So You Think You Can Senior: Freaky Freshman to Sizzlin’ Senior

We went from “red bags” touring the Texas Tech campus to freshmen in college.

I remember thinking I had to look perfect on the first day of college, just like high school. I was also hoping I could find my classes and not embarrass myself by walking into the wrong class.

I now know I looked like a freak because I was dressed nicely. When I stepped foot on campus I saw people in T-shirts, Nike shorts and Chacos.

I thought to myself, “How do people not care about their appearances?” But some other first-year students in my classes were decently dressed, so I was glad to not be the only one.

Natalie Morales/ The Hub@TTU

A selfie from my freshman year at Texas Tech. Natalie Morales/ The Hub@TTU

I had an 8 a.m. dance class my first semester, and my apartment was not close to campus. I had to leave an hour before to get on the bus, and I still did my makeup before! Looking back, I have no idea how I did that.

I put an effort into my appearance during my freshman year in case my prince charming bumped into me on campus. I also joined a student organization so I did not feel like a loner, and I am glad I did.

Juliet Wallace, a first-year dance and pre-med major, said she has loved the transition to college, especially making new friends.

“It actually ended up being way more inviting than I thought it would be,” Wallace said. “People were so nice, and I was used to catty high school girls. I was very surprised at how nice people were.”

But as far as academics go, Wallace felt that high school, even AP classes, did not prepare her for college.

“I didn’t know how to study until I got to college, and I should have learned that a long time ago,” Wallace said.

Wallace said she never went through a skipping class phase during her freshman year because she was always too scared to miss class and felt she couldn’t because she was paying for tuition.

“Even if I went out the night before, I would still get up for my 8 a.m. somehow,” Wallace said.

Fast forward to senior year… and it is a different story.

I prefer an extra 30 minutes of sleep instead of getting ready. I try to be somewhat put together now for class so transitioning into adult life is easier, but it does not happen every day.

In the years between, “getting ready” never happened. I was slob kabob central.

I would not be embarrassed walking into the wrong class now. Instead, I would laugh at myself.

Picture taken by Megan Crane.

Megan Crane took this picture of me during my senior year.

I try to make time for fun because I want to enjoy my last year as a college student. But if I have a major exam coming up, I will lock myself in my apartment for the weekend to study.

I hardly ever make it down to the Depot District as I did in my freshman year, and now I would never step foot on that nasty, beer-spilled, awful mess of Conference.

You can probably find me at Chimy’s when I am out, and after, I usually go to Cricket’s, Mesquite’s or Local. I prefer these bars so I am not around underclassmen who do not know how to handle themselves.

I have different friends than I did in my first year, with the exception of a few, who are now my best friends.

Kaitlyn Hopper, a senior dance major, also has different friends now but said she has never had a “falling out” with anyone she met during college.

“It’s really hard with the major that I’m in to maintain friend groups that are outside of it, just because I have to dedicate so much time,” Hopper said.

She said she still cares about all of her friends and they are important to her, but she does not have much time to hang out with them.

So being in one’s first year in college versus being a senior year is basically like living two different lives.

By her senior year, Wallace hopes to grow as an artist, a choreographer and a dancer.

“I hope I’m more sure of myself just as a person, what I want do or what I want to aspire to do,” Wallace said. “I hope I have a little more confidence just in making decisions.”

This is just how it worked out for Hopper. As the years went on, she became more aware of who she was. She now feels that she can stand up for herself and her beliefs.

“In college, I feel like this is hard for a lot of people,” Hopper said, “but I know for me it was hard to trust who I was, and it was hard for me to be confident in who I was.”

Looking back, I ask myself a lot of questions.

Why would I wear that? Why would I post that on social media? Why did I think my makeup looked cute? Why was my sense of style so awful?

I still do not know the answers, but I do know you live and you learn.

You gain more confidence. You know who you are and what you stand for. You bloom like a flower. You become more mature in the decisions you make. And you get your priorities straight.

Fish, just keep swimming. It is a long way to the end, but you will make it!

And now, cheers to being an adult, with lessons learned from freshman year!

About Natalie Morales

Natalie Morales, a senior Journalism student, graduates in May of 2016. She has always loved English classes, and writing, and is now pursuing it as a career. She hopes to get a job as a news reporter for a television station in West Texas so that she stays close to home. She wants to eventually be an anchor in a top market.