Everyone has different opinions of what college means to them, but we can all agree on some basics; college is diverse, exciting, stressful and, most of, all fun!

Yes, college certainly can be fun a lot of the time. But college can also be very, very lonely. And that is simply a fact of life. Everything new and exciting can be equal parts terrifying and confusing.

Everyone can relate to the vague feeling of having forgotten how to make friends, especially those of us who experienced the terrible years of COVID-19. Attending online classes was an experience in itself, and was incredibly isolating.

My freshmen year was unfortunately the fall of 2020, the prime time to catch COVID-19 in full swing. My first two weeks of college were spent quarantining, attending WebEx meetings three times a day and getting extended due dates on my assignments because of my bad internet connection.

But with campus life resuming during the 2021-2022 school year, many of us experienced some things for the first time. The university’s buildings were filled with students and events were happening constantly, sometimes even at the same time. DemonFest, the student-run radio station KNWD’s music festival, was held for the first time since 2019 and the Natchitoches Christmas Festival returned in December.

But I was genuinely having the hardest time in my life adjusting to what college was supposed to be in the fall of 2021. My grades slipped, and I had no idea what I was doing wrong until an older friend who had been in college before COVID-19 told me, in all of their harsh glory; this year wasn’t harder, it was just what college is supposed to be.

That’s when I began to realize, I needed to get involved. I had already missed the opportunity to live on campus again, having moved out my second year, but I could at least attend the events. Now I won’t say I am a regular at the various university functions, and I am not in a service organization of any sort, but I am here, writing for you, as a part of the Current Sauce.

You will occasionally see me on Harry “Rags” Turpin Stadium’s football field during halftime as a part of The Demon Heat Colorguard. You will also see me attending functions my friends are members of to support them.

There are so many opportunities to be active and involved on campus. Take advantage of what the college experience gives us. It is more than sorority and fraternity parties, more than homework and group projects and an internet connection and it’s even more than your roommates, dormitory, communal dining and community bathrooms. It is about feeling like you are a part of a community.

Many organizations are looking to recruit every year and there’s a spot for every student on this campus in an organization or club. Joining organizations and attending organized functions on campus are so much more beneficial than any of us will ever truly realize. Making friends and connecting with fellow students can be so natural and easy at these events and will chase away any loneliness you feel.

There’s a shifting point in everyone’s college career when you realize you found your place, no matter how long it took. Everyone will get that feeling by the time they graduate and walk the stage, and that is what makes college special.

So be sure to step outside of your room, get involved and go create your own definition of the college experience.