My College Experience

Living alone, away from home is a challenge millions of students have to undergo each year across the globe. It is like starting kindergarten again. You are entering a new place, with new people, starting a new phase of your life. After being separated form your parents, some may cry, others will run with joy at the taste of independence. However, as hard as it may be for some to admit it, they will miss their family and previous way of living. This is why finding the right college is so important to students. They have to feel comfortable in the new environment.

“Today is finally the day,” I thought with butterflies in my stomach as I hopped into my car and trekked forty miles to The University of Massachusetts Boston. Everyone’s first day as a college student is daunting and the nerves were definitely high that day. I was no longer attending a high school of a little over five hundred students, but rather a university with a total undergraduate enrollment of over twenty-two thousand students. This day was the start of a new chapter in my life and the University introduced entirely new opportunities for me to explore. Since the first day here, I have been submersed in a culturally diverse community that has challenged and allowed me to gain a new perspective of this world. The University of Massachusetts Boston is more than a school that I attend to gain a degree; it is a place where I continually learn and grow. I quickly fell in love with UMass Boston and only a few weeks into attending, found myself referring to it as my school. During my first year I was able to meet new people through my freshman success community and eventually form new friendships. Everything seemed to fall into place and my worries disappeared, but more personal challenge arose as the year continued on.

I expect this year to be difficult. I come from a small town and UNCC is huge in comparison, and not just in terms of population. The space between my dorm in Witherspoon and the Student Union is about the length of my hometown’s main street. To say I am experiencing culture shock is an understatement. I want this year to be fun, be enjoyable, but I know it is going to be hard, especially during the first semester. There is a steep learning curve to even being here, not even considering classes, just being here, just getting here, it has been and will continue to be a challenge. I have never been away from home for more than two weeks at a time and this past Friday marked my first two weeks here. I have never felt more homesick. My family is trying to help, but I am a first-generation college student and we are all in the dark as to how I am supposed to scale this mountain. I am only here because of the generosity of others and hours of hard work. I spent middle school and high school with my nose pressed into books, understanding that I would never be talented enough for an athletic scholarship. In my spare time I worked, worked because my family did not have enough money to send me anywhere. I earned scholarships and I got here and I knew that college was going to be hard academically, and that I would have to work, but even before the real work has begun I have been slapped in the face by something much worse, loneliness.

Fear is not a word that was in my typical vocabulary, as most people who know me I was very active throughout my highschool years. I participated in many things such as Student Council,Cheer,Band, and other extracurriculars. To do most of these you are expected to have courage and so on. One thing I understand now more than ever is that you never leave what you can do today for tomorrow, the opportunities might be gone. Many things would go through my mind these past months before I had to start college in the fall. It finally hit me that I was becoming an adult with many responsibilities ahead of me. This didn’t seem to bother me much since I kinda had everything figured out or so I thought. I wasn’t the first of my siblings to graduate. I forecasted I would have the help I needed occasionally throughout my college journey. As the days went by college registrations were getting closer than ever. I honestly was super excited to be back in school with familiar faces and even to meet new ones. The news I would be receiving two-weeks before I officially started college really set me back physically and emotionally. By this time I had met someone I’ve never in a million years thought I would meet my new friend fear.

My first semester of college wasn’t quite what I was expected. My classes turned out to not be overly stressful or difficult. I liked all of them, started martial arts again, had my first job, and am ready for the next semester. I was pleasantly surprised that I adjusted relatively easily to the greater independence going to college afforded me and that I think I am relatively well-prepared to continue with my undergraduate years. I’ve learned that I still have issues with managing my time efficiently, I still feel psychology is the right degree for me, and that I have a lot of things I want to study and not as much time as I had believed to study them.

College is many things. It may be a new beginning, perhaps it's the next step after high school, or it could be a huge culture shock. For me it was always just the next step. I never had to worry myself about what life was going to be like after high school because I knew that I was going to be furthering my education, and going to college. Ever since I started elementary school it seems as if all I’ve been working towards is going to college. So it was always a given that I would go to college, there was no question about it. I know that not everyone is as lucky as I am to get the opportunity to go to college. Whether it’s because they couldn’t afford it, didn’t make it into a college, or just didn't want to go to school anymore. I know not everyone I come in contact with will have the same experience as me or anything close for that matter. A few things that I have really noticed so far about myself and being in college are my studying skills or lack of, my ability to pay for college/ not having a job, and my preparedness for college. These are three cultural locations that ill will be addressing throughout the paper.

My first semester at the University of Evansville has been some of the best, yet hardest, days of my life. I have made many new friends, joined clubs, attended events on campus, and worked out at the gym, but along with all this fun came a lot of stress, hard work, and restless nights. Although I had some rough times, I believe that taking ID 106 provided with me all the information I need to cope when put into these situations and taught me how to avoid being put into stressful situations.

