Starting College in the Fall? I have just the TV show for you

With summer starting off in full swing, I can’t help but think of the inevitability of the falling golden leaves of fall; for many teens, fall symbolizes the start of something: the first day of middle school, high school or senior year. Having surpassed all these bittersweet “rites of passage” I now come upon the most daunting of them all: college. In a few months I will be heading off to college and living away from home and out-of-state for the first time. I have some worries and if you are in my boat, I bet you do too.

Luckily enough, I have found a both comical and enlightening guide to the beginning of college living: Dorm Life.
http://www.dorm-life.com

Dorm Life is a series of short (4-5 minutes) clips/shows about student’s first year as college students and the problems that might arise when living conditions are so close. It is seriously one of the funniest shows I've ever watched and it has been a great tool for easing my college bound nerves. Make sure to start from the beginning. WARNING: Once you start, you can't stop. I literally watched it for 2 hours straight before I finally had to cut myself off.

One of my biggest worries is getting a roommate that I don’t click with - or who is just totally crazy. Episode one (http://www.dorm-life.com/episode101.php) eased my worries when students were paired with other kids that seemed rather weird or misfit compared to themselves - but throughout the season they learn to get along, live peacefully together, accept, and even enjoy the other’s quirks and differences.

Another one of my worries is fitting in. I definitely have my own quirks and I am worried people might immediately judge me as weird or different without getting to know me. Episode 14 (http://www.dorm-life.com/episode114.php) has one of the students performing a solo play he wrote, directed and acted and it is very strange, but nonetheless his whole dorm floor comes to support him and gives him a standing ovation - sincerely loving his strangeness as something cool and different. It goes to show, if you surround yourself with the right people, they will love you for exactly who you are.

If you want to talk to another teen about college nerves or anything else that's going on in your life, feel free to call Teen Link from 6 PM to 10 PM any day of the week at 1-866-TEENLINK or at 866-833-6546 or chat with a teen by logging on to the Teen Link website and clicking the "Chat" button.