My Experience:
I came into college excited, scared, and uncertain. While I had an idea of what I wanted in college before even getting there, the fear of not knowing what to expect, while being in a new environment, made me anxious.
While I felt this way, I was still ready for something new. My entire life had felt a bit stagnant. I had lived in one area my entire life. I had gone to school with the same people for years and years, and I had limited opportunities to do things I enjoyed. I knew these things would change in college. I knew I would finally get a chance to meet new people, take interesting classes, and figure myself out, which was one huge driving point that really made me eager for this huge change in my life.
But, while I thought I was mostly ready, I realized there was also a lot I had to learn.
Being in a completely different environment wasn't an issue for me, but at times I realized I still needed some time to adjust.
I had never been this far from home for this long of a period. While I am an independent person, I grew up as the elder sister, along with 5 others in my house, so being alone at times was something I realized I struggled with.
The workload was also different. While I was no stranger to taking difficult classes, the nature of college courses were not only a bit more difficult, but also excessive and more independent.
In college, they don't care if you do your work or not. I knew college meant more freedom, but it truly went to show who was serious and who was not.
Work would be due, tests would be assigned, and after taking a look at the syllabus, you'd realize just how much of your grade would be staked on a single assignment. I then realized just how stressful college classes could get.
For example, after seeing that exams would be worth 51% of our grade for my Calculus class, I knew a few mistakes could cost me my grade, and it then motivated me to work harder.
In terms of CPSG, I found the content we learned in class interesting. The reason I chose CSPG was because it was relevant to technology and global change, which are big interests of mine.
Some things we covered in class that I didn't expect was content related to the University Honor Code and more concepts with HTML and CSS, which I enjoyed (as I am a CS major).
I was hoping to learn more about topics related to Earth and space since Science and Global change had to do with changes on Earth and the impacts of science on technology and humanity, but I found my interest satisfied more in-depth through my astronomy class.
Having the chance to go on excursions through CPSG was what made it the most enjoyable, and was much more fun than I expected it to be. For my excursion, I was able to go to New York, and I found that experience one of the most enjoyable aspects throughout the program.
Besides the classes themselves, I also started to realize the differences in everyone's high school education as I interacted with new people.
Seeing so many people have the chance to get experience or take certain classes simply because their schools allowed them to, or offered more opportunities, made me wish I also had those chances, and while that feeling tugged at me for a while, it also made me realize that even though I didn't have those chances previously, I had the chance NOW, and that I needed to make the most of college.
Additionally, I came into college considering myself an organized person, but realized living alone in college was a whole different level. One of the first things I started to realize as I got to campus was that I needed to properly organize my classes and manage my time in order to stay on top of things and avoid burn-out.
But, while I found these flaws and difficulties within times of my first semester in college, I realized just how much I learned and grew in only the span of a few months.
I came into college stuck in a limbo about my abilities with my major and minor. I initially never imagined myself to major in computer science because I didn't have as much an interest, and as mentioned previously, I didn't have opportunities to engage much with it and work with others like me. With my minor, my interest in astronomy had always been present, but I doubted my abilities because it had never been known to be an easy subject.
And while I came into college with a few doubts, uncertainty, and fear, I realized that I would never know until I tried, and I am so glad that I did.
The work, concepts, and opportunities that I experienced within these first months of my college experience are things that made me realize I was capable of anything, and that if I had to give one important piece of advice to future SGC student (or college student in general), I would say to never consistently doubt yourself, because truly, you are capable of anything as long as you try.
In all, college has its ups and downs. I made so many memories, both good and bad, but in the end, the friends I made, the concepts I learned, and the experience that came out of it, made it worth the time and effort I put these past few months, and overall made me feel more ready and eager for next semester.