Believe it or not, my first semester of college is done! And what a journey it was. To summarize my first semester in one word, I would say “growth”, and this growth was not only in my academics but also in my personal life. My first semester involved many new experiences that brought both excitement and intense challenges, and I felt a spectrum of emotions. New beginnings entail excitement and challenge; however, I confidently claim that I have grown into a more responsible, conscientious, and independent individual from them. Each month, August through December, looked a little different for me, and I grew in different ways. Therefore, I would like to share with you what these past few months looked like as well as what I learned about myself and the world around me in each of them.
August
Move-in, orientation, dorm-life adjustment, making friends, and beginning classes and work all occurred within the last week and a half of August. I was surprised with myself when my parents dropped me off at school for I was not as emotional as I expected I would be. Instead, I was eager to get to know my roommate and meet new people. The first 3 or so days involved many informational sessions for incoming freshmen on a variety of content at Saint Norbert College, and then we jumped into classes. I was definitely intimidated walking into my first week of classes because of all the uncertainty ahead of me. However, my uneasiness diminished after the first few days when I got to know my professors and what they expected from me in class. When I was not in class, I was developing friendships with those within Bergstrom Hall, especially with my roommate. Exciting news, my roommate and I have become amazing friends. That is a good thing and a huge relief especially after hearing stories from others about poor roommate experiences they had! On the contrary, it took me some time to adjust to the community showers and organizing my belongings. In addition to all of this, I began both of my jobs. This year I am an ALIVE Apprentice, a spiritual and vocational mentor, and a research fellow for Full Spectrum Learning (FSL). I quickly developed excitement for my role as an ALIVE Apprentice, and I took the beginning steps with my position as a research fellow for FSL. What did I learn about myself in August? Well, although I was only at school for a week or so, I realized my desire to begin “adulting” and move on from high school. I was eager to make new friendships, become more independent and in control of my schedule, and develop a professional attitude about my future. However, I was not as ready as I thought I was.
September
September was a roller coaster to say the least. It was honestly probably the month in which I struggled the most. The first few weeks had a similar outlook as those I had in August at school, and I was “thriving”. Classes had not been overly difficult yet, both of my jobs were still in the beginning stages, and I had time to get involved in clubs and hang out with my new friends. However, towards the middle of the month, my classes became more demanding, I was required to serve in an After School Program for approximately 6 hours a week for one of my classes, I began to question my role with my FSL job, I seemed to have endless amounts of meetings, and I became involved in intramural badminton. I couldn’t even find time to incorporate exercise into my schedule! Yes, that may seem miniscule, but it is important to me. I became very overwhelmed and stressed. I began to doubt myself, my major, influence at Saint Norbert College, work positions, and overall calling. I no longer felt that I was “thriving”. Instead, I saw myself as failing. Yet, I did not keep this to myself. Instead, I was open about my struggles with peers and faculty at Saint Norbert as well as my family; consequently, I received endless amounts of support. I recognized that my anxiety was coming from my inability to manage my schedule, and with support I was able to turn that around. It took the rest of September to do so, but I did it. I reached another personal growth milestone.
October
As I was beginning to overcome the challenges that surfaced in September, October was a transitional stage. I approached my commitments in a different manner, and I learned to prioritize. I was able to work ahead in my schooling and spend the necessary time on my assignments and projects, and I discovered my role in the ALIVE team as well as received more direction for my position as a FSL Research Fellow. I continued to strengthen my new friendships, and I even found time to workout. I no longer had doubts; instead, I had reassurance from the support and outside perspectives I received. To sum up this month, I would say I had a lot of fun. I found time to spend with my friends at school as well as meet up with others from back home. I got to spend time with my boyfriend (read about our Packer Game experience here!), and go on some other small adventures. October was a time of finally settling in to my new beginnings at college and learning to prioritize my time.
November
November brought about some different challenges than those I experienced in September, but they were just as stressful. The one in which was the most overwhelming was Advisement and selecting classes for next semester. This may seem like a simple task; however, I am majoring and double minoring. Therefore, I have very little “wiggle room” in my four year plan. There was one point in which I was running back and forth between two different buildings in an attempt to fit all my degree requirements and the Honors Program requirements into four years. There was one day where, after several meetings with some faculty, where it seemed as if it was going to take more than four years to complete my schooling. That was not good! I began to question if I was trying to accomplish too much and if I needed to drop one of my minors or the Honors Program. There was, and still is, a lot of uncertainty, and I did not like that. However, I recognized that it was too premature to make a big decision such as dropping one of my educational aspirations and that there may be other opportunities that open up for me to complete all that I would like to. I am learning that uncertainty is okay. I do not need to have the next three or so years of my life figured out right now even though uncertainty is very much not to my liking. This, my friends, was my growth moment of the month! In addition to all of that, I had several “last” large research papers and presentations before Thanksgiving break, and when I returned from break I was heading right into the last week of classes and finals.
December
To be honest, December was my most stress free month of the semester. Granted I was only at school for 2 weeks, but the work I needed to complete was not overly complex. Because I had most of my final papers and presentations before break, I only had one exam and one last presentation to complete in the last two weeks. Therefore, after completing my work for those, I spent time searching for jobs, applying for scholarships, and relaxing. My friends were busy studying for their finals, but I would go to the coffee shop or library with them while they studied. It was nice to be able to take a step back and breathe, and I recognized that hard work does pay off after I received my grades for the fall semester. I am excited to share that I made the Dean’s List!
My first semester of college is in the books, and the next semester is right around the corner. But, I think I am going to enjoy my break before concerning myself with school again 😉
