My name is Lydia Frey and I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’ve lived in the same house my whole life, just one minute away from the high school I attended, Turpin High School. I walked to school and after school activities every single day and had an enjoyable, supportive, and encouraging high school experience. I was a very involved and eager student, classmate, and teammate, and was a member of many clubs and extracurriculars at Turpin, including Key Club, Kindness Club, Women’s Soccer, Swimming, and Track. I always felt this pull to branch out and have a different experience from what I had growing up. When it came time to apply to college, I was lost. I did not grow up with a strong passion for any school, my parents both had very average college experiences at nearby colleges, and all I knew was that I wanted to go somewhere out of the Cincinnati area. I had such a curated upbringing that I almost felt like I was in a bubble throughout high school, and I quickly learned during the college search that I really enjoyed exploring new experiences at my own pace. After numerous applications, I committed to The Ohio State University on the very last day possible. Ohio State stood out of me because of its football and school spirit culture, expansive campus, and vibrant city setting. Little did I know that decision would change my life forever.
The summer leading up to freshman year involved many emotions: sentimental moments with friends and family I wouldn’t see for a while, researching “freshman year dorm necessities,” and more. I am extremely close with my family, so I clearly remember that the day I left for Columbus, I was emotional and sad as we pulled out of my driveway. Arriving at my dorm was a whirlwind: I met my roommate, who is now one of my best friends, toured the closest dining hall, and walked the perimeter of campus five times just to make sure I knew how to get to my class halls. That first week was all about exploration, putting myself out there, and trying new things, since there was a whole week before classes started. I learned three life lessons just in that first week, which I will now break down for you.
#1: Putting yourself out there to make new friends takes an immense amount of courage and effort. I quickly learned that no one was going to knock on my dorm door and hand me a friend group. If I wanted to feel like I belonged at a school with over 50,000 undergraduate students, I had to introduce myself first, again and again, even when it felt uncomfortable. I said yes to things I normally would’ve talked myself out of, like eating dinner with people I’d just met, or joining a group headed to an event I knew nothing about. Some of those introductions went nowhere, and that was okay, but a handful turned into the friendships that carried me through freshman year. Coming from a small, familiar high school where my friend group had mostly been set since middle school, I wasn’t used to building relationships from scratch. It was tiring and took a level of vulnerability I didn’t know I had, but the discomfort was temporary and the payoff was worth it.
#2: The recruitment process to join Greek life is so different for every single person, and comparison really is the thief of joy. Going into recruitment week, I had a picture in my head of exactly how it was supposed to go, shaped by other girls’ experiences online and stories from older friends. The reality looked nothing like that picture. Some of my new friends received bids from their top choice house within days, while my process took longer and looked messier than expected. I found myself comparing my timeline to everyone else’s, which only made me more anxious and less present. It wasn’t until I stopped measuring my experience against other people’s that I was able to enjoy the process and end up somewhere that felt right for me. Everyone’s path looks different, even when you’re all going through the same system at the same time, and there’s no “correct” way for it to unfold.
#3: Home doesn’t disappear just because you leave it. I spent much of that first week worried that moving four hours away meant becoming a Buckeye required me to stop being a Spartan. What I found instead was that the two identities could coexist. My family was still one phone call away, my Cincinnati friendships didn’t dissolve, and Turpin was still part of my story even as Ohio State became the next chapter. Growing up in that small, sheltered bubble gave me the confidence to build something new for myself. Looking back, I’m grateful for the girl who grew up a Spartan, because she’s exactly who prepared me to become a Buckeye.