Freshmen Assemble Day 4: Bloggers Taking on College

Freshmen Assemble is a fun blogger project hosted by Skylar over at Life of a Random and focuses on different bloggers from different places sharing their first experiences as freshmen entering college.

I honestly can't even believe I've been writing about my college experience and sharing it with all of you.  I can't even believe I'm in college.  Like, holy cow, how did that even happen?  Wasn't I in seventh grade two minutes ago?  What they say about time is totally true - it flies by.  

I've now been in school for about two weeks and let me tell you - I am still not entirely used to it.  It hasn't set in for me that I'm an adult yet.  I'm not going to be living with my parents anymore, I'm going to be working toward a degree that I'm passionate about, and I'm going to be striving for my dream career.  How crazy is that?

Even though it is a daunting and scary process because I'm running straight toward a situation I've never before experienced, I'm so excited.  There are so many wonderful opportunities in front of my right now, I can hardly stand it.  I'm so anxious to really start my life but I'm also trying to savor every moment I have here in college while I'm still a sort-of baby adult.  

If these past two weeks have taught me anything about college and how to be successful in it, it's this:

1.  Don't be afraid to say hi to everyone.

I've made this a habit of mine recently and I just love it.  If I see someone walking while I'm on my way to class or if I'm studying in the lounge and happen to walk by, I tell them hi and ask how they're doing.  I can't even count how many awesome people I have met this way.  I've struck up some great conversations and have met some people that share similar interests with me.  Sure, there are those awkward moments when the person I greet doesn't really know what to say but for the most part, people are grateful that I've reached out and I gain a friend from it!

2.  Don't take on more than you can handle.

Take it easy on yourself.  You're a college freshman, it's your very first quarter/semester.  You don't want to overwhelm yourself with too many classes and end up tanking your GPA before your college career even starts.  Pick a couple of solid classes that you feel up to the challenge of and maybe join a club or two and enjoy this experience.  It's no fun if you're constantly stressing out. 

3.  Take advantage of the resources available to you.

You're paying for a good education and all of the benefits that go along with that so don't be nervous to use things like the library or the computer lab.  I know I stayed far away from those things for the first couple days but now I see what awesome resources they can be.  Don't let anything slip between your fingers because you're too scared to take a chance.  

As far as blogging has been my first week, well... I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a struggle.  Classes are, of course, my first priority right now.  But blogging and reading are something I'm passionate in so I've made time for them.  I spent a lot of time over the weekend writing and scheduling posts and I expect to spend more time this weekend doing similar things.  I'm excited to dive back into writing reviews and rants!

So, that's that.  The start of my college career.  I can't believe the thing I have been dreaming about my whole life has actually come true.  It's insane to think about but I love it. 

Don't forget to check out Skylar and Sophia's posts to hear about their final thoughts on this whole college thing!

Freshmen Assemble Day 4: Bloggers Taking on College

Freshmen Assemble is a fun blogger project hosted by Skylar over at Life of a Random and focuses on different bloggers from different places sharing their first experiences as freshmen entering college.

Good news, guys, I didn't walk into the wrong classroom. 

That was my biggest fear when walking into my first class on my first ever day of college.  My first class, by the way, was Philosophy 102 (introduction to logic) *loud boos*

*whispers* I know.

It was a pretty good class, especially because I had it with one of my roommates and it was a late morning class (11:00 am) and only 50 minutes!  We mainly just went over the syllabus and were given assignments to have done by the next time we met (which is Wednesday).  My teacher was okay.  He made some funny jokes and seemed pretty personable but I haven't really experienced his teaching style yet so I'm not sure how that is going to be.

I only had one other class my first day which was American Political System.  It was another 50 minute class and it started at 12:00 pm so I was cutting it a little close getting there before class started.  It was already really full so it was harder finding a seat but I eventually did.  The teacher was super nice and really funny but she didn't really teach in a linear fashion.  She jumped around a lot and didn't talk about the syllabus at all.  We just started learning.  It was nice but also sort of unexpected.  We also have a ton of work already assigned (two debates, three response papers, and a judge/jury type situation) but I'm going to try to just keep on top of things and stay focused with it.

