My first quarter at Cal Poly was more difficult than I have imagined. Giving adequate time for every class was a challenge. Sometimes when I focus on a specific class too much, I paid less attention to other classes. I also realized that some classes needed more attention than others. The biggest cause for this difficulty was due to the lack of organization, as well as adapting to a whole new environment.
This quarter I was focused in academics, but not too much socially. I was involved in Team Tech within Society of Women Engineering (SWE) that relates to my major because it allows me to interact with more engineering majors. I also joined SlOpers, a club that involves in bouldering, because it relates to my interests.
If there was one thing I could tell myself back in August 2011, I would tell myself to join more clubs of my interest, explore San Luis Obispo, and learn how to effectively take notes and study. I missed out on a lot of events and activities trying to improve my grades. I should have given myself more breaks to relax and enjoy the outdoor activities around San Luis Obispo.
Although these were some of the difficulties, I also enjoyed the college environment. College gave me more freedom to control myself and I was able to find what I wanted to do. Next quarter, I would study harder with the skills I learned from Fall 2011 quarter, and know when to give myself a break.
– Lisa, Cal Poly ’15
