Living My Best Life from the Comfort of My Room
Written by: Shanelle Mitchell
College Students: Parties, extracurricular activities, clubs, a lot of social interaction
Introverts: “Home is where the heart is!”
Ever since high school, I had an idea of the typical college experience: parties, fun and obscure adventures, and times dedicated to grabbing a bite after class. From going to a college preparatory school to college applications to college tours and campus visits, my entire high school experience revolved around college, college, and more college. I never expressed much excitement except for gaining independence and maybe a better sense of my identity. The friends and the social life would be a plus. I can’t lie. I was nervous about college for a few reasons, but mainly for the typical college experience. I prefer spending time with my roommate and occasionally a few other friends. If I’m not in class or grabbing something to eat afterward, you can find me in my room blasting R&B music, procrastinating on schoolwork (but still somehow getting it done), and breaking out in dance at random times throughout the day.
People often don’t talk about how “regular” the college experience can be daily. And of course, it’s all dependent on the person, but what I wanted to know from other college students is – is it just me? Am I the only one who barely does anything outside of class and getting work done for school? There’s nothing like going home during breaks from college and getting questions like “how’s college life?” or “did you make any new friends yet?” As much as I would want to, it’s probably good to note that sometimes anxiety or the comfort of having alone time can be enough for me. So, I interviewed a few people (and fellow introverts) I know to get a sense of their college experience and give some insight into what that looks like for them.
Alexis Nicholson, a junior at the University of Buffalo, studying Biology with a concentration in neuroscience, considers herself somewhere between an introvert and an extrovert. She values social interactions with people and can find herself being the center of attention - she says that “she knows how to command a room.” However, she does have her introverted moments.
But does her college experience live up to her expectations? Nicholson shares,” My idea of the college experience does not match the life I’m living now. That can be attributed to me focusing on what’s important and sort of settling down, in a way. I have more responsibilities as well.” Before she attended college, she rarely thought about the college experience, minus her expectations of “a boarding school for adults with a lot of parties.” Her daily routine consists of going to class, grabbing something to eat for lunch, going back to her apartment to hang out with friends, and getting some homework done. On the weekends, she likes to watch basketball on TV and listen to music in her spare time.
It is important to occasionally take moments and think – Am I satisfied with life? What can I do to make it better? To some, college may feel like it’s coming and going fast. But, Nicholson says, “My college/social life is fulfilling. Sometimes exhausting and overstimulating.” In this fast-paced world, even in our campus bubble, things can feel like everything is happening simultaneously. But remember that it’s okay to slow down sometimes, take time to recharge, and don’t always feel like you must do everything all at once. Take it one day at a time! Most importantly, find your way to debrief from a stressful environment, even though it may not look like everyone else’s.
A word of advice from Nicholson: “Prioritize yourself. Early on, try to find a balance between academics and nonacademics. Then, focus on what’s important.”
Cody Chronister
Film Major
Cody Chronister is a film major at Drexel University and an introvert. Long story short, he doesn’t mind going to school and coming back to do work and just spending time by himself. He says, “I enjoy my free time and need to be alone to recharge.” And for all the introverts out there, you know that it’s true. Having all the time to ourselves is a big thing, and we are okay with limited interactions. Chronister’s daily routine consists of “grabbing food at the dining hall, returning to [his] dorm to play video games, watch movies or tv, or completing homework assignments.” Additionally, he talked about staying in touch with friends outside of college, so not having a big group of friends in college is not such a bad thing for him.
So, if you ever wondered, “Am I the only one that spends ample time with myself?” Now you know the answer. You’re definitely not the only one because we all do it sometimes. Of course, some more than others, but it’s completely normal to have a routine that keeps you to yourself throughout most of your day.
Cody’s advice: “[Do] not be afraid to talk to your peers and sometimes be the first to reach out. Your classmates will probably be cool people you will get along with better than you think.”
Zakiyah Harrison
Game Design Major
Zakiyah Harrison is a game design major at Drexel University. She also defines herself as an introvert: “I get socially drained with being around people, and because I’m an only child, I’m very okay with being by myself all of the time.” Her expectations of the college experience were going to parties and more social interactions. Her everyday college routine is “a lot of working more than [she] thought [she] would… [Her] day in the life is waking up, maybe doing homework, go to class, come back, do more homework, and maybe chill at night if [she] doesn’t have too much homework to do.”
Being part of the class of 2024, integrating on campus and the start of our college experience was different than before the pandemic. The first year of classes was online, and Harrison revealed that “the pandemic made it harder to integrate on campus because she couldn’t move in during freshman year.” I wanted to know if Harrison would do anything differently regarding the start of her college experience on campus.
Her advice: “Join clubs while you can before your schedule gets fully packed with classes, group meetings, and everything else.”
Nina Wade
Film Major
Finally, I interviewed my roommate, Nina Wade, a film major at Drexel University. We got into an in-depth discussion on how she went from being more of an extrovert when she was younger to now being an introvert as a college student. The biggest thing for her is that her experience trying to make new friends in high school was not good. Often, she felt unlucky not being accepted into specific spaces, so she stopped trying. Now, she puts herself out there less when making new friends or interacting with people. Although for her, it can be more on a case-by-case basis.
Before becoming a college student, her idea of college was based on the movie Project X, which portrayed the college party experience intensely and stereotypically. Think jocks, a few mean girls, nerds, and the quirky protagonist you see in almost every teen drama movie. Due to her experiences in high school, she wanted to avoid stereotypical people and situations in college, and in her words – “let’s not rehash the past!”
Overall, Wade felt that she had reached “serenity” related to not always going out or being the most social person because she doesn’t feel the need to be. She thought she had to relearn how to interact with people to connect with others – mainly due to the pandemic. Relating to her social interactions on and off campus, she described her mental health as “an up and down rollercoaster.” She went from having a larger group of friends in high school to only having a select few in college.
Nina advises, “Try and test your limits; go past what you are comfortable with but take some time to yourself.”
And then there’s me. Realizing that what everybody said is true. Circumstances change based on the times, and there are things we can and can’t control. College is a time when there are so many aspects that you are directly in control of that you might not have had before college. As an introvert, I choose to be in my own space and always keep to myself. Trust me, me by myself is already chaotic enough. I think I can speak for most introverts when I say that we value the people we share our space with, but we also need time to recharge. So yes, it is fulfilling if you can handle it. And to all introverts, continue to live your best life. Make sure you’re happy with them – whatever that looks like for you.