One of the scariest parts of going to college for me was making friends. This is something I have always struggled with, and since I was going to Ithaca College (2664.4 miles away), it meant that I would be going in knowing absolutely no one. I was terrified, and thanks to Covid, my first semester was at home on Zoom. I felt extremely isolated and spent the majority of my spring semester with my roommate in my dorm, using the snow as an excuse to stay inside. Seasonal depression is real. I finally got to the point where I needed to leave my dorm room and do something other than class.
Things truly changed for me when I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a random person I had followed with “IC ’24” in their bio. They had posted an opportunity where cast and crew members were needed for their ICTV show about gay mermaids. As a lover of the hit TV show H2O: Just Add Water, I eagerly signed up for the show as head of costumes. The person whose Instagram I had seen this opportunity on is now my best friend, and we live next door to one another.
Joining activities on campus is one of the best ways to meet people. Thanks to my new friend, I was introduced to the IC Trans Discord server and met all of my closest friends at a three-day Lord of the Rings extended edition movie watch. I also signed up to help at the music school audition days and met a few people from the fraternity of which I am now the vice president. In fact, the reason I have the Big I have is because she was at that event and we got along so well. This also helped me a ton academically as some of my fraternity siblings have tutored me in Music Theory and Aural Skills. It also helps your grades when you know people in the class. Sometimes it’s the people you know who gets you out of bed and gets you to go to class. Some of my closest friends are also coworkers from my on-campus job, which makes every aspect of being a RA significantly more enjoyable.
Signing up for things that just seem interesting can be life-changing. When I came to Ithaca, I was still cis, had no friends, and was very intimidated by the prospect of being a music student. Since then I have realized I am nonbinary, I have some very close friends that I love a ton, and I am currently preparing for my Junior Recital. I would not be where I am right now if I had not signed up for all of these extracurriculars. Although there are some days when I regret having all of these extra commitments, they are also the reason I have so many amazing people in my life. They keep me safe and grounded, and I definitely would not have survived the past few years without them.
So the next time you see an Instagram post for a Discord for your class or an organization fair is being hosted on campus, go. Even if you don’t know anyone and you don’t think you will have a good time, I promise you, eventually you will meet some really cool people and they will make your college experience significantly more enjoyable.
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Gwyneth (they/them) graduated from Blair High School with an IB Diploma in 2020. They are currently a junior at Ithaca College majoring in vocal performance, with an outside field in theater and a minor in jazz. Gwyneth is a Senior Resident Assistant and the current Vice President of Membership for the Epsilon chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. Gwyneth first became involved with CAP when they attended CAP’s SAT prep course and then became a regular at the after school drop-in program. CAP helped them with financial aid and college applications which greatly assisted Gwyneth when they were applying to colleges. As part of the Advisory Council, Gwyneth hopes to assist others in their journeys and transitions to college, as CAP helped them.