*This article was originally published for Oswego State’s student blogs

For Oswego State students, this week marks the completion of the sixth week of classes. As a Resident Assistant, I think new students should take pride in the idea of being in a completely new environment and making it on their own for a month and a half.

For me, these first six weeks have been a whirlwind. Back in May, I didn’t even know if I would be here. I had just graduated from my undergrad experience at Oswego State and was still up in the air about whether I wanted to continue my studies or not. The pieces were there, I just had to figure out how I wanted to put them together.

I had a few options. I could either come back and work towards an Advanced Certificate in Integrated Media and Social networks that would hopefully land me a better job once the yearlong program was complete or, I could stay at home and continue job searching in the hopes that something good would arise. After a long summer of contemplating, I finally decided that returning to Oswego would be best for me.

Looking back, it’s funny to think that I was so torn because now it feels like I had never left. Coming back to Oswego felt so natural.

During the final semester of my senior year, I completed an internship in New York City. In order to do this, I left a lot behind, including a lot of friends and responsibilities. So, for me, the decision to come back to Oswego wasn’t just about whether I would want to continue my studies or get a job, it was whether I’d want to continue my studies after being out of that mindset.

For any new students who may be wondering whether they made the right decision or are feeling overwhelmed in these first few weeks, know that in the moment it may be hard, but if you stick with it, you’ll have a lot to look back on.

I already have four years under my belt at Oswego State and am looking forward to what this year will bring. I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything, even the bad. I don’t want to look back and regret not taking full advantage of this place.

For any new students, you’re going make a lot of memories here if you stick with it. A lot of them will be great, some of them will be bad, but all of it will be a worthwhile experience.