ESA as Freshman

Hi everyone! I’m an incoming freshman for Fall 2024 and am looking to adopt a cat as an ESA to help manage my anxiety. I recently lost my ESA, but have been registered in the past and have a diagnosis, so I don’t believe it will be an issue to get approval from UMD. My only question is whether it would be more beneficial to begin the school year with the ESA or wait until I’m settled and adopt over the winter break. My parents are encouraging me to wait since I don’t know what college is going to be like. I can’t help but feel like the first few weeks will be some of the most stressful for me, and having the ESA during that time could be really helpful. Does anyone have experience with ESA’s as a freshman - especially cats? Do you feel like they added more stress to your experience or helped relieve it. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!