By: Haydn Elmore | August 22, 2022
As the semester comes to a start, I would like to take this opportunity to take a walk-through of my experience being a first-year student in 2021-2022 at the University at Albany and what it was like starting and finishing an entire school year here.
(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
To start things off, I started my school year here back in the Fall of 2021 as a transfer student. I had graduated from a community college and obtained an associate degree in digital media. I’m currently attending UAlbany to obtain a bachelor's degree in journalism, in addition to having a minor in film studies.
Now since I started in the fall, the pandemic was still at its high points and thus classes required all of us to wear masks at all times. Surprisingly enough, all of my classes were in person so I didn’t have to deal with not being able to go to class in person for the most part or having my semester being ruined by an uncontrollable event.
It was a struggle to get around campus at first, with it being a big campus and all, and it does take a lot of walking to get to different classes because they’re all spread out. I mean, on my first day it took me 40 minutes to find where I parked. But afterwards it became easier for me to navigate campus and the classes I had.
During my first year of UAlbany, I was able to make some great friends, do well in my classes, and even landed myself as a member of the Albany Student Press. Here, I got the chance to get a taste of what it is like in the journalism world and share what I love with the rest of the campus. I was also given the opportunity to meet some great people within the press that can give me tips on editing and expanding my thoughts for my pieces to make them as engaging and detailed as possible.
Overall, my first year at UAlbany was something special. It wasn't all perfect, especially when it came to the amount of school I had to deal with constantly and it can be hard for my personal mental health at times. But the feeling of going to a new school that’s close to my hometown, meeting new people, and exploring a career field that I want to be involved with after college is nothing short of exciting. I simply can’t wait to continue my time here before I graduate in the fall of 2023, and see what else life at UAlbany has in store.
To close this piece, I would like to give some advice to those who are starting UAlbany in the future and are confused about how to get through it all. Take your time, enjoy it while you can, show up to your classes, join clubs that spark your interests, build great friendships, and have a good time. Because those college years will be gone before you know it, and you should try your very best to make the best moments last.
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