College has been on my mind way before I was even registered. After, I attended my high school graduation ceremony, told my teacher’s and counselors about my appreciation for them, and then my summer began. Most of it was preparing for the upcoming school year at Waubonsee Community College. In my first semester of college I went from feeling in control of my education to; feeling the whole world against to; understanding what college is all about and lastly to realizing I am going in the right path. For my first semester I signed up for fifteen credit hours, which seemed like enough.
My first class started at 12:30 pm and I had class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I didn’t care what anyone said about my schedule because I saw it as a blessing. I had Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which meant I was able to work those days. My manager was understanding and considerate with my school schedule. Being a full-time student meant having to dedicate myself to schoolwork. I was not sure if I was going to be able to balance out my schedule such as commuting to school and working, but I did. My first day of college went a little like this.
Coming in as a freshman I was scared and nervous. I arrived at a small building consisting of two floors and about 20 classrooms. I wasn’t really worried about getting lost, but how can I get lost in a small building anyways. After rooming the hallways for a few minutes I head to class. My class was an average of 22 students. I walk in to take a seat; it was so quite I was able to hear a pin drop. It took me by surprise when some one finally spoke. He began talking about the class they had previously attended. Hearing the enthusiasm in his voice made shivers run down my back.
I realized the next two years are going shaped the person I will be for the rest of my life. That is when my anxiety kicked in. I look up and see my English professor walk in. The first thing that came to mind was “Is he going to like me? Am I going to pass the class? ” Thousands of questions are running through my mind. I felt like I was drowning deep in my own thoughts. Suddenly snap into reality when I hear my professor speak. He introduced himself as “Steve Wiggins” he asked the class to call him Steve. Although it was not possible for me to call him that it just felt wrong.
As we were going over class expectations he informs the class that attendance is very important. He asked the class how long it took us to get to class. Most students said 30 min. He told the class that he drives all the way from Ottawa; he commuted the longest their for if he was able to show up and teach we were expected to in class. I can now say that it is not as easy as it sounds to be on time. It was a mission every time. I got pulled over twice and even had an accident on my way to English class. After experiencing college first hand I have learned many things as well as challenging myself to exceed.
First off, the one major thing I noticed in college was the student in my class. Every one was in that classroom because they wanted to be there. You don’t have to feel obligated to go to college; it’s your own choice. It was extremely hard for me to wake up in the morning to be on time to class, after being awake all night writing an essay. Some how I managed to work through it. For the same reason I learned to understand the students that go to class in their pajamas, I know they’re comfortable. Same goes for sitting alone at a table sleeping.
I do not judge them because I understand that school is tough and sometimes all we need is a nap. The schoolwork does pile up, due dates and test dates seem to be never ending as well. However, I still manage to get my work done on time for the most part, consequently I cram when I study but I’m trying to fix that. Being in college for a full semester has made me feel glad that I am in a environment where everyone is putting in all their effort in order to succeed. Now that I am currently a college student; my goal as of now is finding a major. After that, it’s all about getting prepared for it.
