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Battling first year adjustment in college
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Making mistakes is part of human nature, but what do you do when you make such a fatal error that it could ruin your entire future? That is how I felt after my first semester of college. I ended that semester with a 1.8 GPA and was placed on academic probation. Not only did I fail academically, I lost sight of my values. I felt as though I was condemned to be a bad student forever. Little did I know then, my first semester mistakes would actually be a blessing in disguise. These mistakes led me to become the person that I am today. The first way I ended up changing in response to my first semester mistakes, was to completely alter the way I perceived my role as a student. I began to invest more effort in my studies. I knew if I wanted to redeem my past mistakes, I would have to hold myself accountable for my academic success. I made it my objective to perform well in school. It took time, but I was remembering how much I enjoyed school. Achieving high marks on the quizzes and tests provided me with the motivation to continue to study hard for the next ones. I remembered how much I valued mastering new and challenging material. With my new attitude and work ethic, …show more content…
Failing and hitting rock bottom made me realize what my values are and where my passions lie. I discovered that I did not want to go through life only putting in minimal effort. I learned that I want to apply myself to the fullest extent. Now I work for objectives that are valuable and worthwhile endeavors and my passions continue to grow. If I did not fail during that first semester and did just average, I may have continued to coast through college and life. I may not have sought such enriching extracurricular professional experiences. I may not have discovered that I have a passion for helping others. I may have just settled for any type of career instead of finding my true calling in
When I first came to college, I did not have a solid idea of what the experience would be like, but I was excited for this new chapter in my life. I enrolled in courses I though I would excel in but a couple of weeks into the quarter, I felt unprepared for the fast-paced courses that I seemed to be struggling in but that my peers seem to of been excelling in. Early on this cause me some hardships suddenly I did not feel that I was as smart or accomplished as they were. As a result of this my grades in my courses suffered early on. As time progressed, I became friends with a group of people who were also in my similar situation, they were first-generation college students, students, this great support network of students allowed me to gain more confidence in my academic ability and with the help of my lab work, I began to see that I could excel in college.
Growing up, my parents never expected perfection but expected that I try to accomplish my best. The effort I’ve put forth in learning has been reflected in my grades throughout my high school career. I’ve entered myself in vigorous course work such as AP Government and AP English to become well prepared for my college career, all while maintaining a 4.4 grade point average this year. Not only do I engage in AP classes, but up until this year I had no study halls. I wanted my day to be packed full of interesting classes that I would enjoy learning about. My grades and choice of classes prove the effort that I put forth in my learning. Working hard now can only pay off in the future. Learning now creates a well-rounded human being. Working to learn is why I am so dedicated to my studies now.
At one point I came to the conclusion that I’m either going to fail, go to summer school, or go to a school that I didn't want to attend. I felt so disappointed in myself because I knew that I could've done better. So then one day I told myself, “I can do this”. I then started to study more than I usually did, I turned in all of my missing work and my present work, and I also took an after school tutoring class
All of my classes in high school I passed with no struggle. I would cram all the knowledge that I needed for a test the night before, so I thought college would not be any different. A week or two before my first ever college exam the professor announced that if we had not already been study, then we should start to right away. Being a young naive freshmen, I kind of blew the teacher off. Telling myself that I did not need to waste the next few weeks studying for one exam. So I waited until the last day to study. You might have an idea of what happened next. I failed the exam. Failing so bad that it would be nearly impossible for me to still get a C in the course. I could not even look at myself. The thought of disappointing my parents was making my stomach turn. This fear of failing the class was tearing me apart. The only chance at passing this class was if I turned myself into the perfect student. This meant turning things in on time, studying days in advance for exams, and going to my professor’s office hours. And that is exactly what I did. By some seriously hard work, long nights, and over a hundred red bulls, I was able to achieve a passing grade with a
I will always remember the teachers who helped me get where I am today and how many of them made me work harder. I will always remember the marks I got in high school whether it’s good or bad. All the bad marks will help me “beat on, boat against current” to work harder to achieve higher marks.
