Distance is No Measure of Life Transition: Ambassador Mallory’s Thoughts on Moving to College

The transition to college is challenging, but the difficulty of that transition should not be measured by how far you travel to go to school.

As a Los Angeles native attending USC, I fall into the category of people who did not move very far away for college. A short 30-minute drive could bring me home, except during rush hour, in which case I don’t stand a chance against LA traffic! But, just because my home was not geographically far away, that doesn’t mean that moving to college was easy. People make a lot of assumptions, but in reality, distance is not the primary factor controlling the challenges of freshman year.

Even before I graduated high school, some classmates would ask me if I was planning to live at home freshman year. They assumed that, because USC was not too far away, I would stay at home and my life transition would be less difficult. But, I’ve always known I wanted to live in the dorms. I looked forward to meeting new people, making friends and participating in college life and activities in a new environment and stage of life. But whether you move into the dorms or not, whether you are across the country or down the street from your house, starting college is a big deal because it is a major life turning point.

Just like the people who moved to USC from different parts of the world, when August 2022 came around, I found myself surrounded by strangers, searching for classrooms and buildings, negotiating dining halls and sharing bathrooms and bedrooms with people I only met on move-in day. The girl who had lived in the same house for the first 18 years of her life moved into a dorm and was faced with the terrifying challenge of making friends and adapting to a new way of life.

Even though my family was physically close, as soon as they left me on that fateful August day, I felt utterly alone. To me, my college experience could have been anywhere in the world and I would have felt the same uncertainty and confusion of facing a totally new challenge in life.

College is not just a change, but it reflects the challenge of figuring out the next stage of your life. Beyond the test of living in a new place and making new friends, you are also faced with all of the hardships and confusion that come with starting a new year in school. Exploring the labyrinth of buildings on a large campus; getting to know professors; managing your own time, schedule and money; finding a job; and trying to get enough sleep just scratches the surface of all of the new ideas and obstacles that swirl in the heads of college students, new and experienced. Never underestimate the value of sleep and the importance of staying on schedule.

Everyone handles change differently. Moving across the world for school may not be as scary to one person as moving across town for school is to another. In some ways, my experience may have been smoother than someone else’s, but in other ways, it may have felt more chaotic. The point is, it’s not always about the tangible or measurable factors, like the number of miles (or kilometers), that determine how ready you are to move into college. The leap of moving to college is always a big deal and affects everyone differently. All students should be celebrated for taking a chance in their life, no matter how exciting or scary.

Reflecting back on my freshman year, I’m so happy with the experiences I had and the friends I made. Sure, I was put into uncomfortable situations and I experienced new things that scared me, but that’s what college is all about. In all, I didn’t go home any more than any of my roommates from different states or countries; in fact, I went home fewer times than many of them. But, honestly, it doesn’t even matter. 

I spent my freshman year with friends and exploring the campus. At first, college can seem overwhelming, but finding smaller communities within the larger Trojan Family can make all of the difference. At the beginning of the year, making friends seemed really hard, but I joined a sports team, bonded with people in my classes and started going on mini LA excursions with people from my dorm. Tagging along to football, basketball and volleyball games allowed me to make friends that I never would have met. Joining other people in their passions allowed me to discover more of my own! Destressing and finding community in college boils down to trying new things and joining activities that allow you to pursue your interests.

So, here’s to the local Trojans who go home every weekend, the Trojans who almost never go home, the Trojans who get homesick, the Trojans who moved across the country or across the world for a new experience, and here’s to every college student who took a chance, no matter where you grew up or how far you traveled. 

Congratulations on taking the big step in your life and Fight On!

Ambassador Mallory on move-in day freshman year at Parkside Arts & Humanities.