College has always been something that has been a huge part of my goals and aspirations growing up. As the child of two parents who never even finished high school in their country, education was seen to be the way out. The way out of our socioeconomic status and the way into a better life and a better future for everyone. In order to get there, a college degree from a respectable institute would be the key to a stable career. When I was in high school, all of my energy and effort went towards getting into a good college. I knew I had to work hard to get there and the skills and habits I would adopt would help me for the rest of my life. However, nothing really prepares you for college life until you are actually in college. After I knew what school I would be going into, I attended multiple workshops that talked about what to expect when going to college and heard many stories from current college students. But no matter how much preparation you think you have, you will be hit with obstacles as you enter this new chapter in your life.
In my first year of college, I really struggled with making friends in college. This was largely because I was one of the very few commuter students in the university and with the majority of the students living on campus, social life was a huge adjustment. Events would happen at nighttime or during the weekend when I would be at home. However, I decided that I would need to make the extra effort in making friends by joining clubs and really going out of my way to connect with my peers during the time I was on campus. And right when I started to find my own community, everyone was sent home as the world began to crumble around us.
Nothing could have prepared me or any of us for a global pandemic. As I entered my second year, I learned to readjust and roll with the punches as we went fully remote and with professors being a lot more understanding, I was able to see what works and what doesn’t without having to worry too much about my grades. However, being at home also led to more problems as I felt like I couldn’t get away from my school work. During the fall semester, which was our first fully remote semester, I was constantly feeling burnt out. I lost a lot of motivation to put my all into the rest of the semester and the rest of the year. It took a lot for me to get back on track. I tell you all this to say that it is okay to feel burnt out; it seems pretty universal no matter who I speak to. What matters is how you can recharge while still keeping your grades up. I’m going to be honest, it took a lot for me to get back on track. My actions in the first half of the semester had a lasting impact on the rest of the semester, but they allowed me to realize what works and what doesn’t during an online semester in the midst of a global pandemic. You don’t always have to put your 100% into all the activities you are participating in or all the classes you are taking. It’s okay to not do a reading or submit an assignment late or take a longer nap or sleep in. This time has drained all of us and has taught us to be more honest with ourselves and about our needs. If it hadn’t been for all of my ups and downs last semester, I would not have been prepared to take on another semester of Zoom University.
As I enter my third year of college, I am starting to really understand how priorities change as you change and as circumstances change. The first two years I was really focused on getting high grades and just focusing on school. However, between the pandemic and appreciating social interactions more and also more of a focus on my career during this year, I am starting to see that my priorities do need to change. In the industry I am in, making connections is so important and putting all my energy towards trying to get good grades won’t be beneficial for me in the long run, especially since a lot of companies do not put too much emphasis on your college GPA.
So here is my advice to all of you out there reading: college is all about trial and error. You might make a lot of errors before you are satisfied with a result and that is perfectly fine and normal. It really does just take a lot of patience and trusting the process. Each year of college is a different experience and its important to note that you will never be the same student each time you start a new school year or even a new semester. It’s all about adjusting and readjusting. Good luck. You got this!