On July 18th, I had my college orientation. I woke up at 5:30 am, and was exhausted. The previous night, before orientation, was spent with me pondering on what college would be like. My day was starting off stressful due to negligence on my part. I had forgotten to investigate my route, and was thinking of how would I get to SFSU. After a copious amount of time, spent printing out a map, my sister and I headed out.
I felt very minuscule in such a large campus, but happy I had finally stepped into what would be my college for the next four years. My sister, and girlfriend, were mentoring me in what college classes- and times- I should take. In the end, I chose my classes on a MWR basis. At first, I wanted to take 15 units- but I ended up dropping a class I had already taken( and didn’t notice I was taking again).
My first weeks in college have gone really well, and I’ve been able to learn many things of interest. I’ve been able to make a few friends, and they have helped my transition from high school to college better. Making friends in college is hard because it feels like some people are just going to ignore you, but that’s okay because the ones who don’t are amazing.
I felt prepared to take on college because I had already been exposed to it’s rigor. LPS Richmond, my high school, made sure that every graduating senior had already known how tedious college work can be- and that every future college student needs to be meticulous in order to survive. Also, I had already taken Math 164 in CCC during the summer of 2012.
Although college rigor wasn’t a new thing to me, the workload is still stressful. Fortunately, I have Tuesdays and Thursdays off. On my days off, I wake up early and do my homework. I know that if I relax on my days off, my midterms and finals will be hell on earth to me.
What I look forward to in college is growing as a person, and being able to take my knowledge and use it to give back to the community.
Also, I look forward to living a college experience. I’m not so sure what a college experience is to others, or to me, but I wish to define it throughout the years- because it MUST be more than studying and going to class. What I’m not looking forward to in college is commuting. I wake up every day, and commute in the cold weather. After class, it’s usually very late and dark- and my parents get worried about me. Although commuting isn’t the best, I wake up grateful every day to have the opportunity to go to college. As a AB540 student, I didn’t have as much opportunities as I wished I did. One of my disadvantages was my financial aid packet. However, just by knowing I’m able to receive an education makes me wake up with a smile and say “College, I’m ready for you”.
