College Starters

After high school, every student chooses a different path. Many may head onto college, while others choose a different route and decide to join the army, volunteer work in foreign countries, or whatever their heart desires. Those of us who decided to attend college immediately after high-school may all relate to similar freshmen experiences. 

Every path chosen inevitably comes with its own challenges, including the university life. 

Going into college as a freshmen, I did not expect much from people or classes, I just figured it would be a new, more difficult environment. I usually had in mind that students were going to be mean, and there would really be no point in asking for anyone’s advice, and boy was I wrong. There were moments in my time of crisis where I needed urgent help or assistance, and thankfully, good people still exist. As pessimistic as I was, I decided to let good people know they were very much appreciative. Anyway, the point is to let others know when they are doing a good job, and be as optimistic as you can. 

​Not only did I enter freshmen year with a negative mindset, but I came to acknowledge that classes were not as bad as other panned them to be. I remember taking Chemistry, thinking, “Oh man, this will be the end of me.” It was definitely not. Simply focus, listen to your professors, read on a daily basis, and you will do more than well. Best part is, you will still have time to have a social life, not to a major extent, but still a decent one.
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To further extend my thoughts and feelings on the matter of college experiences, I decided to ask a couple friends of mine on their thoughts and advice to others heading into college, and their own feeling on the matter in general:

Giancarlo: Well since I was little, I have always thought to myself that I was eventually going to be a college student; I was basically told that this was the correct path to follow. The transition from high school to college was indeed a big change, but it was one that I already expected and so, I didn't really get all emotional about it. As I progressed on my first courses, I felt like I was doing well, I had a positive mind and it worked out for me. What I lacked, was a good study habit, mine wasn't that good, since I never really had to study while in high school. Therefore, I started planning my study sessions each day and organizing my schedule. I did study a lot, but I found out studying in sessions worked best for me. Every 1 or 2 hours I would stop and play some video games and then I would continue. It is true, that it doesn't matter how much you study, work always stack up and that is one of the main issues students face. I still deal with that problem, but I've progressed, by organizing and planning everything ahead. I learned that reading about the material of the current lecture before class is the best way to understand the subject.​​

Loraine: College sucks, there is no time to play video games or have a full social life. No, in reality, although that might be true, college is full of new experiences where you are carefully sculpted into an adult. The main thing I like is that I decide what I want, and which path to choose.

Valerie: To the new “prepas” out here: For me college at the beginning was sort of chilled, and I did not go out much. Then it started to get harder, but I started going out more, so yeah, as you can see, not a great mix. At first, it was basically impossible to create this perfect balance to do absolutely everything I wanted. I believe that balance is very essential, but you'll figure it out eventually. Everyone has a different experience in college, so you can’t go expecting how things might turn out to be, just be you and enjoy the fun times college has to offer.

Stephanie: College is where you truly discover who you are meant to be. It's a difficult road, with many bumps in the way, but at the end it's all worth it. Every experience you have counts; including failing exams, pulling all-nighters, gaining 10 pounds per semester or getting an A on the class that sucked the living out of you. You laugh, but you also cry, you make new friends as you lose old friends and, maybe, you even find the love of your life. Everyone always says that high school years are the best, but they are wrong; college years are the ones that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

We all have different, yet similar insights on college experiences. It is really just a matter of oneself. Allow yourself to learn, to fail, to be who you want to be in the best way possible, yet stay positive throughout the whole ride, even if it seems impossible.
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Let us know your college experiences!

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​by Shekina M. Gonzalez

www.shekinamarie.com