How long does the settling in period last?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
1

<p>I want some former UVA freshmen to post about their settling in experience last year. The questions I have are:</p>

<p>1 How long does settling last for students, especially those in the engineering school?</p>

<p>2 Should I be panicked right now if I don't have all of my textbooks yet? I have most of them (including core ones like calc and apma), but readings have already been assigned in engineering 162, a class I have not purchased books for yet. I am thinking of buying books for that class from amazon.com today.</p>

<p>3 When should I stop trying to meet new people? Is 3 weeks the optimal time for meeting people and forming lifelong friendships? I have been slow so far in meeting new people, and doing things with them. I have only managed to get to the hey what's up you're in my hall level.</p>

<p>Thanks for reading and I look forward to the replies.</p>

2

<p>okay i'm not a former first year but I'll take a crack at it.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It depends on the student. I was settled by the second day and was comfortable but other people I know are still not comfortable and are extremely homesick. So, it really depends upon you. Time to "get settled" varies, and when you're done, you'll know. Let things run their course.</p></li>
<li><p>No don't be panicked. If your assigned a reading from a textbook, you may be able to go to the library and find your book there. If not, find someone in your class and see if they would be willing to lend you a textbook when you need it until your books come in.</p></li>
<li><p>Never. You meet people throughout college. Hell, you meet them all your life. Take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves and don't pay attention to the timing. Whether you hit it off with someone in your first year or fourth year, it shouldn't affect if you'll be life long friends with them. If your slow in meeting people, that's fine. It's honestly not a big deal. Remember it's only the FIRST week. You have a lot of weeks left to make new friends. So again, just let life run it's course. :) I tend to say hi to whoever is around me so I've met a lot of people, but after that 5-10 minute interaction, I'll only smile if I pass them on the way to class. Would I consider them friends? Probably more like acquaintance-friend. I tend to hang out with the people on my floor because they're super nice and it's just convenient to go down the hall and see if anyone wants to go out instead of calling everyone. I would say try to get to know your hall (or suite) mates well; they'll essentially be your immediate UVa family for the next year. If you want to speed up the process of meeting people, then you can go up and introduce yourself and start a conversation. If you aren't comfortable doing that, then don't. Remember, you'll meet tons of people over the next 4 years. You don't need to meet the same number of people within the first month. :)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>good luck.</p>

3

<p>By the end of the first semester, I was referring to UVA and my hometown as 'home' but it definitely varies from person to person. I also had a great community in Brown College that helped me settle in quickly. I also had days when I -really- missed my best friends from home. AIM is a great solution for that (or Skype? I've heard great things about that too).</p>

<p>Surprisingly there was about a month-long resettling period for both me and my roommate second year! I think it was because we were both just expecting to be super settled and it doesn't/didn't work like that.</p>

<p>None third year if it makes you feel better :)</p>

<p>Some things that helped me make friends, outside of my dorm, were STUDY GROUPS. This is a big hit in the eschool anyways. Clemons 4th floor is totally remodeled and looks like an awesome place for get togethers. I also really love the "Stacks" (in Thornton... sidenote: I love how it was spelled 'Thorton' on the new UTS signs ie. at Emmet/Ivy) and that is a huge eschool hit for places to meet as well.</p>

<p>Plus you should consider getting involved in at least one club - there are, like, over 500 clubs here. There has to be one you could jump in on and make some friends that way. You need an outlet besides academics and dorm life anyways.</p>

<p>Re:textbooks: just borrow it from someone in your class. Again with the study group thing.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate them. I am looking forward to more such replies.</p>

5

<p>Don't worry about ENGR162, I ordered the book off Amazon a couple days ago, and am not worried at all. Also, for at least one of the sessions, the book is available for free, in whole on the internet. </p>

<p>I'm settled in, but that really varies by person, and I have also been here 4 days more than the other first years.</p>

<p>As for friends, never stop making 'em, it's not like after 3 weeks you decide that you can't make any more friends. And just because I have to, I'm not at all surprised that this question came from an E-student ;)</p>

6

<p>You'll probably never feel "settled in", persay, but there will come a time where you will think of UVa as your home, refer to your dorm room as "home", and realize that your life is at UVa. That moment varies from person to person, and it may take a few weeks to feel it, which is totally normal. You just got here a week ago, and you're still adjusting. Give it time, it will come, I promise. And, on the bright side, that period gets shorter and easier as your years go on. This year, I was a little uneasy coming back just because the comforts of home are nice, but I knew deep down that UVa is my home now, and I belong here. It took me all of an hour of being here to reaffirm that ;)<br>
Also, textbooks are nothing to worry about right now. I only have one of mine right now, and I have homework coming up this week to do. I'm just borrowing a class-mates, or I might cave in and buy it at the bookstore, use it until I get mine, and then return it. Teachers understand that textbooks can be difficult, especially since classes change. Also, since I'm pretty sure you're an e-schooler, you'll be seeing lots of these people over the course of your time here, so making study groups is a great way to get over the book issue, as well as make friends.
Which leads me to your friends issue. You'll never stop meeting people, trust me. Don't have a stopping-point. Ask kids out to lunch or dinner (everyone has to eat), go work out, watch a TV show, whatever. I know it's awkward and you miss having people around you that know you well, but I guarantee you that everyone on your hall feels the same way as you right now. So, abuse that fact! Also, in classes, find people that are interested in the same major as you, since you'll be sharing a ton of classes with them over the years.</p>

<p>Just let college happen. Nothing falls into place immediately, and things will get better and easier. You're heading into week 2, so things will be easier this week, and will continue uphill, I promise. This isn't college like in the movies...it's life, and believe it or not, you're growing as a person with experiences like these, no matter how crappy they are sometimes.</p>

7

<p>I think I didn't feel settled until after Thanksgiving. I was still a bit rattled when I left CVL for home over TG break. I was looking forward to seeing my high school friends, and it was nice to visit with them. But, by the end of TG break, I missed my CVL life and was looking forward to returning. I knew then that I felt "settled".<br>
I'm so glad I joined a sorority, because second semester was such a blast. The sorority opened so many doors for me. Greek life isn't for everyone, but it is for me.
Also, I was very intimidated with the prospect of taking college level courses, even though I had plenty of AP's in high school, it just isn't the same thing by any means. So when I was able to prove to myself that I was actually doing just fine at UVA after several exams, it helped to relieve the academic tension in my life. Just for the record, I'm not in engineering.</p>