This is my first large project that's (kind of) seperate from the website. A few weeks ago I thought it would be a cool idea to see how all of my friends are doing at college, so I sent them the following prompt:

In 200-300 words, describe your experience in college thus far.

I listed the responses in the order of which I received them, and wrote some comments in bold when it felt appropriate. Thank you for the responses. I love you guys. There's a mix of responses, ranging from new friends here at UHM to my old friends dispersing themsleves across the US.

If you would like to see how a particular person is doing, here is everyone in alphabetical order by last name:

Kelly Benson, Kyle Brusewitz, Daniel Chin, Henry Cooper, Xavier Fernandez, Isaac Fogel, Will Jacobson, Dylan Higgins Kiang, Kelsey Lamb, Ryan Mcalmont, Selma Snagic, Tobey Theiding, Caleb Wong, Chris Wootton, Nixon Wu, Jack Yeun, Jackie Zou,

Annika K.
University of Hawai'i Mãnoa, Hawaii

College so far has been a pretty wild ride-fun, challenging, and definitely a time of growth. Between the late-night study sessions and the weekend beach trips with the girls; every experience with new people I've met along the way has changed me. Coming into college, I was a bit unsure of myself, not knowing what to expect or who I'd become, especially being so far from home. But with each new friendship and experience, they helped me learn more about who I am and who I want to become. Conversations that started out as small talk often turned into moments of real self-reflection. Whether it's debating life's big questions at 11pm on a beach or just hanging out in the dorms, I've realized how much I've grown simply by being here. College has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, making me more confident in my choices and being more okay with asking for help. Overall, I would say my college experience so far has been a pretty great one. I've made a lot of new friends, had a ton of new experiences, and I think I can safely say I'm having the time of my life.

Incredible prose! Your first sentence describes college very well. Kind of a mess, but also a good way to grow. It's amazing you're having the time of your life; I don't think I am just yet, but it's starting to get more awesome. I hope it only gets better from here on out for you. Congrats on also being Japanese. I love talking about horses with you.

Ryan McCalmont
Western Washington University, Washington

My college experience has been somewhat lowkey so far. I feel like it is hard for me to really visualize that I actually will be living here for the majority of the next 4 years of my life but I do like the weather and nature up here a lot. I have been on a couple of hikes and the access to so much pristine wilderness so close to the campus is very special. I have been keeping up with my work, my classes this quarter aren't that hard and it feels so weird not having that many actual hours of class time each week. The food is pretty ok but nothing special, and I have been keeping up with my gym schedule. Socially, I haven't really found any people I would consider myself good friends with yet, but I have been getting to know some people from classes that I do homework with and also going to ping pong club twice a week has been a good place to meet cool people. Overall, this has been a nice time for me to really start thinking about my goals for the future in college, and what I want to start working on in my life. So, overall I would say I am content in my current status at college.

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO VISUALIZE THE NEXT FOUR YEARS HERE. Washington is beautiful, it's awesome that you're doing hikes and going into the wilderness. Great job going out and having groups of people, that's a challenge in itself. Being content and working on your future is great. Proud of you my friend. By the way, you look incredibly handsome. Good job.

Kelsey Lamb
University of California Santa Barbra, California

The first two months at UCSB have been incredibly eventful, filled with meeting new people, exploring a different city, and trying to figure out a balance between social, study and alone time. It was interesting meeting so many new people within such a short amount of time. So many of the first interactions with people felt fairly superficial during the first couple of weeks and finding people who I really got on with and I can see myself becoming really good friends with has really made the experience so far much better. Living with someone else has been an adjustment, but I got really lucky with my roommate, she's awesome. The dining food has not been bad, but my stomach was certainly not settled the first couple of weeks. Finding routine with eating and exercise has been one of the harder, yet more important things to have I've found through this time. I do really well when I have a routine, so finding time to exercise and eat at consistent times has been important. I joined an intramural soccer team, which has been a nice addition to my Mondays. The first game I played in made me incredibly happy, getting to play soccer again for the first time in about four to five months. Only taking three classes is actually really nice, except for the fact that chemistry is one of them. Failing a midterm was certainly a new experience for me, and of course it had to be chemistry. Having to choose classes for the next quarter is an experience that I do not look forward to repeating in the future, as it is extremely stress-inducing watching the spots in a class you need to take fill up, waiting for my time to choose.

