So while First year was happening and I was living on campus, I was dealing with some issues. As a result, I wasn’t exactly very social, spending most of my time in my rooms and not being so social with people on my floor and did not go out much.Looking back, I feel like i’ve wasted my first year, the experience of living on residence and an extension, a part of my youth and fear I might severely regret it as I can never go back and redo it. What can I do?
Assuming you graduate in four years total, you have three more chances to be social and go out. This is a non-issue – just make a change, if you’re unhappy with how last year went.
You look forward.
There’s nothing to be gained in worrying about the past. No “Shouldna, Coulda, Woulda’s.”
All that’s within your control is the present and the future.
My grandfather was in AA, and had the Serenity Prayer in his home. I learned as a child to love it.
Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The Courage to change the things I can.
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
The thing is, I feel like I have wasted dorm experience and a part of my youth and I can’t do that again.
You lived in a dorm – there’s your dorm experience. You can still make friends and go out through the rest of your college career.
It is time to stop looking in the rear view mirror and start looking ahead. You have three more years of college so make the most of them. Just be aware as a practical matter that many friend groups have formed during freshman year so if you haven’t developed a group of college friends you may have to work a bit at it this year. Persevere with people you like from your dorms and classes and join some activities on campus that interest you.
And if you can’t get over last year, then make an appointment at the college’s counseling office to get help so you can move forward in a positive direction.
We all have things in our life that we would do differently now that we have time and perspective to see the other options. That was then; this is now. If you continue to dwell on what could have been, you will be eating away at the time you could be spending NOW doing what you should be doing. Some kids go through their entire college life (4+ years) before having this epiphany - it only took you one year! And yes, talk to a professional if you can’t untie the boulder of regret you are dragging around. 