The Perfect Fit

By Tatiana ’15

A few months into college life, I can already tell how prepared I am compared to my peers. I moved in at Rochester Institute of Technology on the 18th of August, and I could tell right away that I made the right decision on what school to attend. With a lot of help from my career counselor at Milton Hershey School, Mr. Martin, and my high school houseparents, Mr. and Mrs. Weldon, I was able to pick RIT–the perfect fit for me! I love the campus, the academics, and the people, peers, and staff. I’m finally doing my own thing, with support from MHS and family, and I feel like the transition into college was easy and much less stressful than my peers’ experiences.

Some of the things I was taught while at MHS are simply ingrained in me. MHS helped me to develop habits that clearly distinguish me from my friends that did not have the structure and life teaching skills I do.

I keep my room clean, show up early, know how to do my own laundry, and prioritize my time among many other things my friends are just now figuring out. One of the biggest shocks was how unhealthy the food options can be in college. An even bigger shock was that I wanted to eat healthy. And, go to the gym.

While being at MHS and immersed in a healthier lifestyle, I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until I had to go out of my way to find some fresh fruit on campus or schedule in my trips to the gym.

One of the biggest advantages I have over my friends is the fact that I already have college experience with the MHS@Temple Program. My work load now is much more art filled, as I’m an Advertising Photography major, but the amount of work doesn’t seem as drastically different from what I was doing last semester with my Temple classes. Many of my friends complain about teachers that give too much reading or a couple page essays every week, but to me most of the work loads they have are small compared to what I did and what I’m doing now.

Overall, in just a few months I’ve had help figuring out how to do everything myself and not with MHS. Everything from car insurance to heath and dental– I’ve been exposed to all of the work that goes with taking care of all aspects of my life, and not having someone else do all of the technical stuff for me.

My adjustment into college has been pretty awesome, and it makes me very optimistic for the next four years at RIT!