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Challenges first years face in college
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Starting college was not what I expected it to be. I have always been excited to go to college since I was little because I’ve always wanted to get a degree that could help people, animals, and the environment. I did not expect my Freshman year of college to turn out the way it did. I knew there would be challenges, but I did not expect that there would be so many large emotional valleys for me to overcome. I hoped the greatest challenges I would face were midterms and finals. I did not expect the great amount of loss I would experience which began the summer before my Freshman year. I had a bright start, I was looking forward to being a cheerleader at UMHB. I made lots of friends and I was able to go see my boyfriend whenever I wanted - what could go wrong? Sadly, a lot happened almost immediately after my high school graduation my Great Uncle Bubba- who was my great grandfather by proxy- passed away. He was a rancher and the patriarch of a family of Aggies who are centered around faith and family. He inspired a rich faith in God …show more content…
My grandmother gave me a car for graduation, it was a beautiful Mustang. At my high school we had to do a capstone project which required 10,000 words and two year s of research- mine was about Mustangs.. I dreamt about that car since I was a little girl and I received the car a week before college started, my grandfather died a few days later; I named the car Roy after him. I suppose it sounds silly to love a car, but all of my dealings with death were so unhappy, the car was a welcome reprieve. It was the happiest day of my life, the car felt like an escape from sadness and freedom to begin my new life as a college student. I struggled with the loss of my grandfather, but being at college and having my car to remember him by helped me distract myself, when I was sad "we" (my car and I) would take a drive
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.
Throughout the length of schooling, students go through various changes. In their first year of school, children are required to make the transition from being at home for the entire day to being in school for a number of hours a day. These transition periods happen many times through the schooling years, but the most drastic changes occur during the transition from high school to college, where students weather numerous lifestyle changes. While each individual student goes on their own journey, certain themes remain common between different students. Studies are done to look at these themes identifying the numerous differences and similarities.
At the beginning of my freshman year, I was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at me. I was excited for the new school and the new opportunities. I had barely made the golf team but for some reason that did not faze me. I had friends from my prior years of schools and I was happy. The classes were easier than I thought they were going to be which was my biggest worry going in. Little did I know that my friendships were the biggest issue.
Anxiety ran throughout my entire body the morning before my first class of college began. Not knowing what to expect of my professors, classmates, and campus scared me to death. I knew the comparison to senior year of high school and freshman year of college would be minute, but never did it occur to me how much more effort was need in college until that morning, of course. Effort wasn’t just needed inside of the classroom with homework and studying but also outside of it where we are encouraged to join clubs, get involved and find a job. Had I known the transformation would be so great, I’d have mentally prepared myself properly. It’s easy playing “grown-up” in high school when one doesn’t have to pay expensive tuitions, workout a
It was the tremendous amounts of arguments amongst my parents over our tight financial debt, which taught me how to manage, respect, and organize money responsibly during my junior year. It was the numerous divorce arguments I heard from my bedroom walls, which taught me that love is not only demonstrated through words, but through our actions. It was the death of my favorite cousin, my best friend, Suleiman, which caused me, to be thankful and joyous for every day I have on this Earth.
"To be successful, you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can't just accept the ones you like" Mike Gafka. Gafka’s quote summarizes my Junior year as I had to grew accustom to many difficulties, face many challenges, and struggles such as time management as well as how I decided to take three Ap classes during my Junior year. Which were Ap US History, Physics, and English not to mention having a Math 140 zero period class and a Network+ computer course outside of school which made me have a busy schedule. Nevertheless I learned and gain a lot of new knowledge throughout my Junior year.
Getting ready to leave for college is often one of the most difficult times for a young adult. Many people are not ready to take that next step into their future. However, this past summer, as I approached my senior year, I was lucky enough to take a trip up the coast of California to go to a National Student Leadership Conference and prepare for that life changing experience. This camp was based on medicine and health care. I received a chance to work with professional doctors and examine what a life in medicine would be like. It was, by far, the greatest experience of my life, and it has definitely formed me into the person I am today. Before this camp, I knew I was not ready to proceed with that next step in my life. But now, I know I am more responsible and knowledgeable to go to college on my own.
