Transitioning into Manhattan
August 24, 2009
I’ve learned many things this year in college apart from my studies to become a broadcast journalist: what the perfect water-to-cheese ratio is for making the best tasting Easy Mac, how to shave my legs in a slippery closet-like shower without falling over, but most importantly, how to thrive and survive in a completely different and new environment.
Coming in as a freshman, I was clueless about everything imaginable. I’ve never lived on my own before and suddenly made the crazy, yet ambitious choice to become independent in one of the most populated cities in the world. Making the transition from the small-town, countrified girl living in Upstate New York to the street savvy and knowledgeable Manhattan resident and Pace University student I am now wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.
Before coming to Pace, I never did my own laundry, my bedroom was so messy it should’ve been labeled “WARNING: TORNADO ZONE”, and I never stayed in Manhattan for more than one-day at a time. Within the first few weeks, I taught myself how to do the simple task of washing my dirty clothes and quickly taught others, consistently kept my room as neat as a pin and helped my floormates organize their rooms to be as clutter-free as mine, and can now give tourists directions on how to get wherever they need to go.
Combined with all the other tasks I’ve learned and the life experiences I’ve gone through this past year, I can honestly say I feel like a true New Yorker and an adult.
I’ll admit, I still have much to learn. I’m always getting lost on the subway, I don’t know how to tell apart a knock-off Louis Vuitton bag sold in Chinatown from a real one on 5th Ave, and no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to pinpoint or pull off any sort of New Yorker fashion sense. Although I’m only in my sophomore year, the experiences that I’ve had thus far at Pace University in Manhattan have been some of the most worthwhile and educational I could ever imagine.
Transitioning into Manhattan, in addition to a college environment, may have any incoming student or parent feeling a little uneasy. My best advice: relax, learn, and enjoy the fun ride! College is one of the best experiences one will ever have and doing it at Pace will make it even better. I promise.
I’ll admit, I still have much to learn. I’m always getting lost on the subway, I don’t know how to tell apart a knock-off Louis Vuitton bag sold in Chinatown from a real one on 5th Ave, and no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to pinpoint or pull off any sort of New Yorker fashion sense. Although I’m only in my sophomore year, the experiences that I’ve had thus far at Pace University in Manhattan have been some of the most worthwhile and educational I could ever imagine.
Transitioning into Manhattan, in addition to a college environment, may have any incoming student or parent feeling a little uneasy. My best advice: relax, learn, and enjoy the fun ride! College is one of the best experiences one will ever have and doing it at Pace will make it even better. I promise.
-Kaitlynn
