My Freshmen year at UC Davis finally came to an end. It was a very exciting but tiring experience. Throughout the course of a year, I feel like I learned much more than I did in four years of high school.
College life was much more challenging than I expected. At first, I was blown away by the immense freedom I had in college. At first, I wasted the majority of my time doing unproductive stuff. But throughout the course of the year, I managed to develop a structural daily schedule to stay productive. I realized that college isn’t like high school; if I don’t prepare ahead, I will fall behind.
Separated from my parents, I finally got to learn how it feels to be independent. Having my own credit card and bank account, I learned how to properly manage my money and spend accordingly with given funds. I learned how to use local used book stores or Facebook groups to find cheaper alternatives.
Still, I think the greatest takeaway I got from College is my future goal. Through my college experience, I was able to figure out what I want to do for my future. Through random GE courses I took during my second quarter, I decided that I want to major in Civil Engineering. Although being an Engineering major sounds hard and cumbersome, I plan to try my best to become one.
One thing I’m proud of myself for is that I managed to come home every single weekend to help out my dad in church and Korean School. Although it was very tiring and time consuming, I kept my promise throughout the year. Helping my community in college took much more time and sacrifice, but I’m glad I kept my promise to the end.
While I still have more to learn, I believe my second year in college will definitely be better than my first.
-Jin, UC Davis, Class of 2016
