Author: Wimbledon

Will Guyette

Professor Linda Toonen

First-Year Writing TTH/9:30

14 Nov. 2023                                                                                                      Source here

Surprising Success

 

So far, my performance in college has been better than I expected. I definitely have that procrastination bug like everyone else, but I manage to move past it most days. Despite the urge to put assignments off, I have yet to miss any of them, surprisingly. I’m actually getting a lot more done in my classes than I thought too. I expected to get behind more often than not and it’s actually quite the opposite. I’ve also been pretty good at making it to class on time, which is surprising because I have to always go through morning traffic, which is rough. Overall I’m doing very good with college, way better than I thought, and I’m very proud of myself for it. The classes I expected the most out of me were my writing class, how fitting, and my business statistics class. I just find it hard to sit still for a long time and write a lot of words, but I’m managing. As for statistics, I have just never taken a stats class so I was worried about encountering new math, which I have, but I’m actually doing very well in that class.

Although I still could use some improvement on some things. I have horrible time management and usually wait until the last few days to get things done, even though they still end up getting really good grades. I also could definitely improve on getting more involved on campus. I haven’t been to any games or anything or been seriously involved in any campus events. I definitely want to go to more games because of how good I’ve heard our basketball teams are, and I really love to get loud and rowdy at games. My college abilities so far have really exceeded expectations but aren’t perfect, but that’s okay with me because I’m still doing well so no complaints from me! The best strategy I use to get my work done has to be just getting it done the same day it’s assigned. Usually, I either go to the Phoenix lounge or the union and just listen to music while I get my work done. The phoenix club’s atmosphere makes it so much easier to focus on getting my work done, but I still have yet to understand why? That’s the only real strategy I use because it works every time, so I mean if it’s don’t broke don’t fix it!

 

 

Since starting class I’ve grown to dread being a commuter. At first it wasn’t that bad, but then my bad sleeping habits led to me skipping my morning business class a couple times. I’ve also had to spend more money on gas which is really annoying considering how expensive gas has gotten. Beating those annoyances there’s one thing I can’t stand more than anything else. It has to be the traffic combined with the stupid morning drivers I deal with every day. Sometimes I find myself racing soccer moms, going fifteen over the speed limit, driving like their life depends on beating those yellow lights. I don’t know where some of these people are going that early in the morning that fast, but you don’t have to scare me and make me think you’re going to kill me. Not only that, I think I’ve almost gotten in an accident about three times due to how stupid some of these drivers can be. I mean seriously do you not know how to use a turn signal? It really saddens me to deal with all this, especially because I really enjoyed being a commuter at first.

Being a commuter at first sounded like a much better option as opposed to being on campus. I get to stay at home, not deal with a roommate and I don’t have to pay as much for college as those who choose to live on campus. I enjoyed the idea of a morning commute as over the summer I shifted more towards morning shifts where I would jam out on the way to work which was so much fun. It’s something that I still really enjoy, especially when I’m running a little behind and something high energy comes up on my playlist. The most enticing part about being a commuter though was getting to drive my car. I love my car and it’s my most important item I own since I worked for it all on my own. Even though I have been using more gas, it’s definitely been therapeutic to drive every morning.Unfortunately, I’ve learned why so many people choose to live on campus even if they already live here.

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I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations until a few days before classes started. I had only really thought about starting college in the sense of planning how to organize and plan my current life, and boy was I very optimistic about how much time I thought I’d have. I imagined being able to work four days a week and get all my homework in, all while being able to go out with my friends and do whatever I want. Facing the reality now I was sorely mistaken, now having to structure basically my whole schedule around my three work shifts a week, and everything else around my homework. Never did I think I’d have to turn down my friends to go out and instead stay home to study, but here I am. This has got to be the worst wake up call I’ve had when it comes to my social life.

Not only was I mistaken about how much time I’d have, I was also very foolish about the amount of stress and pressure I’d feel once classes were in full swing. In the beginning I was handling things pretty well but as these past few weeks have gone on, it seems like the stress piles on day after day. In the summer I had pictured myself being the champ at getting assignments done, on time, with the best grades, all while juggling the other aspects of my life. Unfortunately, that was a pipe dream because it’s quite the opposite of what I had hoped for. I have been immensely stressed out with due dates and having to juggle differing daily schedules, while having to balance work and home life. While I’m sure it’s because I’m a freshman and everything is still newish to me, it’s hard to make all the stress disappear just by saying that. https://www.themuse.com