My First Year Of College

Entering freshmen year, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do, but I was lost regarding how I was going to do it. This is a sentiment shared by many students entering collegiate studies. Some students may not even have a direction or general idea of what they wish to achieve from college. Others, are either overconfident or hold a disillusioned perspective regarding course selection, work load, study time, time management, and the equilibrium between social and academic life. My first semester at Randolph-Macon began as a series of failures that lead themselves to success largely due to the influence of upperclassmen pursuing the same goals as me and continuously pushing me to hone my strengths and reevaluate my weaknesses.

Throughout my first two years of college, I have had many challenges and successes. I was excited to take this class because it involves something that I have always been interested in. International Studies excites me because it allows me to understand the world on a more practical and realistic level. I had frugal knowledge of relations overseas when I started this class, and now I could not imagine my life before I knew these things. In high school, the only class I took that involved anything on an international level was IB psychology. I was immediately mesmerized by the different cultures I was learning about. When signing up for this class, these intentions and thoughts followed me. International Studies has positively impacted my life in many ways. This class has allowed me to open my mind to many different cultures, this class has helped me understand the different business tactics of other countries, and it has helped me view the United States in a new light.

The thought of college is often overwhelming and fills a person’s head full of anxiety and stress. If you look back on what you have accomplished up to this point in your life this large step in life suddenly seems much smaller. I have been going to the same small private school all my life so many people could argue that I have been sheltered for most of my life or see the world through “tunnel vision.” Now all of this is entirely true, but throughout my high school years I have gradually become more of the person who I am today. For example, my junior year English teacher assigned my class the daunting task of a junior thesis. At first I thought this assignment was simply busy work and had no meaning to it, but as I began to pick a topic and research it I began to discover a possible

May came around at long last. So did the end of my second semester of college at Florida Atlantic University. Not only did I survive my freshman year, I thrived, passing eight of my nine joint courses with A’s and getting A-minus on the other one. Just like “Neon” Leon shocked the departed Muhammad Ali in 1978, I defied my own expectations and those of a few among my closest friends and family. Did I soon spend the next few months indulging in summer merriment at the beach, getting my tan on while thirteen-year-old boys fawned over pictures of Selena Gomez? Nope. I took summer classes to keep my mind sharp and knock out a few of the requirements towards a degree which I’d earn three years later. One such class = a six-week crash course in public speaking. Everything went well until I got an assignment to create, practice, and deliver a three-to-five-minute speech involving someone who stood out. The possibilities overwhelmed me until I recalled someone with an outstanding life, hit him up on my cell, and talked to him in person one hot Saturday afternoon.

With any course, especially one with a focus as broad as leadership, the material covered may include a range from useful to impractical. It is impossible to learn the skills necessary of an effective leader completely out of a book, it takes the application of them to understand. The development of leadership is vital to successfully moving forward in any career, so it would be beneficial to cultivate these skills academically.

This is my first semester at Mesa College. I am currently a Political Science major. The term that would best describe my current situation would be “non-traditional” student. I graduated from high school in 2006. Since then I have gotten married, travelled the world, and had two children. While in high school I excelled and took part in many academic extra-curricular activities. In the past ten years I have accumulated work and life experience. Most recently I was able to work as a legal assistant for an immigration firm. Being bilingual was beneficial, as was my interest in law in general. I plan on attending law school in the future which made the job appealing. Although I deferred college for this long it has always been my

When going into my second semester of senior year knowing I had enrolled to take Freshman Composition, I was nervous. However, despite all the negative feedback I had received, I challenged myself to do my best and try my hardest to never give up or slack off. That was unsurprisingly a challenge for me, but with a little motivation of getting the class out of the way this year instead of having to take it next year got me through the semester.

Beginning college is like being reborn into the world. You begin your first day with a blank slate, and a thousand fears to go with it. Last year, I started my new life at Saginaw Valley State University. As a fresh graduate of New Lothrop High School, I had no idea what to expect from the world past the cornfields that used to surround me everyday at school. With a deep breath, I gathered everything I learned from my time at New Lothrop and jumped into my new world. My past lessons of leadership, responsibility and dedication prepared me for college, but I still have many more to learn.

Throughout my first year at Bowling Green State University and being in the Education program, I have heard the term “unions” a lot. Within the course that I’m currently in, Intro to Education 2010, we covered information about teacher unions, but not to the extent that I would like. My question is what are the benefits of teacher unions and after I get my degree in middle childhood education should I join one?

I was desperately lost while studying theater during my first semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho. It was what I enjoyed during high school, but I want a career where I am able to spend time with my family and one where I’d be in a position to improve the lives of others. After taking my first acting class I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Since then, I have considered everything from psychology to accounting. Research and volunteer opportunities, advice from trusted mentors, and my education played roles in my decision process. I learned to manage my time wisely in order to spend time with my family. Most importantly, I was able to decide on a career in optometry, and have since planned out what I want to do after optometry school.

Time is a powerful thing when it comes to the development of a student. Looking back to my freshman year, I can easily say that my wish to obtaining a college education has changed significantly. The idea of finally having freedom, getting to sleep in, and practically doing what I want without someone always looking over my shoulder is what I looked forward to. However, nobody told me about the sacrifices a college student makes on a daily. From learning to time manage and dealing with sleep deprivation, to the constant panic and anxiety that comes from the stress of being away from home, this is nothing like what I envisioned. Nevertheless, these struggles have only opened my eyes to what this world is really like. A college education is more than studying for exams and completing bookwork, it is a test of a student’s mental strength.

Whenever you are doing something in life, you are expanding your knowledge. Whether it may be in a classroom, work environment, or at home; you are always learning something. You could be learning about a specific subject, skills for your job, and learning about yourself. The best way to learn about yourself and your skill set is to continually doing a task many different ways. While in college, we are exposed to many things that may take us out of our comfort zone and for us to learn from that experience.

During the semester in college, I have noticed that when I am overloaded with projects from my classes, I get stressed. At first, I just feel exhausted and anxious, but the problem is when I feel that way, my body begins reacting in a negative way. I get nauseas, stomach pain, and headaches and sometimes I feel dizzy. I think I get those symptoms because my body needs to release the stress somehow and is letting me know by giving me those discomforts. In order for me to feel better, I exercise and I relax at least a little bit.

The first year of college comes with many changes and challenges. These changes can include the food in the cafeteria, study habits, time management skills, and much more. Every student has to find their own way to handle the first year and determine what works best for them. For many the most essential change is living away from home. Campus life provides opportunities to become a part of a unique, diversified community. With these opportunities come challenges, such as having a roommate, being away from one’s parents, and determining self-limits.

Hearing so many good things and bad things about college I didn’t know what to expect and look forward to. That change my junior year knowing different college come every year I didn’t really pay it any mind what college I wanted to go to until ODU, Virginia State University and Virginia Teach came. It was Virginia State first year of visiting out school and I knew I wanted to go there I start getting e excited for college that were talking about their experience at college and what to look for when we graduated if we decided to go to college. Eager to start a new chapter college sound like it could be a little nerve wrecking but I thought I could handle it.