This week has been one interesting, hectic experience. Every since I came back to my father’s place after summer break from graduating, I had did nothing but apply for Columbia Southern University. Afterwards, I applied for FAFSA to get government grants to pay for my college considering I was no longer in High School. During August, I did not anything the entire time until school started online. Whenever I received the Critical Thinking (Third Edition) book through the mail, I knew I needed to learn more responsibilities. First week of my online classes passed by and then everything started to form together.

I believe that the main struggle that I will face in college is becoming accustomed to a new way of life. Growing up in a small rural town in central New Jersey, I realized my area was not an accurate representation of the “real” world. Adapting to a new setting is a challenge that I am excited to take on and overcome. Additionally, the course load will vary from the one that I am used to. I was briefly exposed to this course load in a different environment during my summer exchange program at Oxford University, and I am excited to return to the rigorous courses. Most people would be nervous for the complete change to their life, but all I feel is the eagerness to begin my college experience and continue my growth and learning.

After I graduated High School, I moved to Logan, Utah to pursue my Bachelors at Utah State University. This move was actually quite easy. My mom drove down with me to help me move into my apartment and all of my belongings easily fit between our two cars. About halfway through the semester, everything kind of fell apart. I hated my program, I didn’t like the atmosphere of the university and I wanted out. It was not anything like I was hoping, and I decided I was definitely not going to stay. However, I wanted to finish out the semester and tie up all my loose ends before I transferred. After a couple weeks of heavy research, hours on the phone, and lots and lots of emails, I was set to transfer to Boise State University located in Boise, Idaho.

My first semester of college was in January I had just graduated high school in December and decided to attend Rappahannock community college for nursing. The road to the college I was attending was named route seventeen. Seventeen is a long stretch of windy, woodsy road that is known to be populated by deer. On the particular day of my accident It was pouring rain, the roads were slick with water so instead of taking my beetle convertible I decided to take my father's SUV. My boyfriend decided to accompany me to the college that day even though my parents did not know I had a boyfriend and I was not allowed to ride others in the car with me at the time.

Last weekend, as my final task in this 27-day journal reflection, my mother had given me on the hardest task that surprising made me rethink everything I've come to known. She had asked me to send in my university applications. At first, when she told me that she wanted to get it done before Monday, I thought I was going to need another task to write about in my reflection on Wednesday, I already knew what programs I want to go into. I had no doubts about what I wanted to do, what schools offered the best program, where I live on campus, how much everything cost... I had done all my research since grade 11. I was physically ready to submit my applications. But I wasn't prepared psychologically and emotionally. Not even close. As I sat there looking at my laptop screen, I questioned everything that I thought I knew and I had let my insecurities come to surface to make my decisions. I end up switching back and forward between doing nursing and not becoming an OBGYN but do prenatal/neonatal nursing or sticking with doing health science and probably move out of Canada to go to medical school (a lot easier overseas than here). I even thought about changing majors completely and go into women studies and not pursue a career in science at all. I had seemed to lose all self-confidence that had for two years, in a matter of ten minutes. I rationing to do is to talk to others who are in university right now-- which I did. I ending up calling my aunt, my two brothers, my uncle, my

Imagine yourself on the very first day of school. Entering a new environment with many new people. The thought of making new friends was exciting. On the other hand, many were afraid to step into the classroom. A fear of what was to come lingered in their mind. Being shy is common among children and is often overcome with experience. As the youngest of the family, I was very shy. I had older siblings to look up to that would do the things that I feared most. However, going to school was an experience that would encourage me to open myself up to others, which was what I had feared most.

Starting since 6th grade I always found a way to get out of going to school or doing my school work. I put in more effort in skipping school, not doing my work, and in extracurricular activities than I would at school. I was lazy a person, I was a C student, I was that kid who everyone expected him to fail. Until my junior year I thought school was a total joke, what changed my perspective about school was during the summer when I realized that my grades sucked and no school would want me if I kept up my poor performance in school. “To be great is to be misunderstood.” (Emerson) This quote by Ralph Emerson is a quote I can relate to easily. I always thought it was normal to not do your work because your peers didn’t do it, but I was right it was normal. I knew I have achieved greatness when I stood out from my peers, when I set myself apart. You may be thinking, “What made you decide to break your old habits and start your new ones?”

This is my second year of college, but my first time away from home. I attended a community college in my hometown, and I transferred to Texas A&M- Corpus Christi with a 3.86 GPA. Last year, I made some big changes in my school habits and who I am as a student. I devoted a lot more time and focus to my school work because this schooling is a choice and not available to everyone; if I was going to do this, I was going to do the absolute best I could. So, starting that year I kept an eye on my grades at all times, and aimed high with my GPA. These goals were important to make, because I would not be where I am now without them. It was challenging to change and still is, but I am not going into debt for average grades and minimum effort. Setting goals in my classes and for my overall year is important to me, and is how I plan to have a successful year.