Glad to hear you seem to be doing well! I agree with the interactions in the first few weeks feeling fake; I've forgotten at least 50 people's names since I've gotten here. I too have been blessed with an excellent roommate, and I'm very grateful. Routine is so, so important. Props to you for being consistent, I've made so many different routines since I've gotten here and they haven't lasted more than a few days. It's good that you got that experience of failing early! I haven't failed yet, and I don't know how it's going to affect me when it does happen. I hope you have a strong finish to your semester. Looking forward to seeing you during Thanksgiving.

Chris Wootton
University of California San Diego, California

Hello avid Will-Jacobson-Website fans, my name is Christopher Wootton. Currently, I reside in the University of Sand Diego, and I'm majoring in Ecology.

One of the best past times here for people that don't enjoy socializing (me) is going climbing. The climbing gym here is very nice and only a short walk from our dorm. The people that run it are mostly older students who get bored easily, so the walls tend to change a lot. I would say climbing is the best pastime here, but my roommate is better than me so everytime we go my ego is irreversibly damaged by his greatness.

The most interesting class I'm in is Chemistry because our teacher is a certifiable nutcase. Picture is provided below. Despite it being Chem 1 for beginners, he has spent the past two months talking about quantum physics, Schrodinger's equation, and partially differentiated wave functions. This is a problem as that is stuff for smart people, which is not me.

I kind of fell off recently, but I've been trying to cook from time to time. The dining halls here are kind of expensive for how much food you get, so that's kind of an incentive to make meals. When you make spaghetti yourself, you can eat as much spaghetti as you want, with only god stopping you. Truly a blessed experience. The best part about being here by far is the fish community. Currently I'm in fish class, which is about fish and fish-adjacent worms and things, so it has been very cool meeting similarly fish-minded people. There are some tide pools a short walk away, so it's nice getting to see all the little anemones and fish. There was even an octopus there once. I will conclude this informational report with some facts I learned in fish class.

1. Barnacles have an extraordinarily long penis as they cannot move. They use it to reach over and diddy fellow barnacles from afar.

2. Sometimes fish will see a mysterious ball of worms and eat it. However, it's actually a ball of parasites and the fish has flatworms in its stomach forever.

3. The bottom of the ocean is covered in goop that goes deeper than an elephant. You could bury many elephants in the ocean goop.

Thank you so much for your insightful response! It's my favorite so far.

I wish we had climbing on campus here. It sounds like so much fun. You should teach me during winter break.

Your chem teacher sounds like hell, but a hell that's sort of fun. I do think you're a smart person. Be kind to yourself!

I understand feeling like you've "fallen off." I've had some pretty bad periods of time here, but I've found that you just have to have the motivation within you to keep pushing. Cooking in college is truly amazing. Getting to customize your food to your liking after having to eat mediocore dorm food for a week is rewarding.

Those tide pools sound titillating to the senses. The word "titillating" is quite funny. I'm glad I used it. I want you to come to Hawai'i and teach me about all the native fish here.

These are the most interesting and hilarious fish facts I have ever read. I didn't know that barnacles were horny like that. I hope life only keeps getting better for you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon, Chris Wootton.

Jack Yeun
College of Marin, California

My name is Jack and I go to College of Marin. So far it's been totally chill and light work. I only have 1 class in person, the other 3 are online, so I really only know one dude so far but he's chill. Life has been progressing well during college. Realistically this will all change when classes start to get harder because then i'll be cooked aka done for aka washed aka decimated

Jack! I'm glad to hear you're alive and well. I have a similar sentiment towards my classes: they are disturbingly easy, but I expect them to get a lot harder in the coming semesters. I hope you make more friends with time. Good luck and good days.

Henry Cooper
California Polytechnic State University, California

Hello, Website!

My name is Henry, and I am here to update you about my new experience as a college freshman. These have been days in which I have been enjoying adapting myself to this new lifestyle. I had opted to major in Architectural Engineering, and now I realize that it is similar to structural engineering but is done with a mind of working directly with architects to try and hurry up the construction process.

