Although it sounds cliché, college is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. I have always heard of the huge classes, deadlines, and the fast past working environments of higher education, but you do not know what to expect exactly until you are actually there. Coming as a freshman to San Francisco State University was a total wake up call for me. As I walked into my first ever college class I knew right away that it was going to be nothing like any high school I have ever been to. My Psychology 200 class was held in an auditorium where we had had a talent show during our Welcome Days. Therefore, I sat in the midst of eight hundred plus students. I felt like just one single rain drop falling into a huge ocean. I came into college thinking I would be able to have a personal relationship with my professor, getting assistance during class whenever needed. I was taken a back a bit when I found out I would have to save my questions and visit them later during the day or week during their office hours in order to get a deeper understanding and the personal help I needed on a topic. Keeping track off with office hours, studying for tests and quizzes, keeping up with readings, and writing essays can get a little overwhelming, especially when there is no one reminding you of any deadlines. However, college life isn’t all stress. There are plenty on campus events that gets students involved to ensure they are having a good time. San Francisco State University has monthly dances, carnivals, talent competitions, free events, etc. San Francisco State is also in one of the most eventful cities in the west coast, so there are always free concerts and activities in which the school keeps you updated through a website. Along with college, come fun events and opportunities that assist you in gaining a lot of independence. Also college really helps you find who you are as person. I am looking forward to finding out more about myself. Every day I am finding myself thinking on a more critical level, discovering that things that I thought mattered does not matter at all now. I can feel myself maturing more with every bill I pay. As a struggling college student living off campus, in a townhome across from school with five other roommates, I’m really finding out the value of a dollar. I am also discovering all the advantages of higher education. Although there are times where I feel burdened and stressed, I know every day is just one step closer to a better future. I wake up every morning thinking, “Do I want to be like a fish stuck in a fishbowl, swimming in circles? Or do I want to branch out and become a fish in the ocean, full of opportunities?” I do not like having limits, and I know once I get my degree the sky is the limit. So it may be hard now, but hard work pays off.
-La’Chelle Watson, SF State ’16
