Transitioning to college has made me realize how a person starts becoming independent. I am now two months into college, living on campus and realizing that a new transition to a new environment can be very challenging.
At first when I started to get settled in it was a week before school started. All I focused on during that week was meeting new people and trying to figure out what kind of paperwork I needed to turn in regarding my remedial classes. As a remedial student and part of the EOP program I am required to attend tutoring for 90 minutes per remedial class. I am currently taking two remedial classes which are English and Math. I was a bit ashamed at first because “remedial” to me sounds like someone that doesn’t know or understands a concept. However, I noticed that the majority of freshman students here at San José State take remedial classes. I did not feel alone or ashamed once I started taking the courses.
The first week of school began, and right away when I entered I knew that the teacher meant business. The very first day we only went through the syllabus or what they call the green sheet, and I started to notice that everything was going to be fast-paced. This made me realize that college is nothing compared to high school. After the first week is when I started to feel the pressure. Essays were due the next day of class as well as any other homework that was given. As of today, I have been through two midterms and they were intense. I put all my hard work and I studied numerous hours and felt pretty confident on some of the midterms.
Overall, I am still getting adjusted to the face-paced life of college. I have learned how to value my time because it goes by very quickly when I am studying. College by far has been a great experience I have learned valuable multi-tasking and time-management skills.
– Alejandra, SJSU ’15
