English writing practices and skills

¶ … student's experiences at college. It deals with adjustment and maladjustment, newness and old habits, problems and good influences. The living, working and social arrangements are talked of and through these, the student is to discover how everything that is wrong is also its opposite -- everything that is right.

College, they say, can be a daunting as well as one of the most exciting periods of one's life. I have to explain how it is daunting before I go on to the interesting aspects of it. I am having to live with a roommate for the first time in my life. A roommate who is a total stranger to me and one I am not obligated to get along with because he is neither my best friend nor family. However, I think he is becoming family now. He and I do not have any problem with regards to restroom use or watching television. I am not a big television fan in any case and I just watch what he watches on television at times. The only real problem I have with him is his girl friends whose shrilly voices ring in my ears while I am trying to study. I do not like to study at the library. I need the privacy of my room but I have less of it now, I suppose. I also sleep earlier than my roommate does and so, it is hardly ever a problem for me that he comes late at night and quietly gets into bed at that time. He is also very generous and I have never had a problem with him eating my food, as they say roommates have. We share our food many times. The only issue I have is about my responsibility at all times to do my laundry and to get up when I am supposed to for classes without having my family help me do this.

My roommate studies at the library. Sometimes I do feel disturbed when he watches television or listens to music while I study in my room. As it is, I am trying to adjust to so much in so little time. I wish my roommate also studied with me in the room. Despite all this, I find my room very comfortable now. I am trying to think, it is home. I often miss my classes because I oversleep. My roommate misses his regularly. I cannot get myself out of bed for the morning classes many days a week. I attend the afternoon classes though. It is my responsibility to get up now whereas at home, my mother used to be knocking at my door to wake me up each day.

One thing that bugs me here a great deal is not having a car at the moment. I hope to buy one next year but until then, I have to rely on the shuttle service for almost everything. It is irritating when I, first of all, after having found it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, have to wait for the shuttle to take me to class. Even on weekends the shuttle does not leave me alone and I have to use it to go off campus. My friends make it easier for me to adjust here. They are great. I am meeting the best people I have met so far in my life, at college. Of course, there are issues such as drinking where I am not legally allowed yet to indulge fully, socially with my older friends here. It is again, my responsibility to make sure I do not run into trouble. The temptations are tremendous and I have to take either be easy on myself or take it as it comes. Since there is no supervision here (in terms of my family), I have to do it on my own and feel proud when I talk to people at home telling them how good I am trying to be socially.