Let’s flash back in time to before our college days. Back to then we had lunch trays filled with rubbery chicken nuggets, stale pizza, and bags of chocolate milk. A backpack stacked with Lisa Frank note books, flexi rulers, and color changing pencils. The times where we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive, but we did. Through all the trials and tribulations school helped build who I am today and shaped my future. From basic functions all the way to life-long lessons that helped shape my character.
Acceptance is the key to converting our flaws into positive attributes. In my first semester, I believed that college was just like high school. I thought that I could just study for a test the night before and end up making an A on the test. Thus, I skipped classes and overslept on a regular basis. Consequently, I was unable to perform well during the first semester. However, this major incident helped me develop a sense of conviction that college is nothing like high school and I recognized that I must work hard and limit the hours I sleep daily. Thereby, this incident assisted me in developing a firm conviction about the adverse effects of skipping classes and
My teachers, who knew me and knew that I could do better, were concerned about me, but I wasn’t concerned about anything but , what I then saw as my road to acceptance , and a rebellion. After my second quarter report card came I realized that I couldn’t keep sabotaging myself to prove what I now saw as a ridiculous point, though my grades weren’t necessarily bad, I knew that I could have done way better had I tried; I was a smart, determined, self-oriented girl and anyone who couldn’t see that was missing out on someone amazing so I did what I had to do. I did all make-up work that the teachers allowed me to and resumed doing homework and studying, and by the end of that school year my grades were up to par
After only being at The University of Akron for three weeks, I dropped two classes. Shortly after dropping those classes, I received an email from my advisor asking to schedule an appointment. While in my academic advisors office, she proceeded to tell me that most students who drop two or more classes tend to not graduate. These words frightened me and even made me regret the decision to attend college as a whole. I sat there and thought about how disappointed my family would be and wondered if I would be successful in college. Since then, I have learned that there is a lot more to being successful
The first half of that class was difficult but I knew failure wasn't an option. I was happy with my grade but then I experienced failure for my first time in highschool and it made me realize how close-minded I was. Failure isn't everything, if anything it's a good way to see what steps to avoid.
That was a hell of an expectation for me, so after thinking what I was really good at, or something that I was really devoted at, I came to the realization that I didn’t have a vocation. I was not especial enough, I did not have any special
This eventually lead to me getting kicked out of my house and me abandoning my younger brother without someone to look up to. Another, major affect of my failure was my GPA and my chances of getting into a university that would have lead me to pursuing a career that would be successful and an ideal future. The affects of my failure weren't the best at first but when I decided to learn from my failure the affects had taken a turn for the
A recent failure that has changed how I go about my daily life is one that many college freshman experience in their first year. In high school I was a very good student, but I did not have to put in a lot of effort to get the grades that I wanted. I would joke with my friends and say that high school taught me how to put in the least amount of effort, and still get the maximum result. All of my teachers told me, as they did every student, that college was going to be different and if you do not put in more effort it would be very difficult. I knew this coming into school, but I am not sure if part of me wanted to prove people wrong, or if I actually was just adjusting to college life. I did not study as much as I should of, and as a result my grades suffered. Luckily I did not completely ruin my grade point average, but since first semester I have completely changed my study habits. This has taught a much needed lesson about hard work, and I am determined to never again fail at my studies. I am the kind of person that learns a lot from failures. My dad has always told me it is ok to make a mistake, but never make the same mistake twice. This I a motto that I live by.
Despite this mindset, I continued to work myself tirelessly, to keep up the perfection so that I did not let anyone down. This mentality carried with me until my junior year when I realized that a grade was
Over the course of the semester, I have learned a few things about myself. I have learned that I can be independent, I always knew myself as someone who could do mostly everything on their own. This semester really made me realize how independent I could actually be. Not only have I learned how independent I am I have also realized the importance of time management. With not having a strict class schedule it was a lot different than what I was originally used to. After a few weeks, I learned ways that would work best for me, for example writing down that I needed to get done. I learned that I need to focus on what 's ahead of me to accomplish what I want to succeed in, to manage what needs to be done ahead of time to stay caught up.