size of the school (much bigger than my high school), the athletic and academic opportunities, and its geographical location—the college was several hundred miles away from my home in Missouri. I looked forward to instantly making many new and interesting friends, as well as having an awesome season as part of the cross-country running team. I was also excited about being able to study subjects that really interested me and to define a major course of study for myself. I spent the end of my senior year in high school and most of my summer with these thoughts and plans.
When I finally arrived on campus in August to begin crosscountry camp a week before classes started, I was thrilled. I felt like I was really growing up.
