From the Editor

A hero’s guide to college

College doesn’t have to be scary, it’s about what you make of it. Illustration: Mazie Neill· The Sentry

So here you are, you just graduated high school and now you’re ready to begin your four-year journey in the world that is college. At this point you’ve collected tokens and weapons and have worked hard to build up your arsenal to prepare you for this moment and let me be the first to say your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. I know you might be new to the University experience, but just know you’re not in this adventure alone. College can get scary and intimidating at times. For some, it’s a new environment with new places to learn and new people to meet. On top of that, your assignments are more challenging and learning to navigate and balance life and school can seem difficult. You don’t know the controls and it seems like everyone else knows what they’re doing except you, but that’s far from the truth. Regardless of where people are at in their journey one universal truth remains the same: No one actually knows what they’re doing either and that feeling of worry in the pit of your stomach, doubting if you’re even capable of handling all of this responsibility at once and whether or not you’ll be able to succeed is in all of us. Like anyone, doubt and fear can creep up behind corners when we least expect it and for a moment, can throw us off guard. In those moments of fight or flight it’s easy to lose balance, stamina, and you might end up getting a scrape or two. And in that situation, where everything looks bleak, that’s when you have to remember that there’s a reason why you’re here and there’s a reason why you’ve come this far. Up until this point you’ve battled and faced so many monsters, college is just another obstacle for you to get across. Use what you’ve learned, find resources around you, look for people who can help, and most importantly don’t give up. It may take you longer than others or you might have to come back and try again, and as frustrating as it may be, know that everyone, in our own time, all complete our journey one way or another.