Life of a College Student

Hey! My name is Melissa and I'm a college freshman at the University of
Arizona in the sunny state of Arizona. I was born and raised in Tucson, AZ and
can't imagine my life without this beautiful city. Each morning I wake up to
the beautiful mountain view and roasting hot weather and I remember why I love
it here. It is quite common in American tradition for a college student to go
away for college whether that is out of state or out of the country even. But
honestly, I have a hard time leaving on a vacation so leaving for sixth months
is not realistic for me.
College Life. It has definitely been an experience for me and quite a change
from the comfort of my parents' home. I wake up each morning in my dorm,
force open my sleep deprived eyes, and make the usual bowl of oatmeal in a
paper bowl hoping each time that it doesn't catch flame. After filling my
empty belly, I wonder around my usually messy room in search of clean clothes.
After covering my body with anything I can find, I wonder down the hall to the
bathroom for my wake up shower. Once my seemingly boring morning routine is
complete, I begin the journey to class. I hop on my bike and make my way to
dance class which begins at what seems like 4 in the morning but is really
8:00am.
Dance is my favorite past time, workout, hobby- whatever you want to call it.
It has been my passion for over 8 years now. So as early as 8:00am may seem,
it is worth the struggle to wake up to get to dance first thing in the morning.
Who wouldn't want to frolic around freely first thing each morning? I love it.
After dance, the rest of my day is a few classes and then off to work.
I work on campus, so it is a convenient 5 minute walk from pretty much anywhere.
My office is called Room and Course Scheduling and I basically sit in front of
computer for 4 hours each day and process a bunch of memos. As not mentally
stimulating as this may seem, it is a job that helps pay my rent, so I don't
complain. I also get the opportunity to work with some of the nicest people I
have met here at the U of A, so I truly can say I enjoy going to work each day.
After the usual day of class and work, I try to find a little social time.
Usually this comes in the form of food and drink.
Meals here at the U of A seem to be more about socializing than they really are about eating. As everyone filters out of their various classes, they find their friends and make
their way to the Student Union for dinner. It is rare and quite uncomfortable, in my experience, to eat dinner alone in the Union or really anywhere on campus. If I do end up going alone, I usually take my meal to-go and head home to my dorm with hope that my roommate is around to hang out. Another interesting part of dorm life- The Roommate.
I really did get lucky when it comes to my roommate. I've heard my share of
horror stories about fights between roommates and even girls moving out. My
roommate has quickly become my best friend this year. When she's not home I
am actually quite sad. On weekends we tend to be inseparable and I absolutely
love her.
The Weekends. College weekend life is by far the most fun part of the college
experience. Friday nights begin with the usually cramming of homework (for
some reason teachers love to make things due on Friday by midnight). After
that, my friends and I usually head to one of our friends' houses. A few
lucky freshmen chose to live in a house off of campus instead of a dorm. This
decision ends up being very beneficial to those of us living in dorms because
it gives us somewhere fun to go on weekends. The nightly events can range
anywhere from watching a movie to throwing a 100 person party. And either way,
it ends up being a ton of fun.
Overall, the college experience is one that I have grown to love and I'm
really happy that I made the decision to stay here in my hometown of Tucson,
AZ. I hope the experience continues to be a positive one in the years to
come.