My Experience In College

As a student, I can tell why some of the frustrations occur when the conscientious seldom does not pay off adequate. No wonder thirty percent of first-year college students drop out. Every second of college life feels intimated since the future of student mostly rely on how they manipulate the time. I wonder if I can keep myself into college, or will I be counted as one in those thirty percent of first-year college students. I don’t want to be that statistic; I won’t be. The present that I hold highlights my past, where life granted me one last chance to change my destiny.

My mother once asked me what college I wanted to attend after high school and where I saw myself in the future. These questions had been brought up the night before my first day as a freshman at Waiakea High. Seeing as I was still, at the time, a naive prepubescent teen, I just stood there dumbstruck, with a blank expression on my face. One could say I looked like a deer in the headlights. After the initial shock of the unexpected question passed, I first felt overwhelmed and flustered because I had no idea how to respond, and then I became concerned. Concerned because I knew my academic skills were subpar and there was no way I would make Division 1 Cross Country on scholarship. I felt as though I was in a hole. “Maybe I’ll just go across the street,” I replied referring to UH Hilo in a jokingly manner.We continued to talk for a while longer, but the thing that she said that sticks with me till this day was, “Aim higher, I know you can do better if you try.” Looking back on it, I can say that I was afraid. Afraid of wanting to dream high and end up failing in the end.

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

Throughout my high school career, all I really knew was wrestling. The hard practices, making weight, and the camaraderie of all my teammates is all I cared about. I lived and breathed the sport, all thanks to a friend of mine that encouraged me to go to one practice Freshman year. Looking back now that I have graduated, like many other people I wish I could go back and do it again. I want one more match. But life goes on and I must keep going. Going through high school wrestling has shaped who I am today, the confidence I developed, the self-discipline, and the leadership qualities I learned. I am so glad I took on the sport.

The struggles of and the struggles people created for me during my high school years. Honor student, very quiet, ad never been apart of the crowd. The desire to fit in only resulted in a terrible experience and the devastation of the grades on my transcript. I became more into my social life then my education. It took self analyzing and the realization of the dreams that I want to achieve for a spark of change to come.

There have been a few places where I been uncomfortable and have noticed many people’s mindsets such as being a growth or fixed mindset. The two places I will talk about where I have been the most uncomfortable are college and on the city bus. I will talk about what I’ve heard and I what I learned about how people think and how that can affect what others think about that person.

College is often called the best time of your lives but it is also the first time you are left alone with new experiences. Some of these experiences are good ones you will keep for life and others are one that teach you valuable lessons. These experiences often can either make or break people depending on their level of responsibility and accountability.

Let me just make one thing clear, the College process is not easy, and by not easy I mean nearly impossible. Thousands of students paying thousands of dollars expected to just suddenly know how to become an adult and know what they want to do for the rest of their life. No thank you. But sooner or later this was going to be my reality. So I braced myself. Not know what discoveries would lie before me, I headed off to visit LMU’s campus.

I have made many mistakes in my lifetime. I have struggled, I have stumbled and I have fallen Still, I refuse to let my past define me. I refuse to let my experiences bring me to my demise.

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.

I stumble, missing a step. A little lightheaded is all. Maybe I should’ve eaten more for breakfast. I walked up the steps and attempted to push open the door even though the sign clearly read pull. I murmured to myself, “Why do I have a math class at 7:45am?” This was a routine for me during my years of high school and I often felt miserable as a result. Although I felt as if I was in hell every morning high school has been a captivating experience for me. It has certainly had its positives and negatives and many confusing experiences in between. Overall, I feel as though I have been suited for not only college, but also life as a whole. High school has taught me many things, both academically and subjectively. It has revealed my true colors, both good and bad, and as a result, has built many aspects of my character as well as define my success as I enter my first year of college. My experiences at A.C.L.A have shaped me into the person that I am today.

Moving into college, I never expected to form relationships that has such a profound effect on me so quickly. As a new college freshman, the ideas and expectations that were totally the opposite of what occurred within the first three weeks of my college freshman experience. My situation was definitely not what any college freshman would expect when entering school. My main priorities was to get myself adjusted to independent college living , being away from my parents, and made sure I handled my grades and always keep them a priority. When this event happened, I was completely blindsided, as were most of my friends. My goals and focuses suddenly went spiraling down the drain. Throughout my life, I have never experienced something so harsh and detrimental to my emotional well-being.

My first semester of college taught me the importance of balance. When I got to college, I thought life would be easy, especially when I learned that all classes were not mandatory. After the first day of classes, I had made the resolution to be relentless about my schoolwork and remain focused. However, I did not realize how many diversions there were in college. Every other weekend there was a party or even going on. At first, I remained diligent about my school work. I stayed in my room and did all of my readings and homework early so that I did not forget to do it. After a while, however, I began to envy my friends who had stories about how much fun they had at the parties.

Coming from a small town high school, I knew that my experience at the University would be a game changer. But, what I did not expect to go from being the best of the best in high school to thinking how am I going to survive not only this semester but, the next seven years of my life as well. I was a star student at my high school and I didn’t really have to try to make good grades, but here at the University of Memphis I am barely on the same level of the average student. I never seriously study in high school and I almost always procrastinated on my assignments, but always did well. I have learned that these habits will not work in college, but I have yet to brake them. I know my learning styles and always have and nobody knows me better than me, but I am still fumbling around trying to grasp this whole college thing. I have my goals that I want to accomplish at the university, my personal goals, and my story that I want to leave behind all in line and set up, but struggle with finding the right path to make those goals a reality. My experience as a college student as opened my eyes to a completely different way to approach education and I must evaluate and adjust myself to insure that I am successful, so I can reach each and every one of the goals I set for myself.

During my college days it was standard practice of a group of us guys after we dropped our dates off at the dormitory around curfew to go to an all-night diner up the hill from the campus. We would push several tables together and chat until quite late (or early depending on hour you want to define it).