My Experience With College Life So Far
Well there I was fresh out of high school and ready to start my college career. I applied to the school that I wanted to attend and (thankfully) got accepted. It took a lot to get to that point and I mean a lot.
I remember the first day over a year ago, I woke up at 6am because I had to make my first class that was at 8 since I am a commuter and had to travel a little ways. But fortunately its not that far to campus where I live. When I first arrived on the first day of classes with not knowing what to expect, I got my first taste of what its like on a college campus with many other students walking from different directions to get to their classes. As I was walking through the main campus area, I was trying to find the classroom where my first class was. I had a map of the university and a piece of paper with the classroom numbers written down so I would be prepared in case I got lost. Luckily there were people directing students to their class location.
So I asked one of them and they told me where to go. When I found where I needed to be (like I said with not knowing what to expect) I entered the classroom. It was dark and there was nobody in there. I said to myself “well, ok it’s almost literally 8!” I knew for sure that I was in the right place because the room number matched with what I had written down. So I ended up just turning on the lights, taking off my backpack that weighed a ton and sitting down. I even pulled out and turned on my new laptop to see if the class was moved somewhere else, but I didn’t see anything. So I just ended up waiting for a few minutes until finally another student walked in.
“Is this the classroom for MCO-110?” he asked, I responded “That’s what I am here for!” Then after that, everybody started coming all at once as class should have already started. The professor finally walks in and apologizes for being late as everybody in the room goes silent and pulls out their notebooks as that meant I do the same thing. The professor turns on the projector, introduces himself, takes attendance and goes over the class syllabus.
Despite that hiccup on the first day and as my first semester rolled on, the workload picked up with intensity as expected but overall was not bad. It was a lot of group projects, presentations, papers, etc. But also some fun and interactive activities along the way.
My professors were great although there was one who explained everything pretty broadly during lectures but was decent. Another one was strict about computers and phones and if he spotted someone with their phone or computer open during a lecture he would take it away and keep it for the remainder of class. But others would tell stories about themselves to keep the class entertained during lectures so it was not all boring.
When I had a break between classes and not a lot of homework to do, I would go explore places around campus to get a better feel of where everything is located such as dining halls, library, bookstore, etc. The bookstore had amazing university apparel that I bought to show off school spirit on campus. The library is huge with so many places to sit down to study and the dining halls which the food I tried was ok (but not the best). As a commuter though, I pack my own snacks and drinks so I don’t have to deal with the dining hall food.
Then of course I have to commute home which is not always fun but it is manageable. The schedules I had for my freshman year was not bad, as I didn’t have to go to campus for class everyday. So I take the days I don’t go to campus to play catch up if behind or even jump ahead on my work.
On top of all that, I was able to pass all my classes so far although it hasn’t been easy. Expect to hit bumps in the road along the way as I already have.
I have realized so far that college is a different nut depending on what school you attend, your professors style of teaching, etc. You certainly have more freedom and independence especially if you live on campus but even as a commuter you can still gain that momentum. It is about establishing a routine as well, you go to class, do the work and do the best you can to stay on top.
