Hey guys my name is Bri
(Brianna) Whitaker and I am a freshman here at SMSU. I am an Exercise Science major and I am looking into becoming a physical therapist. I am originally from
Brookings, SD which is about an hour away from Marshall. I have only been at
SMSU for a little over a month, but I have to say this past month has been a
great experience! The days keep flying by and its crazy to think that there are only 42 days (approximately) left in the semester!
As an incoming freshman,
college can be kind of terrifying. What if I go to the wrong class? What if I
sleep through my seven alarms? What if I don’t meet anyone? And the questions
are never ending. Don’t worry about not meeting anyone because you will meet at
least ten people within the first 2 days that you didn’t know before you moved
in. The best part about move-in weekend is that there are people who willingly
help carry your stuff up the stairs. There are also so many activities planned
for the weekend as well and you hardly ever spend time just sitting in your
room. Saying goodbye to your parents is hard, even if you have been convincing
yourself you’re ready to leave, but adjusting to college life is easier than
you expect.
Balancing a schedule can
be both easy and difficult. You may feel swamped by the number of classes you
are taking this semester, the feeling that you need to find a job, all of the
different clubs and organizations you want to join, and by all of the sporting
events that are taking place. You may feel like you don’t have time to do
everything without feeling overwhelmed. I came to SMSU with 3 credit hours and
I am currently taking 14 credit hours, I work in the Admission Office, I am an
SMSU Ambassador, and I am a member of the SMSU Dance Team. At first I was so
worried about how much time I would actually have to go to sporting events,
hang out with new friends, and most importantly, if I was going to ever get
enough sleep. But don’t worry, there are so many ways to balance a schedule and
be involved at SMSU, that there will be days where you are just sitting there
asking yourself so now what can I do for the next 3 hours. The stress of
college seems so much worse in movies than it is in real life.
This past month at SMSU
has made the transition from being around my family 24/7 to seeing them every 3
weeks so much easier. Even though I’m an hour away, I still have plan filled
weekends where I simply don’t have time to go home. It is nice to see my family
but it’s also nice when you have plans on the weekends with the new people you
have met since move-in weekend. I have really enjoyed this last month and it’s
safe to say I love being a Mustang!
