Freshmen at Large - Cristine Mayer

It’s 2:17 p.m. I just arrived back at my dorm after an intense 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. block of classes that were preceded by an 8 a.m. All I want to do is eat lunch — something that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I rarely have the opportunity to do. So I walk into the café and as soon as I walk in, I realize I don’t know any of the people eating there. Crap. Not wanting to seem like a total friendless loser, I get my food, sit down and immediately take out some notes to pretend as though I have been planning all along to sit alone and study — obviously. And then it hits me. I realize — duh, nobody cares. You know how in all those teenage drama movies they always have that scene where the new kid has to sit by herself or in the bathroom and then she is emotionally scarred because she thinks everyone else is making fun of her? Yeah, college is nothing like that. Nobody cares if you’re sitting alone eating macaroni and cheese; in fact they’ve probably done it a million times before. I mean, don’t forget to be social — being social is generally a good thing. But in the long run, everyone knows that you have your schedule and your friends have their schedules. So next time you’re hungry, don’t walk past Sbisa knowing you won’t have someone to sit with, strut in there and get yourself some cookies, sit alone and enjoy it.