Finally!!! Done with my first semester in college. Definitely, this semester was a learning experience as well as a wake up call. I realized that I actually have to work hard for what I want and not procrastinate. Therefore, the next three years in college, I know are not going to be easy. In high school, I usually did all of my work and strived for good grades, it didn’t matter if I understood the concepts that I was taught, as long as I did my work, I was likely to get a good grade. In college, however, I actually had to think, understand concepts, and read. It was not as easy as in high school where I could pretend to understand and not feel dumb. Here, I actually had to read and understand concepts. Otherwise, I would feel ignorant.
Living home was not the best idea for this semester. It complicated things! I felt like I did not have the space that I needed to do my work and I always got interrupted or distracted by my family. I felt like that, that played a really big part of my understanding in classes. As a first generation student, it is hard for my family to understand that I am not in high school anymore, that I actually need my time to get work done and have no interruptions.
Not being surrounded by people who were motivated to succeed, also made me procrastinate and get distracted even more. It made me lack the motivation I needed. But, the few times that I did surround myself with people who succeeded in college and wanted to succeed, made gain the confidence of accomplishing my goals. Although that confidence was hard to keep throughout, it was certainly a good feeling.
A factor that made a huge impact in both, my academic life and my personal life, were my organization skills. What a mess! – As an active member of my church and as a student, it was hard for me to balance out both activities. I either gave more time to one then the other, or I avoided either. Time was definitely an issue. My days literally needed more hours. I was anxious and stressed most of the time, and my way of coping with those feeling was going to sleep. Why? Well, I did not know what else to do.
I know for sure that this Spring semester can’t be the same. I need to organize my time, read more, learn and understand what I read. I need to start making sacrifices, and start finding out what those sacrifices are. I need to find a space where I can do my work without interruptions and excel to the capacity that I know I am capable of. I just need the discipline and motivation that it all requires. But I know, it starts NOW.
For now, I am trying to enjoy my vacations and forget about school work. I need time for myself and figure out how will I organize during the Spring to feel less anxious and stressed. On top of that, I also need to look for more scholarships for next year. It just doesn’t get easier. But, I am expecting for all of this to be worth it. I want it to be!
On that note, thanks for reading guys! I hope all of you enjoyed reading this blog.
Happy Holidays! 🙂