Freshman year
Change is not a new concept to me. This is not the first time I have experienced a drastic change. From a very young age, I have traveled to various states and attended various schools and sometimes changed two schools in one year so no I am not new to change, in fact I thrive on a little change. However, what I did not expect was how much I was still unprepared for this immense amount of change. I was pretty confident going into my freshman year that it would be just like any other time I changed schools but boy was I wrong. Freshman year was nothing like any other time. The year was filled with so many firsts. First time living by myself and most importantly first time realizing that I was completely independent.
Lessons Learned
Future Plans
Lessons Learned
- Living Alone is Not All Fun and Games. There was no one there to make me breakfast when I woke up or make me a good meal when I came home from classes exhausted. There was no one to tell me to clean my room or do my laundry or eat healthy and this was unbridled independence that I had never experienced before, I had no idea how to handle it. It took several weeks before I learned how to utilize my independence but also keep true to my values.
- Balance is Key. In high school, I did not have to worry about that because I did not do my homework with my friends, I did not spend every waking moment surrounded by people, so I socialized at school and came home and concentrated on my academic life. In college, everything is a blur. I went to classes with my friends, I did homework with my friends, I hung out with those same people on the weekends and I had a very hard time separating my social life from my academic life. When I studied with my friends, I was easily distracted, much more focused on getting to know these new friends than learning about biology or chemistry. This habit led to endless long nights and little to no sleep and unneeded stress. It took me until second semester to realize that I could always hang out with my friends but the sleep I was losing was something I could not get back. Through learning to separate the two most important things in college, I have learned to minimize my stress, gain some sleep and study much more efficiently.
- Friendships...Some Start, Some End. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people who have helped me get through the year. Similar to any friendships, some end and some begin. Over this year, I have had several friendships fall through but have also become closer to others. I have gotten the chance to find people who I relate to and who think much like me while also meeting those who think very differently from me. In fact, I have learned more from those who think differently than those who think like me. It was difficult to keep up with friends from high school and at the start, I tried to keep in touch with many of them but soon came to realize that some of those friendships only existed because we had the same classes and it was in no way a true friendship. The people I talk to from high school are friends that regardless of how long we don't talk, there is no gap.
- Stress is Very Real. I remember being very stressed out at the beginning of my freshman year. I have experienced sleepless nights and loads and loads of homework so that was one factor of my major that I did not have to learn to get used to but other than that, it was a difficult first year. I never experienced that kind of stress in high school and I downplayed it to myself when others before me told me "if you do not manage your time, you will be overwhelmed and completely stressed." I was unaware of how to manage my time at the start of the year and it took me a full semester to understand that being on top of my work allowed me to have a much more time to relax and spend doing other things than just procrastinating like I did in high school.
- Two Families, Two Homes. After going to college, I learned that the friends I make here are my family. They are the people I spend every waking moment with and they are the ones that know me at my best and my worst. They are my home away from home and I could not thank them enough for creating such a wonderful atmosphere and experience for me. Even though I had a new family at UC, I appreciate my real family that much more. Their love, happiness, pride and belief in me was what got me through this year. WIthout them, I would have never pursued Medical Sciences as my major and this major was one of the best decisions I have made. I appreciate them for taking time to drive 2 hours to come see me before my very first college exam because I was extremely nervous. They are so supportive in every decision I make and even more supportive when I am stressed, down and almost in tears after failing an exam or because I have a lot of work to finish. I could not thank them enough for everything.
Future Plans
- Become Much More Involved. There are a lot of organizations that I shied away from this year because I was afraid I could not handle everything but after finishing this year and learning how to study better, I feel that I can become more involved.
- Learn More About Global and Public Health. Over this year, I have started to become interested in this topic and over the next few years, I would like to pursue opportunities that will help me learn more about this topic.
- Work Hard, Play Hard. This year, I was hesitant to spend time doing other things in my free time because I felt as if I would fall behind on my work. Most weekends, I spent in my dorm working away on work that I had to do for the week instead of spending time with some friends or just watching a movie and that is something I regret doing; therefore, next year, I aim to work tirelessly but also take time to relax and unwind.