In George Orwell?s novel, 1984, an unseen enemy called ?Big Brother? terrorizes main character Winston Smith and the rest of dystopian England, forcing ridiculous rules and unfair lifestyles on all the people. Orwell never tells the reader if Big Brother really exists in all his terrifying evil; instead, he carries incredible power in the minds of his followers.

During high school, I felt the same way about college.

Granted, I knew that my college experience would not be intent on destroying my will to live as well as my personal identity. However, collegiate rumors and stereotypes did make me apprehensive about what lay beyond Fresno Christian. Having never attended school anywhere else, I was definitely apprehensive.

And after surviving the first five weeks of school, I thought I would check in with my former family, The Feather Online, and tell you that there are no mustachioed villains to fear.

After applying, worrying and vacillating for several months during my senior year, I decided to attend Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Whitworth is a Presbyterian college that specializes in liberal arts. After about two hours in my new home, I fell in love with the giant lawns dotted with pine trees, welcoming residential leaders, and Christ-centered — but academically balanced — classroom approach.

This doesn’t mean that my transition was perfectly easy. I struggled, like every college student, with finding stable friends, missing my parents, and showing up to the wrong building for class.

However, as I stand on the other side of these beginning-of-the-year struggles, I am proud of how far I have come. I have learned to schedule my time between homework, a new job, and hanging out with friends. I have learned to use the many new technologies and websites after becoming very attached to PowerSchool, The Vault and The Feather.

But most of all, I have learned that college is not a horrifying villain or one constant party: things fall fully in the middle. Mostly, my life as a young adult is a continuation of what I began in high school: becoming independent, learning what I love to do, and seeking God?s direction.

If you are currently planning for college or are trying to avoid thinking about it, I?ll tell you this: beginning life after high school is a little like the Climb to Kaiser. The trek has had its horrible, quadricep-burning moments, full of uncertainty and loneliness. But when I reach the top, I know I will be so amazed with the view that everything will be worthwhile. Besides, although my quads may be burning now, the riders on either side of me can always remind me that the scenery is beautiful.

Suzanna Quiring, ’10, was the former editor-in-chief of The Feather.

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