First-year struggles to find balance

Some say the friends a person meets in college will be by their side for life — maybe they’ll help you land a job interview, or they’ll stand in as bridesmaids and groomsmen and that very wedding could have started as a college romance.

Maybe this makes me weird or behind the times, but while I have embraced college and the opportunity to meet new people, I try to keep in touch with those from high school — my friends and even some teachers.

It’s hard to face the fact that I may not see some of the students I graduated with ever again. Although coming from a small town of about 1,000 people, the chances are slim. But I’m not about to let those friendships that have accumulated for many years fade just because I now call Vermillion home nine months of the year.

The University of South Dakota is the place to find new friends, a place to start lasting, adult relationships. I’ve heard this over and over. But I don’t think means I should forget about the relationships I have created with people I spent 13 years of my life with. As the song, “My Little Girl,” by Tim McGraw says, “Chase your dreams, but always know the road that’ll lead you home again.”

I will hang on to the memories I made with my hometown friends, and I don’t think that is a bad thing or should be taken as a sign I don’t want to grow up. I shouldn’t feel afraid to reminisce when I feel a little blue or homesick, because those times will come and at least I am mature enough to admit that I miss the comforts of home. And once I realize this, I can always return to the present and focus more on the possibilities available to me at USD.

As a first-year, I am stuck answering all these questions about when to go home, how often and what will my new USD friends think about me if I go home more than they do? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I have found I have a love-hate relationship with these decisions. I am an incredibly indecisive person, it could take 15 minutes to pick out a nail color or scarf. Let’s not even get started on the topic of choosing the perfect necklace to go with that new dress.

On the weekend, I’m missing my cat, my bedroom and the fact that when I walk to the restroom, I do not have to put shoes on my feet. The chance to spend time with friends I haven’t seen in a while lingers.

On the other hand, I just met some pretty cool people, and I want to hang out and get to know them. Doesn’t a lot of the college experience occur during the weekends?

So I am stuck in this college limbo. To stay or to go as Friday rolls around. I have yet to find the answer to my weekend conundrum, but I am pretty sure I am not the only student struggling with staying in Vermillion without being tempted to return to their homes, their families and their beds for a brief reprieve from college life at USD.