Freshman Year Research Paper

For my senior talk, I would want to go into how out of place I felt when I came to Georgetown freshman year. Coming from a public school in Iowa, I felt like I wasn’t smart enough to even compare myself with students coming from preparatory schools on the East Coast. Moreover, I felt like they belonged to an exclusive network of private schools, and thus all knew each other even before NSO. I withdrew; I was scared of putting myself out there, of taking risks and stepping outside my comfort zone. I indulged in unhealthy habits, like clinging to my friends from home and long-distance high school boyfriend. But my closest friend of all freshman year was my eating disorder. Instead of joining clubs, I went to the gym twice a day. Instead of going out with people, I sat in my room and cried over how fat I was, despite being underweight. And like a typical Georgetown student

who wants to excel in everything, I beat myself up for not being good enough at my eating disorder, for not being “that” thin.
This unhealthy attitude continued throughout my freshman year and even into my sophomore year. Despite joining groups like The Hoya and The Corp on campus, I still didn’t feel like I was truly myself at Georgetown. It wasn’t until junior year when I studied abroad that I began to tear down the wall that I had put up between others and myself since arriving on campus in 2014.
From this background story, I would like to go into how my time at Georgetown has been filled with ups and downs; in fact, this past semester has for many reasons been the hardest yet.

But I have learned so much from both the hardships and the happiness. I’ve learned how to be strong on my own; I’ve gotten to know myself. I’ve learned how inspiring my peers are, and have thus made a greater effort if recent semesters to find more balance in my life. I’ve discovered that, cliché as it may be, good things come when you least expect them. Georgetown has taught me to put myself out there, to take risks, and to not be afraid of failure. While my classes have also been incredibly valuable, these are lessons that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. I look back on freshman me, wishing I could tell that young, timid version of myself how much is to come—how the college experience, especially at a place like Georgetown is so much more important than GPA, image, and becoming CEO of a club. It’s about making memories that will last a lifetime and discovering who you are and who you want to

be.