Changed Relationships

I attend one of the most prestigious Universities in the country, and have lost touch with most of the people I went to high school with. I am sad about that, but I find that we don't connect in the same way anymore -- especially the friends who went to more laid back universities. I do still keep in touch with three really good friends and with them, it's somewhat the same. If someone treats you differently, then they are probably not that much of a friend. I learned who my true friends were.

Most of the kids I went to high school with are hard working people; it's just that the universities that they have gone to are definitely not as hard as this one. A lot of people are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives; one girl I know has changed her major five times and is still in school, unsure. Another friend parties all the time at her university. Here, we do enjoy our parties on the weekends, but we don't do parties in the middle of the week; everyone understands that the week is for working.

Even when we studied for our semester abroad, there were people from various universities there who were not doing work at all and it was like they were only there on vacation.

Our classes are rigorous and large. My chem class has 600 students and when I talk to my friends about that, they are shocked that someone can learn in a big environment like that.

I have tapped into the resources around me. I feel that I am being groomed by mentors, people who were in that field and will reach out to me and suggest internships and things to do over the summer, people I should talk to for more career development. So I feel very focused; when I go back home, I see a lot of friends who are not really sure about their majors or their future career paths.

One of my friends is a psych major and when I ask her what she wants to do with it, she tells me that she doesn't know; she just likes studying there right now so that's what she is going to do. Yes it's okay to love your studies but I feel that you should connect it to what you want to do in the long term.

Sometimes people who you don't know you as well do treat you differently. I was in a bar this summer and one of the guys rolled his eyes at me and identified my University -- and me -- in somewhat of a disdainful voice. That pissed me off because if he hadn't known what University I go to, he would have just thought I was like everyone else. I also went to a grad party for a friend and saw some people from my church who I hadn't seen in a while. When they heard I was coming here, even though I wasn't acting any differently, it was as if I was somehow untouchable. It's sad that you get that reaction from people our age who don't know you well. It's not a major thing: sometimes you see it but I wouldn't say it happens all the time. On the other hand, we get a different kind of reaction from parents' friends or family; they certainly look at us in a positive way.

It's something I can live with. When I think about it, I realize that I'm not the one with the problem. I'm happy being here, with working so hard, with being successful in an environment as rigorous as this. I know that others recognize this University for what it is, including future potential employers. And that's a thought that completely overcomes these few difficult moments.