Opinion | The many emotions you will feel during your college years — and some of my personal experiences

Your years in college are the years where you experience a wide variety of emotions — maybe a few too many emotions. You lose friends, experience heartbreak and do poorly on exams. But there is always more to it than just the bad things. You’ll join clubs, meet amazing people, go out with friends, do great in classes and much more. If one bad thing happens to you during your college years, it isn’t the end of the world. You may think it is, like I did, but it is completely normal. 

Emotion one: Joy

I remember my first day moving into my Tower A dorm first year. My parents and I waited for hours just to be able to take the elevator up to the fourth floor with my cart full of items waiting to be unpacked in that shoebox of a dorm. Living in that tiny room was a pain, but 

I miss it sometimes. I especially miss the memories I made in that room.

That first day of move-in, I was so excited to meet my roommate. When we both finished unpacking and our parents left, all we did was talk for the rest of the night. We went to the Milkshake Factory and walked around campus. We both were so open to each other about our pasts, important events and big changes in our lives — it felt like I had known her for years.

Welcome Week was amazing for me. I met more people and went to the Welcome Week activities with them. My first ever Pitt football game was also coming up, and getting to the game was so exciting. The energy from the students was absolutely incredible — I was so happy to be in Pittsburgh.

Emotion two: Excitement

I knew I wanted to do something with music when I arrived in Pittsburgh. That’s when I decided to join WPTS Radio. This radio station is full of so many amazing people, and I’ve met most of my friends that I have today because of it. At first, I felt as though I didn’t involve myself in it as much as I wanted to. I think it was because I was confused on what I wanted to do with my life, especially my life in Pittsburgh. 

I was so stuck, but I learned that it is okay to feel stuck. When you feel stuck at some point in your life, there is always something that will help you feel unstuck. That something for me was my family and friends. They all helped me figure things out, which then circled back around to me feeling more excited for what my future holds. 

Emotion three: Sadness

When spring semester of my first year came by, I admit, I felt like I didn’t like Pittsburgh too much. I had some issues with people I thought were my friends, except for two people I was very close with. My roommate told me she was going to transfer to a college closer to home, so I knew she wasn’t going to be in Pittsburgh next year. I had my other friend, though, and we knew that we wanted to be roommates sophomore year. 

Emotion four: Confusion

I was confused and scared with my college decisions my first year. Many are. My major is psychology with a minor in sociology. As a first year, I debated whether I should stick with psychology or switch to sociology or law, criminal justice and society instead. If you start to question your academic track, it’s okay. I’m a huge overthinker at times, but I did eventually figure everything out. 

Emotion five: Gratitude

Sophomore year arrived, and I decided that I would put myself out there more. I involved myself more in the radio station, which led to me becoming assistant promotions director. I, of course, kept my radio show going that I had in my first year. I met some of my best friends through the radio station, and I don’t know what I’d do without them. I also decided to join The Pitt News to get some of my writing out there. My friend encouraged me to do it, and I have met so many wonderful people at The Pitt News as well. 

Emotion six: Depression

Fall semester of sophomore year was rough for me. I had some happy moments, but I found myself in a really bad spot. I was going through something that really changed who I was as a person. It made me really think about the people that deserved to be in my life.

That was heartbreak. Everyone goes through some sort of heartbreak in college. Whether it’s with a boyfriend, girlfriend, any sort of friend or other relationship — heartbreak affects everyone. Once I got over that about a month later, I was the happiest I’ve been in a while. 

Emotion seven: Peacefulness 

Spring semester of sophomore year was absolutely incredible. I went out with my friends more, I didn’t have a bunch of stress on me — minus my one psychology class. Other than that, I felt so much more at ease physically and mentally. 

My sophomore year made me love the city of Pittsburgh more. When I left at the end of April, I started to miss it. I decided to visit Pitt again in June with a few friends. I’ll be heading back to Pittsburgh in a few weeks to move into my apartment, and I’m so excited to go back. 

Now I’m going into my junior year. I’m already halfway through, and so many different things have happened. That’s what college is all about. You have your ups and your downs.

Don’t be afraid to join a club and meet new people. Don’t be afraid to leave your dorm door open during welcome week just to have people say hi. As you go through your college years, you’ll live in dorms and apartments. You might be living in four different places — who knows? Honestly, I believe it now when people say, “Your years in college are some of the best years of your life.” I hope I can make you believe it too. 

Have questions about college? You can email Irene at inm24@pitt.edu.