How I Made Georgetown Feel Like Home As a First-Year Student

This story is a part of the Student Life Blog, a blog written by Georgetown students about their experiences and life at Georgetown.

Samantha Garcia (C'28) is a Georgetown Storyteller and a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences studying environmental biology. She is from the Los Angeles County area in California.

It's kindergarten all over again. Completely changing the routine you had at home, entering uncharted territory without your parents and making friends with complete strangers. Except this time we're not 5-year-olds throwing tantrums, we are new adults with ambition and nervous butterflies in our stomachs. Whether you moved seven or 7,000 miles away from home, coming to Georgetown can feel like flipping your life upside down.

In kindergarten, I wasn't actually scared to start school. I walked right in like I owned the place, and ended up making friends who have stuck with me ever since. Surprisingly enough, I came to college with the same attitude. Although this time I'm 2,000 miles away instead of down the street. I've come to find out that prospering in a new place doesn't come easy without a little adjusting and a LOT of romanticization. Here are some things that make Georgetown feel like home to me -and will hopefully show how a home can be made anywhere in the world.

Finding Your People

A favorite memory of mine from first semester.

The people make the place. You've heard it a million times before, and you must know it's true by now. Georgetown is no different. By the first week of school, I had become great friends with students in my dorm and I am still close with them now. I stuck with my roommate for the first few days, but quickly saw how easy it was to branch out. In the first few days of classes, everyone is talking to people sitting near them in a lecture, and even reaching out to do homework together. It's important to be open to all of this, and say yes when someone asks to eat lunch with you.

I found some of my best friends when joining Panhellenic life on campus. I met such an amazing group of girls who I see myself being friends with long after Georgetown. Also, go to the club fair! Clubs at Georgetown can be overwhelming when looking at all professional opportunities and the applications, but there is space for others too! Check out intramural sports or open membership clubs for things that pique your interest. Worst case scenario, you bond with people who applied alongside you, and make friends anyway.

Everywhere you go, you are bound to encounter a friendly face, where someone is not scared to say hi and become friends. And if you have yet to see that, become that person! Making friends requires a conscious effort to be social and go out of your comfort zone, but it pays off immensely.

College is also the place where you can build new communities. I grew up speaking Spanish and going to boarding school, so finding people who have similar international experiences was a great way to have familiar surroundings, while still meeting new people.

Making Your Space Homey

The space you live in can also have a huge impact on comfort since it becomes your actual home for most of the year. Your dorm isn't just where you sleep. It's where you crash after long days, procrastinate assignments, eat snacks at midnight and watch movies with your friends. I made sure to bring all my favorite things from my room at home here, and made everything as personal as possible. This included posters for my wall, pictures of friends and family, and my comfiest bedding. Once I got here, I stocked up on my favorite Trader Joe's snacks and got a low-maintenance plant to liven up the room.

I brought my favorite stuffed animals from home, and added a new friend - Jack!

Getting Into a Routine

My favorite daily walk - it snowed!!

Routine is another big one. You don't need a packed schedule, just a few things that give structure to your week. A regular coffee run. The same walk to class every day. A quiet spot to study. Familiarity makes the unfamiliar feel manageable.

To achieve this, Google Calendar became my best friend. I slowly learned how much work I can fit between classes, and when a 7:00 a.m. morning would be more productive than a 1:00 a.m. late night. All this takes trial and error, but trust you will find your groove. This means learning a bit of independence as well, because your schedule won't always match up with your best friend's. Once you feel like you have a good routine every day, things get a lot more relaxing (until you need to accustom yourself to new classes the following semester).

At some point, this will be your new normal. There won't be a need to pretend you are home, because Georgetown becomes home. Without realizing it, this routine will become second nature.

Making a school feel like home isn't about copying what you had before. It's about noticing the new little things that make you feel steady, seen and yourself. You're building a second version of home, piece by piece. Soon, everything will stop feeling as nerve-racking as the first day of kindergarten and start to feel like an exciting new chapter of your life.