By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
The fall semester is now in full swing, and over a month has already passed, which is a huge accomplishment for everyone – especially the first-year students.
This is typically a tough time of year for not only the parents having to say goodbye to their kids leaving for school, but for the students as well. This is the first time a majority of students are living on their own, so the adjustment can definitely feature some turbulence. While the initial adjustment to college can be a little bit terrifying, first year student Liam Reilly seemed to be adapting rather quickly.
“I think after the first few days I got really used to it because I just like how open it is. You’re not seeing the same people every day, you’re not doing the same things every day,” Reilly said. “With Springfield College you’re always doing a lot more things.”
For others, adjusting can be challenging. First years Hayden Cheever and Savanna Harvey experienced a more difficult transition to college life.
“I think it started out pretty rough,” Harvey said. “It was hard leaving home, it was hard learning to live on my own, and it was hard coming to college where I had no friends.”
However, Harvey’s participation on the field hockey team made the transition much easier.
“Being a fall athlete, I moved in early and got to adjust before everyone else did. And I also had a built- in family and built-in friends because of my teammates,” she said.
As for Cheever, the process of getting settled in was pretty similar.
“I don’t know if it was that I was away from home, or that I was just still trying stuff and finding my group, but that was a tough time,” Cheever said. “But I think now I definitely would say I’m adjusted. I’m feeling pretty solid.”
While these students have had somewhat different experiences getting settled, they have an overall similarity in that they are all from New England. Reilly is an hour away in Connecticut, and Harvey (Maine) and Cheever (Vermont) are about three hours away. All of these distances are close enough where if they need their parents to show up at school, they can. However, for first year student Danny Brady, that is not the case.
Brady is from Denver, Colorado, which is almost 1,900 miles from Springfield College. This adjustment is certainly bigger than most students coming to Springfield.
“It’s just a completely new experience for me, you know what I mean? I mean I don’t know anyone out here. It’s like starting your life all over in a way, you know what I mean? I’m the only one I know out here. I don’t know anyone. So it’s been a big adjustment,” said Brady.
Brady is also someone that is very close to his friends and family, so the appeal to come to Springfield was not the length from home.
“I miss them a lot. I have some good friends back home, but the sport management program that they offer here is what brought me all the way out here. That’s not offered anywhere in Colorado.”
Photo Courtesy Springfield College