Now, on to the social aspect!

I met quite a lot of people during the first weeks, almost only during the big "Week of Welcome," where we socialized all day for the whole week before classes started. I will be quite honest: I have managed to forget more than 3/4 of the names of people I met back then. Luckily, though, I can remember their faces and have quite a decent conversation. I wouldn't say I've settled into a friend group just yet, but maybe I just haven't found the person with which I can just "chill" with.

Schoolwork

College work is completely different compared to high school, not in that it has gotten harder, but I put more time into it than I did before. If I had to explain it, I would say the bar has risen significantly higher now than in high school, but the concepts I learn are not torturously complex either.

I am happy you're working in an engineering field. It would be awesome if we worked on a project together one day. I'm mechanical though, so I kind of doubt it.

I heavily relate to forgetting everyone's names. There was a dude on my floor who I had some common interests with, and he was also super kind to me. I knew his major and his interests, but I couldn't remember his name.

I agree that you put more time into college classes, but I feel that there is also less time wasted. Lectures are pure, condensed learning. I'm still taking gen-eds, so my classes feel very easy right now. It will get worse for both of us. We got this though.

Kelly Benson
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois

My experience in college so far has consisted of lots of sleeping and naps and then going to class. I have managed to acquire three people who I can consider friends, but it saddens me that I don't enjoy the company of any others I have met at my school. Currently out of all of my classes my favorite one is my Wizards class, which is basically a literature class. In wizards class I have learned a lot of cool and interesting ideas, as well as read some interesting books, for example, I read "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula LeGuin, and have learned that wizards are real and that magic is all just a social trick. Despite attending an art school in pursuit of an illustration major, I have found that none of my classes actually teach me technique or skills, but instead they have been all about focusing on the idea behind the piece and the process, which is frustrating. My roommate keeps not flushing the toilet, and it's gross. In the end my college experience has been quite boring and uneventful. Hopefully things will turn up soon, I started working out with my friend Isabelle, and I befriended my neighbor cooper, who ended up being a pretty funny guy. The End.

I'm sorry that you haven't found your people yet. It's truly a privilege to be your friend, and I hope your search for more proves fruitful. I'm lucky in that I've found groups of people I do enjoy being around, but that took time, and I'm not all the way there yet. Wizards class sounds fucking awesome. I'm a bit jealous. It's good to hear you're working out regularly; excercise doesn't solve everything, but it does help lots. Keep pushing Kelly. Love you dude.

Dylan Higgins-Kiang
Lewis and Clark University, Oregon

It's all up to you! Most importantly, you need to have a solid relationship with yourself, you need to be able to take good care of yourself and set up a schedule that makes you feel fulfilled, proud, and happy. I have been having an absolutely lovely time. I'm on the rock climbing team, magic club, and I've been addicted to the gym. It has been wonderful. I am also so glad I chose this college. The people here are whimsical as fuck. I feel like I know everyone at my college, and I am already so close with so many more people than I expected. Ultimate chicken horse and Brawlhalla have been the games of choice for the quad I've been hanging out with. The workload is managable, a little stressful at times, but overall not bad. I'm only doing like an hour of homework a day. My classes are so intresting, and very small, so the discussions are FIRE. I am loving being independant.

I strongly agree about taking good care of yourself by setting up a schedule. Can't wait to play Sea of Thieves with you again. Glad to hear you're doing excellent.

Daniel Chin
San Jose State University, California

Hello my name is Daniel Chin and I attend San Jose State University. I major in Computer Science and I very happy as to where I ended up. My roommates are all amazing and funny, the campus is very nice and classes have been very engaging and full for the most part. I'm just happy about the opportunities I have here and hope that my time here will shape me into what I want to be in the future.

I miss you Daniel. I'm glad you're getting along with your roommates and you enjoy your classes. Being grateful for the people around you is generally an awesome thing to do. Can't wait to get in in out with you over break.

Tobey Theiding
University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania

Mom, I made it to Will's Subway website!!

College has been such a mixed bag. I love living on my own for numerous reasons. It's not that I had any fewer freedoms back home, it's just knowing you are, at all times, the only person keeping you accountable. I feel as if that's the primary first step towards adulthood and, unfortunately, one that many adults fail to make until well through their lives.

