Season 1 Official Trailer

How is Gen Z really experiencing college? In Season 1 of My First Year in College, hosts Sophia and Rosabelle talk with college students and recent grads about the dreams and expectations they arrived with-and the anxiety, loneliness, joy, discoveries and triumphs they encountered along the way.

 Going beyond the polished version of college life we see on social media, My First Year in College explores the emotional and intellectual lives of young people as they navigate a defining year of change.

❤️ Subscribe for more conversations about life's biggest transitions.

 Learn more: https://sophiamedia.co/MyFirstYear

Transcript

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SPEAKER_03 0:09

Every fall, millions of young people pack up their lives and leave home. They think they're going to college, but college is rarely the biggest thing that happens during that first year.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

The whole world was at my fingertips.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

I feel like I had my own space for the first time in my life. For some, it's the first taste of complete freedom. For others, it's the first time they've had to figure out who they are without everything they've always known. I just remember being like, I want someone to tell me what to do. And it was a very like, oh, I'm an adult and it's something I need to figure out for myself. It's the year your expectations collide with reality. The year you realize that making friends isn't the same as finding where you belong.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

I think a lot of us equated, like, whatever university you go to is your self-worth.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

It's very different to have friends versus feeling like you belong in a community. It's the year you begin asking questions, no syllabus can answer. Who am I when nobody knows me? What do I value? What kind of life do I want to build?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

We want it to be understood and we wanted to be loved and we wanted to be known and we wanted to know ourselves too.

SPEAKER_03 1:23

And then, slowly, something begins to change. You stop trying to become the person you think everyone else wants you to be and start becoming yourself.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Maybe I actually am smart, maybe I actually have something to contribute. I don't need all these big names to prove I am worth it.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

When they look back on their first year of college, they remember the moments that changed them and the wisdom they gained.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Finding your passion is a very important thing. There were so many mistakes that I made, and I'm grateful for all of them because they were so instrumental in creating the person that I am today.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

From Sophia Media comes my first year in college, a new podcast where current and former students speak openly and honestly about their first year of college. The doubts, the challenges, the joys, and the transformations. Premiering August 18th, 2026. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and learn more at SophiaMedia.co slash my first year. My first year.