What If I Can’t Find My New Class at College?

It is completely normal to feel terrified before the first day — everyone in that new class has the same knot in their stomach, even the ones who look confident. You are not alone in that feeling, and it does not mean you are not ready. The important thing to remember is that finding a classroom is a practical problem, and practical problems have simple solutions.

Arrive half an hour early on the first day. Use that extra time to walk around the building, look at the room numbers, and find your lecture hall before the rush begins. In Pakistani colleges, the guards and the chai wala know exactly where every room is — do not hesitate to ask them. You can also ask any senior student you see; most are happy to help a new face. If you have a class schedule with a room number, take a screenshot on your phone so you do not have to fumble with papers.

And if you still cannot find it, remember that walking into the wrong room for a minute is something almost every college student has done. Someone will point you in the right direction, and no one will remember it five minutes later. The fear is bigger than the problem — once you have found the room, that terror will turn into relief, and by the second week you will know the way without thinking. You have got this, inshallah.