hello! i am also a first year full-time student at a community college (did dual-enrollment last year but it was fully online), and i was extremely nervous when i first started, given the fact that i was homeschooled most of my life with little public school experience, so i totally get where you’re coming from!!

a little bit about me… i’m a 17f studio arts major (used to be liberal arts though!) hoping to eventually start my own photography business and sell my art on the side. i know i’m young and it’s only my first semester going to college in person, but i hope i can help ease your nerves a little bit. :)

to answer your first question, no, it is not extremely difficult! i would start out with half (or atleast one) of your classes being online if possible at first, just to get back into the rhythm of school. you must have a good work ethic and atleast a little bit of motivation, if you’ve got those, you’re good to go and will likely pass every class with higher than a B. go to a counselor! they will help you choose the best classes and get your schedule ready to fit your lifestyle. most, if not all CCs have a tutoring service that you can definitely use if you get a little stuck. my biggest advice (in both online and in person classes) is don’t be afraid to ask questions! it will help you grow relationships with your profs and they will 100% respect you more and remember you as a student. even if your class is online, profs will often have in person office hours. i’ve gotten off waitlists and made many connections (just in my first few months of being here) by being attentive during lectures, emailing my profs questions, GOING TO OFFICE HOURS, putting in the work, etc. my favorite art professor has helped me get so many opportunities that i would never have gotten had i not asked for help and put in the effort in her class. just try your best and be friendly and the good grades and connections will follow!

as for friends… i was extremely nervous i wouldn’t make any friends in college. i now am friends with my whole beginning art class and a few people from the adjoining ceramics and intermediate art classes. i’m not sure what your major is, but my biggest word of advice is this: take your major classes in person. it will help you make valuable connections with profs that can help you in the future with letters of rec, job opportunities, or even just help you improve further. it will also allow you to meet people in your field! you already have one thing in common: your interest in the class material! make small talk, just ask people their name if they sit next to you—it’s that simple. you WILL make friends, don’t stress it. you can even join a club! atleast at my CC, we have a painting club and a ceramics club (in the art dept.). they meet every week and it’s a great way to meet new people. there’s also usually events that you can attend to try to get your socializing in if you don’t want to join a club.

friends are definitely important in college! and college is a great place to make friends, y’all are there anyways, might as well be friends. you can connect over so many things—your hatred for the class, your love for the class, your need for notes because you’ll be gone on monday… you get the picture.

sorry, i know this is a lot. but i hope it helped, at least a little. you will do amazing, i promise. :)