My freshman days here at Hope are numbered. There are eight days until my mom scoops me up in her minivan and we head home. Move-In Day seems both years away and also as if it were only last week. Here’s how I’m preparing myself to leave school, and how you can begin to prepare yourself to come to Hope.
Physical Preparation
I can’t really move anything around in my room yet, since I don’t have boxes or suitcases. The most I can really do is take the stuff on my wall down, but that would be sad.
Academic Preparation
Studying. As much as it hurts, we all have to do it. Finals start here on Monday, and that’s when I have my hardest exam. At least I’m getting it out of the way, right? Sure.
Mental Preparation
Telling myself that I’m going to go four months without being at Hope is pretty hard. That’s a long time to be away from people I’ve lived with and seen pretty much every day this year. I guess the way to prepare for this is just to remind myself that it’s happening, but there are plenty of great things that await me this summer.
So how can a prospective student prepare to come to Hope?
Physical Preparation
Take lots of photos (I think I’ve said this a million times, which just shows that it’s important), print them before you come. Maybe get some cute dorm supplies, do a few DIYs, buy some stuff from the Hope Bookstore. It’s important that you feel at home while you’re here. Start doing little things on your own if you don’t already, like your laundry or other independent tasks. This will make the transition feel a little bit more natural.
Academic Preparation
Don’t slack off just because you’re a senior. You’ll be back to the books, with more material than ever, when you come to Hope. Make sure you keep your brain moving! Maybe check out a few books this summer just to get those juices flowing.
Mental Preparation
It didn’t seem real to me until the night before move-in what was actually happening to me. I didn’t realize how scary it was, although exciting as well, to be leaving home and my family. You could say that I had a mini panic attack in my bed that night. Just soak up every moment and don’t take things for granted, because soon you’ll be on your own (which I think is definitely a good thing now). I think it’s important to remind yourself every once in a while that you are leaving.
I hope you’re all enjoying these last weeks of April as we here at Hope college wind down and hit the books. We loved seeing all the prospective students this past Saturday. Go Hope 🙂
Brooke
If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!