This article is going to be a bit different from our other articles here on StarryScholar. Today, I wanted to just reflect a little on my college experience thus far and document it, as being personal and realistic about our journeys is an integral part of StarryScholar.
I’m four weeks into my freshman year of college, and it is truly everything I had not expected. Given the current situation with COVID-19, I thought it was best for me to stay at home in California rather than fly a few thousand miles away to Georgia. While I’m probably going to miss out on getting the full college experience with dorms, new friends, and the campus, my priority was being safe (the extra benefit of being comfortable in an old setting is nice too). Although it takes a little more work, I’m still able to reach out to others through social media and practically everything is online anyways.
As for classes, it’s been so different from what I envisioned. I’m not going to lie, it was rough at first. Like extremely rough. Starting with the planning of my classes, I was constantly stressed about finding the right professors, building a perfect schedule, or getting into smaller classes. Then, school started and I was swept into the ocean of deadlines, syllabi, breakout rooms, and awkward Zoom silences. To make things a little worse, the time difference means that my first class starts at 6:40 am four days a week. And that’s pretty much where I still am right now--dark eye circles, continuous sleep deprivation, and unending stress and anxiety, although it feels like I’m finally getting into some kind of flow. After all, how can anyone be expected to snap back into a perfect student after months of chaos and disrupted learning?
So, what’s the takeaway here?
First and foremost, it’s one of the most cliche things said, but give it time. No one really takes this in until it’s already happened. There were so many moments when college first started that I was ready to breakdown, drop out, and find something else to do with my life, not even kidding. There were nights where I woke up in a panic, forgetting that I had even fallen asleep, or thinking that I was already late for class when it was only 3 a.m. Fortunately, those have resided for now, but new problems have arisen. I can only continue to persevere and hope that everything will work out with time.
Second, online learning is so much harder than I had expected. Even with my notorious planning ahead and daily schedule breakdowns, I still find myself falling behind at times or having to completely redo something. It is definitely a challenge to keep track of everything online, as it’s so easy for an assignment to get missed, or a deadline to stay completely quiet until the day before (my current state right now). Again, I can only hope that this will also get better with time and practice.
Finally, it’s to be appreciative of the small things in life. The past few months have gone by in a blur, but one thing I’ve learned and continue to is to value the small moments of happiness. I think quarantine has really opened my eyes to how much I took for granted before all this erupted. This includes going out for ice cream with my mom, or talking to my little brother about some Minecraft game, or exercising and chatting with friends over video calls to give myself a little break during the hectic day. Nature is wonderful too; the green grass outside my window, the summer-to-fall gloom, and the slight breeze are beautiful.
That’s it for now. There’s so much more to say, but I have a feeling I’ll be writing another one of these in the future.
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