I'm not a fan of the party culture, as anticipated. Penn tends towards a party school, so it's been tricky to find folks that I truly want to be around. Don't get me wrong, I love the friends I have that go out every Friday and Saturday night, but I ain't going with them just to get drunk and have cheap beer splashed on me. I recognize it will take some time to come across others that would prefer exploring Philadelphia, taking a random train to New York, or sitting at a cafe and talking.

If there's anything that Penn is great at, it's breeding competition. At every corner, you unconsciously assess whether or not you're "behind" your peers-it's such a tragic result of bringing together many accomplished students. You'd hope that their intelligence and drive would only lend themselves to greater achievements and more ambitious goals, and they do, but only from a desire to be better than one's classmates. There is no notion of shared success-people view it as an, "If I win, you have to lose."

Gloomy. In the midst of all this chaos, there are two important things I've keep in mind. One: you are not behind. Two: when the going gets tough, the last thing you should do is not talk to your friends.

I'm definitely in the same boat with you for college being a mixed bag.

I understand not enjoying party life, and it can be hard to find people who are like-minded in that. I'm lucky in that the party culture on campus here is virtually non-existent (people go to clubs). At times, I have trouble even knowing what I enjoy. Bleh. That sentence was way too serious. lameeeee

I'm still taking gen-ed's, and since Hawai'i isn't a very competitive school, I haven't witnessed the aforementioned toxicitiy yet. I think it's human nature to try and compete with the people around you, but I think we'd all be for the better if people could let that go and work together.

I fuck very hard with the last statement. If we keep showing up everyday, trying our best, and working on ourselves, we will achieve whatever we are meant to achieve. I've gotten a lot of help from friends both here in Hawai'i and on the mainland over the last two months, and I'm grateful that they are there for me.

Love and miss you Tobey. Excited to see you again.

Xavier Fernandez
University of Cal Poly Pomona, California

my name is xavier fernandez and i am in my first year and first semester of university at cal poly pomona. my experience so far has been pretty underwhelming to be honest. i feel like that might be a common feeling for other people writing about their experiences. there isn't really a whole lot to do in pomona except to go to class and eat. my favorite activity so far has been sitting in my dorm room and using my laptop. whether its watching a movie or a youtube video, i enjoy sitting down at my desk and watching it. i watched willy wonka and the chocolate factory the other week. it was so good. i love the music from its soundtrack. i made a blog of my own too. started it around august and made most of the progress because of boredom. i'll let will link it if he wants to. i've been visiting my friends that go to other schools down here in southern california. my friend jack goes to uc irvine and ori and isaac go to long beach. i visited eli in san diego last month. i think it was last month. idk. super fun. i've observed the type of culture they have over there on those campuses and it kind of makes me glad i go to pomona. there isn't much to do here, which means there are less things to worry about. its kind of nice. you can just walk around and mind your own business. i don't think frat culture is really for me. i still have respect for my friends who are in frats but its just not for me. irvine is quiet though, which is chill. my grades are pretty shit right now. i really hate doing gen ed assignments. i don't like how colleges require ge's to get your degree. shit is kinda wacky to me. my parents are supposed to spend money these random ass classes that don't even relate to my major. like they're simple assignments i just don't have any reason or motivation to do them. so i don't. i have no idea if this has been 200 words or not. that's really all i have to say though. shoutout babacar. if he didn't go here i think would've gone more insane than i already am. the end.

oh and the transportation system sucks ass here. it takes like an hour and a half to bus 10 miles. and it has you going on the silliest routes and transferring to 5 different busses. so dumb. listening to music on the bus is a vibe tho.

I understand feeling underwhelmed at times. I also don't love parties, but I still feel some FOMO when I see my friends partying on the mainland. It's dumb, but whatever. I actually like my gen-ed assignments: I feel like I can make them interesting to me. The transportaiton system here is meh as well. I miss BART. Hope you only get better. Excited to hang out with you sometime.

Thank you for making your website. I would not have made my website if it wasn't for you, and while my mental health hasn't been great, building the website has helped me lots.

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