When I graduated from McDonough High School, I had everything planned out. I was going to go to a four-year university and study Architectural Engineering. My senior year, my father was diagnosed with stage 3 brain cancer. We didn't know the extent the tumor had done to his brain or how much longer he had to live. This took a big toll on my mother as well as my three sisters. I continued to focus on my studies graduating with honors.
My life has not always been as bright and promising as it is today; I had no idea where my life was going, or how I would possibly be able to attend college at all. Since I was a child, my self-esteem has always been low, and any time college was brought up, it simply made my confidence drop even further. I never believed I could handle college, and never thought I would even be given the opportunity to attend.
While everybody is ready for graduation, something didn’t feel right to me. I didn’t feel like I had accomplished anything. I wasn’t accepted into any colleges like everyone else, and that’s because I didn’t even apply. I wasn’t prepared for anything, let alone college. I’m not in high school anymore. It was a game to me and I finally ran out of lives. There’s not as many chances outside of high school. I’ve come to the realization that I need to listen to my counselor and get it together and be more like my best friends and work towards a goal until I accomplish it. I needed to change my and realize that my past doesn’t have to determine my future. I wanted to grasp the concept of, “it’s never to late.” I desired to become a better version of myself. I craved to the idea of a positive purpose in life. I wanted to earn the respect and admiration of others. I wanted to be better. At last, my mind is exactly where it’s suppose to be, and I have come to the recognition that all I need it just one more
It took me a while to land where I am at now, and I could not have done it without the help of James. He encouraged me, and he believes in me. Therefore, college is a big step for me, so I know I have to see it through. Fighting the feeling of hopelessness, stress, and not having enough money is what drifted me away from college. There was no other motivation left in me, but suddenly that all changed.
If I wasn’t already feeling nervous about going to college, this turn of events made it so much worse. Growing up I went to an all-girls school from the age of three to seventeen. Starting a new school already was already nerve-wracking, but changing from my graduating class of 123 into an undergraduate population of over 25,000 seemed insurmountable. One lesson that I’ve learned throughout the past few weeks is that one of the most important skills in life is to realize what makes you happy and have the courage to act on it. When I started school this past semester it didn’t take me long to figure out I was in the wrong place. The campus was beautiful and my classes were interesting, but I still didn’t feel like I was in the place I needed to be. However, since the school year started and as the semester continues, I am trying to make the most of my time here at the University of Arkansas and I keep trying to do what I enjoy. Now I don’t mean happiness in the material sense that I need to have objects, instead I mean that I do not want to live my life regretting opportunities I have missed out on. Entering into college, there are thousands of new opportunities for me to partake in and I have been taking full advantage of and continue to take full advantage of these
It wasn’t too long before I realized that high school was not just a walk in the park as I anticipated and to take it more serious than what I was. Sophomore year is when I figured this all out and in my Junior year is when I flipped the script. Now I'm striving, working, and improving on my learning to graduate. In my sophomore I wasn’t doing so sound, in I would say the majority of my classes I did fail 2 of my classes when honestly it shouldn’t have happened. The two classes I didn’t pass were English and History. I only didn’t pass these two since I just didn’t take it seriously and honestly, I was lazy thinking that it was such a breeze that I could just soar through these classes. I occasionally wouldn't go up to my teacher when I should have so that also took an effect
But once again, I was wrong. With the emergence of senior year came the hectic college preparation process. But, in spite of being supported by the loved ones that knew that I would be graduating soon, it was arduous to believe in myself through it all. Over time I began to suffer from multiple mental breakdowns that progressively got worse leading to intense feelings of emptiness. My long-awaited days that were supposed to consist of relaxing and having fun turned into a noxious battle with my internal demons. Due to the continuous concern I had about how my future would be, I could no longer look forward to what senior year had in store for me. With this, I allowed my academic profile to define who I was as a person. And as a result, the alacrity I possessed gradually slipped from my hands at
University, to me, is a totally different concept from high school, where teachers, expert in their specific field, would introduce you to the beauty of it. Yet, after my two-and-half-year college life, I gradually come to realize that although professors at college are good at teaching, the most important thing I have learned is to learn by oneself.