Phil Robinson

The semester so far has been going better than I thought it would be around this time. I’ve gotten a bit more used to the campus and its ins and outs, along with developing better time-management skills/planning that make doing work a lot easier.

The biggest thing I have learned so far from my experiences here—and from my older friends—is to have assignments and activities written out in a planner or even on your phone. Making sure that you have time to do your work as well as down time is key.

This system really came in handy when I was buckling down to get ready for crunch time at finals.

Socially things have been about the same—including still meeting new people each week, which is always enjoyable.

I am ready to finish out the rest of this semester and have Christmas break, but I have made sure that I remember not to rush it.

I have been at Longwood a little more than a month, and I have enjoyed majority of it. Yes, I said majority because nothing is ever perfect—but it’s fine when the good outweighs the bad.

One of the things that gets to me is learning how to be independent at this level, especially balancing my social life and academic responsibilities. Yet I know I am a lot better at it than I was when I arrived on campus. Balancing different aspects of college life is something a lot of people here find challenging, and that gives me the chance to build bonds with others who are struggling along with me.

Seeing friends from home who stopped by Farmville for a visit and going to Oktoberfest activities helped me take my mind off those challenges for a while. Oktoberfest weekend was a lot better than I expected it to be, honestly, with the costumes and various events—especially Color Wars and the Waka Flocka concert.

Color Wars was exciting. Throwing paint on people isn’t something you get to do every day—but I wouldn’t mind if it were. I was impressed with Waka Flacka’s performance. Everyone was having a good time, and I know that some people were more impressed with it than they thought they would be.

Overall, my time this week and the past month has been good, with some highs and a couple of lows. Now I’m just getting ready to tackle my midterms and see how next month is going to be.

The past several weeks at Longwood have been a learning experience for me. It’s been enjoyable even though there have been some growing pains with it!

I’m learning how to do things independently, like making sure I plan out my days to meet my deadlines and keep up with my academic obligations. Now, don’t get me wrong, these things take some time to get used to, especially when you haven’t had to do them before. But the process is fun because I know that I am becoming more of an adult.

This is primarily related to my academics.

When it comes to my social life, I have been having a lot of fun meeting people, having lunch with peers and even watching TV with them in the sunroom on a weekend. All of these experiences are what I expected.

I also went to the CHI walk (http://www.longwood.edu/lancer-life/traditions/chi/) recently along with some other students. The walk was at night and a little creepy, yet kind of fun. I wish I had gotten a CHI dropping while I was there, but I’m still glad I got to be a part of the tradition—and I’m looking forward to other school events in the future.

The weekend culture here is nice, with people outside socializing and the special programs, like move nights and the hypnotist who “performed.” Even though it gets hard sometimes academically, it is good to know that there are opportunities for me to wind down for a bit and give myself a mental break.

The transition from a private boarding school to college was much different from what I expected it to be. (I’m on the left in the photo.)

I attended Christchurch School in Saluda, Virginia, for all four years of high school, and I expected my initial time at Longwood to be exactly the same as when I was a freshman there—but that hasn’t been the case.

So far, being at Longwood has been an emotional time for me, with feelings of excitement, nervousness and many others. 

In 2014, I was a kid from the city going off to a school an hour away from home. It was the first time I’d been away from home for an extended period, and I have to say that it was a scary moment in my young life. I was the only one from my middle school to go there, and I didn’t know what to expect.

Even though it was hard, that first year of high school was very beneficial to my maturity and character. Throughout the years at Christchurch, I continued to grow, learning how to manage my time, how to live with someone and many other skills.

However, there is a difference between college and boarding school. I’m adjusting—but I’m still trying to figure everything out. This learning period has been fun, effective and efficient thanks to New Lancer Days and the help of the community that I knew was going to be here for me.

I am so glad that people are friendly and will make sure you aren’t lost. On top of this I have met so many people who are easy to talk to—many of them from the area where I live in Richmond, which has made me feel even more comfortable.

I was worried about making the transition to college despite my high-school experience, but it has been a lot better than I expected. I am so ready to see what the year is going to bring. I can’t wait see everything this campus has to offer, and I am ready to experience everything this year with open arms.