My freshman year had a lot of ups and downs. I learned a lot about my study skills and my social habits. I learned a lot about the amount of maturity and patience necessary for self-care. I am proud of how much I’ve flourished socially. I have made many new friends and I have started to narrow down my on-campus support network while maintaining important relationships from high school. I didn’t find enough time to really join clubs and organizations so my social life was much more unstructured and casual, but that’s okay. I am also proud of how my study skills have grown. I am able to sit down and focus for much longer periods of time and I have built my ability to study with others and to determine who is good to study with and who is distracting.
The course that came as the greatest revelation to me was ENES181. This class served as an introduction to engineering and the “Grand Challenges” that the Clark School of Engineering attempts to address. It was very fascinating to learn about the challenges that our world will experience and how engineers work to improve our world. I recommend that all incoming students in their first semester take a class that introduces them to something that interests them, even if it’s not in their major, and even if it’s just one credit. They can just check the schedule of classes and they’ll be awed by the options.
This university can be very overwhelming and disorienting. It is essential to find an advisor, mentor, or support program. Even just joining a club to make friends works fine. Make sure you have someone who you can ask anything, whether it’s personal or academic
For me, the emotional and academic adjustment to university life was very difficult. I had to adjust to having to leave the building if I wanted a meal and I had to adjust to sharing a bathroom with 30 people. As an only child, I had to adjust to having another person living in my room and having to compromise with schedules and space. On the other hand, it was very nice to have someone with whom to spontaneously socialize or go to the dining hall. I would challenge an incoming student to make at least two friends with people on their floor, two friends elsewhere in their dorm building, and two friends from each class. It may sound like a lot but it’s important to have people sharing your struggles.
I was least prepared for the amount of studying I needed to do. In high school there was really just homework. In college, I have to include homework and studying for exams in my schedule. I was also unprepared for the emotional hit that exams can have. In high school, homework grades always balanced out large assignments, but here, one’s test-taking skills can determine their grades. Further, every bad exam grade can really add up if you don’t maintain a persistent, growth mindset. It is very important not to overwork yourself and to not procrastinate on everything because you are responsible for your own health and your own success. This is why everyone needs to establish their support system.
I am really grateful for the communities I am a part of because they have helped me to become comfortable with my dorm building, my classes, my major, and the university as a whole.