Time passes in strange ways in a little college world. It is easy to get caught up in the campus and forget where you are in the context of real life. If you thought that entering college would be entering the real world, you thought wrong. I chose my college on its size, the classes it offers and its intensity. Location on the other hand was not my deciding factor, other than the fact that I knew I wanted to get out of New Mexico. However, now I am discovering how much location matters.

The first few weeks I didn't really leave campus; I mean why would I? I have food and shelter and companions all on campus — what else is there to go looking for? Actually, there's a lot. I went into New York City one weekend to see a concert, and my safe little ivory college world was blown to pieces. It only took a short walk and 20-minute bus ride to get to one of the most populated spots in the world. I thought it would be intimidating and a little scary, but it wasn't. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I felt thrilled. Thrilled to be away from the timid campus and thrilled to be roaming the streets that I would call my home for at least the next four years. College is a new place, and it doesn't matter whether you're in Los Angeles or Roswell, it is a new beginning.

Since my first trip to the city I have been incorporating the commute into my schedule. It has broadened my horizons in ways I would have never imagined, and is a resource that can be tapped for just about anything. I have taken dance classes, I have gotten coffee, I have pounded pavement, people watched and stood in the middle of Time Square on a Saturday night. You do not get these experiences by staying constricted by a teeny college campus. So remember location when considering college, and remember to take that town by storm.

No matter what location you choose, I guarantee you that you will end up with many different people from contrasting places. In my apartment alone there is me, from New Mexico, my roommate, from Manhattan, another girl from Korea, and another from Washington, D.C. That is only half of one room on an entire campus. Our neighbor is from France, and the girl down the hall is from Montana — you get the point. The differences in background are great because it means diversity in experiences and culture that all culminate in a shared passion for diving into what the school offers.

However, differences also mean varying opinions, lifestyles and personalities. It is not assured that you will comprehend, approve or like the traits everyone brings (or the germs for that matter, remember to stay healthy because being around smelly young adults is hazardous to the immune system). In this situation I think the only way to get through it is to know your own boundaries, and try to remain understanding of others. But it really doesn't matter if you're a bubbly, open person, or calm, silent and private; because it's college; everyone is who they are, and nobody really cares if you are one way or another.

Eventually friendships find their way of forming and the right people come into your life for the right reasons. You might find one friend who you love having tea with, and another who shares your fervor for Tom Waits. There is a quote that reminds me of how to remain true to yourself during an experience as grand and jarring as college, "It is our job to be, not to be this or that."

Jahla Seppanen is a freshman at Sarah Lawrence College. You can reach her at jnm747@hotmail.