Advice To Calm The Soul

College can be a hard decision when it comes to wanting to play field hockey and staying close to home. I am constantly bouncing back and forth between playing field hockey or not, and if I want to go away or stay close to home. Thankfully, I have friends that are in college and are willing to spend their time talking to me about how classes and sports work. These girls are willing to answer my questions and explain things that I do not understand how to do. Not only did they help me, but I have helped my friend with making decisions. She is very indecisive, like I am and somehow I still end up having to choose and help push a decision. Sometimes the situation has to do with the “next” move, where are we eating, what are we doing, and where are we hanging out. That is all made up from my suggestions and planning mostly.

Lexi has talked to me about field hockey, classes, transportation, campuses, and what she strongly suggests that I do. She has told that no matter what campus someone applies for they will have to travel back and forth from the Gorham campus to the Portland campus, unless someone goes to the Lewiston-Auburn campus. To get from one campus to another there is a bus that will pick up the student and bring them. The student can also drive from Portland to Gorham if that is what they preferred. Lexi drives from home and back everyday and she does not mind commuting, but staying on campus is sometimes easier when playing a sport. If I do not want to commit to a team, Lexi has mentioned the club field hockey team that people go to whenever they have time. She also said that when someone is on the school team they will have to miss practice for classes and when a game comes around, they will have to miss class for that. College is a lot of work and about making the right decision and plan that works for the student.

The conversations that I have with Hayden are mostly about field hockey and juggling classes. Hayden plays for the team and has told me that during practice there is quite a bit of running, but there are slower girls and faster girls. The coach will also keep the girls who try out and kick them off if she does not think that they are fit for the team. Overall, I have heard that the team gets along and moves in 2 weeks before classes actually start and the other college students, so that they get to know each other. On the other hand, juggling classes with a sport is also a lot of work. In that there has to be concentration, time management and missing out on practice and classes. She is in the nursing class, which is the program that I want to attend next fall. The classes are hard, but can be done if hard work is put into it.

These girls helped me out while I helped out my friend. Making decisions is not always easy and for my friend it is like the end of the world. For example, when we hang out and go out to eat I have to narrow down the options by asking what do you feel like eating, do you want it fast or slow, a snack or a meal, location and what is your price range. I give suggestions and whenever the phrase “I don’t know” comes up I say “Well, I guess we will go to…” and off we go. Another time that I helped her is when she needed help on what to say to a guy that was talking to her. She has never really been good with guys and always gets nervous. She never knows what to reply with and I always have to tell her what to say. Sometimes she listens and other times she will laugh and say “no”, which is quite frustrating. Overall, we help each other when the other gets stuck on something. She can not make decisions so I help her and she helps me make the final decision.

My decision is still undecided with playing field hockey, but the information that I got has really helped me. When the season and college picking comes closer the decision will become easier to make. If I did not have those two college girls to help me with the process and how everything works I am not sure that I would be in a stress free state of mind. At times I think that I have a hard time picking an option and making a decision, but my friend also struggles… Worse than I do. Being stuck is hard, but when you have friends and people to help you, everything is a little better. Friends are there to help with problems, just like I am there to help my friends with their problems.

Photo by dmitryzhkov on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA