The Luck of the Draw
The University of Iowa is where I will be spending next year, as an English student. The thought of my first day of college absolutely scares me to death and is often on my mind. When I think of the day, I hope and pray all will go as planned and it will be a breeze; however, I know there are many possible problems which could occur to ruin my perfect first day as a college student. My opinion of the best first day of college has every possible occurrence going smoothly and with ease.

On my best first day of college, I wake up to my alarm set an hour and a half before my first class. I have plenty of time to prepare myself, mentally and physically, for my big day. After an undisturbed, hot, twenty minute shower on my floor’s public shower, I saunter to my room completely calm and ready for the day. Because I was so prepared, I had picked out the perfect outfit the night before to be sure I had exactly what I wanted to wear. After getting dressed, I realize I am having a perfect hair day! My hair lays exactly the way I need it to, and my make up looks as flawless as I can fathom it to be. After finishing my morning beauty routine, I look out the window to see the most beautiful late August day. The sun shines brightly in a clear, beautiful, blue sky, and there is not a cloud to be seen. There is a slight breeze which I notice rustling the luscious green leaves of the trees outside my dorm room. The perfect weather only makes my excitement grow for my expectations of this great day. I grab mbooksag which is filled with all my necessary supplies for each class and head out the door with my roommate, Laura. As we walk together to get breakfast, Laura and I hear beautiful birds chirping and stare at the passing faces and beautiful campus around us. We make ourselves, along with many others, obvious freshmen targets. After reaching the dining hall, Laura and I eat a healthy yet fulfilling breakfast and head back out the door. As we go our separate ways to different classes, I find my way to my lecture hall and arrive with plenty of time before class begins. I find a single seat towards the middle of the hall. As the seats around me begin to fill, girls and boys around me start easy, laid back conversation with me and I realize I truly enjoy this place. Meeting new people and making new friends is one of the best parts of my best first day of college. To add to my great first day, my professor is incredibly amiable. As she strolls into the classroom, silence falls and she lets out a beautiful, effortless laugh. She enjoys our awkward freshmen stage, and she embraces the situation. She tells us of her first day of college and says we should not worry; immediately I can feel the bodies around me release their tension and begin to relax. As my professor begins her lecture, I think of all the firsts I have had and come to the conclusion this day, is definitely one of the best. With the idea of my best first day of college in my head, I begin to wonder what my day would be like if it was my worst first day of college.

On my worst first day of college, I wake up to the sound of my roommate frantically calling my name and shaking me awake. My alarm had not gone off and I had only ten minutes until my first class started. I jump out of my bed, hitting my head on the ceiling as I do so, and sprint to the bathroom to brush my teeth only to find a line of people waiting. As I weigh my choices, I decide it would be best to just brush my teeth with a bottle of water outside. Instead of wearing the cute outfit I had picked out, I throw on my baggiest sweats, and a nonmatching sweatshirt which just so happens to be an Iowa State University sweatshirt. I desperately grab mbooksag hoping all my supplies are tucked away inside. I realize I will have to skip breakfast and go straight to class, which is very disappointing for I had skipped supper the night before. As I leave my residence hall I walk into a humid, rainy mess of a day. My hair, which was frizzy from bed head, immediately becomes an enormous ball of wetness combined with frizz. I begin to pull my disgrace of hair into a bun only to discover I do not have a ponytail to hold my hair up. I am running, no sprinting, across the campus in desperation to reach my first class before my professor. Finally I reach my destination and walk into the classroom to find one seat left. I am the very last student to walk into the lecture hall and all eyes are on my sweat and rain soaked body, frizzy head, and completely clean face. I receive many looks of disgust as I make my way towards the very back row of the room and take my seat. My professor walks in just as I take my seat and immediately I know this day is only going to get worse. He is an old mad, with a toupee, a protruding belly and smells of cigarette smoke. He snarls at us and laughs at the tension he feels in the room.. I make the decision to not give this awful professor the satisfaction of making my day any worse than it already is; however, as my stomach rumbles much louder than normal, I come to the conclusion I have never had a worse day. One single, salty tear slides down my cheek just as the professor begins his lecture.

The idea of my best first day of college makes me extremely excited; however, the possibility of my worst first day of college has left a prominent picture in my head of how awful my day could be. I have high hopes of my best first day, yet somewhere in the back of my mind there is a nagging voice warning me to be cautious of such high hopes. No matter what happens, I will make the best of this eventful day in my life; yet I hope with all my heart I receive the luck of the draw on my first day of college.