Starting college doesn’t always look the way you expect it to. For junior Jaeonna Shelton, her first year at The University of Olivet was a journey from feeling unsure and staying in her comfort zone to finding her academic passion, getting involved and discovering a community that felt like home. During Olivet’s Transition Ceremony for first-year students and their families, Jaeonna shared what she wishes she had known when she was sitting in those same seats a few years ago.
Here’s her advice, in her own words.
My name is Jaeonna Shelton. I’m a junior here at The University of Olivet, and I am studying writing and publication.
That basically means I’ve survived a couple of years of college, so I’d like to think I’ve learned at least something by now. I’m excited to meet you guys, hear about your experiences, and hopefully help make your first year a little easier.
Not just by giving you tips and tricks about college, but by showing my vulnerability by opening up and telling you my personal experiences here at Olivet.
When I came here, it was a late decision, and all I knew was that I was coming here to be a cheerleader. So that also means, school-wise, I came undecided.
At the start of my freshman year, I was in the exact seats you were in. Listening to the same kinds of things … but was I really listening to what was being told? Truthfully no.
It was all going in one ear and out the other because I was focused on short-term goals — partying, hanging around, and old habits — instead of making my long-term goals a priority.
It was also a struggle for me to get out of my comfort zone. I was in my room every chance I got. Not participating in school activities. I wonder why I didn’t like college.
I wasn’t as active in classes because I didn’t know what I wanted to study or why I was going to school. I went from undecided to media production, to landing in my final destination with writing and publication.
(Tip: If you’re stuck not knowing what to study, try everything till you get a spark of something that feels natural and makes you happy. Because at the end of the day you’re trying to make yourself a career.)
Once I found my spark, college started not to look so bad after all.
I went from being a vampire to a social butterfly. And did a whole 360.
I found activities like, for example, The Garfield Lake Review, which is our literary journal here at Olivet—welcoming new members! I started to meet new people all around campus; I joined a sorority on campus, Nu Gamma Xi Inc., which is Olivet’s first multicultural sorority.
Nu Gamma also showed me what having a home away from home is. It also taught me a big life lesson that I will take beyond college … and that’s to bite the bullet.
That’s something that was the hardest part about changing. And It’s okay if things feel unfamiliar. Give yourself time to adjust—you’re building a new normal.
A tree starts as the same space as grass, but it does not finish in the same place.
You may have asked someone in college about their experiences, for example, “Well, how is this in college…” or “Is it as hard as people make it?” And honestly, I don’t think anyone has the answer.
College is what you make it, and everyone’s story is different. College is hard work, but remember, “pressure makes diamonds”.