So, there you have it!  My first day of class in a nutshell.  If I had any tips, they would be: eat a good breakfast, don't stay up too late the night before, don't be afraid to talk to and sit next to people (friends!), and don't sweat it if you walk into the wrong class.  I witnessed at least five people doing that in my classes and it wasn't a big deal.  They just picked up their stuff and walked back out.

Don't forget to check out what Skylar and Sophia have to say about their first day of class!  Leave comments below and tell me about your first day of college or any fears you might have about it!  I'm here to help :) 

Freshmen Assemble: Bloggers Taking on College Day 3

Freshmen Assemble is a fun blogger project hosted by Skylar over at Life of a Random and focuses on different bloggers from different places sharing their first experiences as freshmen entering college.

This question and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love talking about what I want to study but a lot of times when I tell people, they judge it or feel the need to point out all the flaws with my plan.  Lucky for me, your guys are all pretty awesome and I think you'll be pretty supportive.  My intended major is English Creative Writing.

  

For the longest time, I had no idea what I wanted to study.  I went back and forth between wanting to be a vet, a teacher, and a bunch of other things I can't even remember right now.  When I discovered my love of reading, it was like I had found my calling.  Here was something I loved doing and was passionate about and I could find a career in the industry.  

Right now I'm undecided as to what exactly I want to do in the publishing industry.  I'm thinking about either being a literary agent or an editor.  Either way, I feel a degree in creative writing will really help me work toward that goal.  And, of course, I want to someday become a published author. College has definitely stolen some of my writing time but I'm still slowly chipping away at it.  

I feel like blogging has really solidified my love of reading and has further proven to me how many different opportunities and positions are available in the publishing industry.  I love my blog and this blogging community.  Seriously, you guys are amazing.  When I first moved into my dorm that first night and I was feeling nervous and scared, I opened up my laptop and dove into the blogging world and it was like coming home.  This is such an immense comfort to me as I'm adjusting to my new life and I don't want to stop doing it, ever.  Of course, it's going to be much more challenging with college happening now but I'm going to make it work.  Weekends are definitely my catch up time as far as blogging goes.  My goal is to write and schedule all posts for the coming week on the Saturday and Sunday before it starts.  Whatever it takes, I'm going to do it because I don't want to stop talking to you guys!

Don't forget to check out Skylar and Sophia's posts today!  They have some awesome things to talk about on this topic and you don't want to miss it!  Leave comments on your thoughts below and make sure you check back tomorrow for the next post!

Freshmen Assemble: Bloggers Taking on College Day 2

Freshmen Assemble is a fun blogger project hosted by Skylar over at Life of a Random and focuses on different bloggers from different places sharing their first experiences as freshmen entering college.

While most people might be worrying about classes and professors when thinking about college, my biggest concern, and what I prepared most for, was moving away, especially since I moved so far away from my home.  The hardest part of this whole process so far has been saying goodbye to my parents and finding a new home with my roommates and floor mates.  It hasn't been easy but so far I'm really enjoying it.  

For those of you who are thinking of moving out, be prepared.  There's a lot of things that go into doing in successfully.  It's not just moving out and settling somewhere else.  You have to pack up all your stuff and find room to put it in a place you're sharing with one other person (or two, if you're like me).  You have to find people who you can actually stand living with.  And, hardest for me, is somehow saying goodbye to your family.

  

Since I'm so far away, I can't just hop in a car or a bus and go see my family over the weekend.  I've only had the chance to text and call them this week and it's already pretty hard.  I'm close with both my parents and my little brother and not seeing them everyday has been strange.  I miss being able to walk downstairs and say hi to them.  I'm not going to be able to see them again until Christmas break and we're working on setting up Skype so we can actually talk sort of face to face sooner than that.  It's a difficult process but I know it's something I have to get through in order to achieve my dream of graduating with my degree.  

Another thing that I was worried about with the whole moving out and living in a dorm thing was finding the right roommate.  I had heard horror stories about roommates who just did not get along at all and I was worried that would happen to me.  Luckily, my university has this seriously awesome program called MyRoommate.  Basically, it's like match.com but for roommates instead of soul mates.  It's totally awesome.  I made a profile and was able to see a bunch of other people's profiles.  I sent some people messages and got messages sent to me until, finally, I found two awesome roommates.  I hadn't expect to live in a triple but I absolutely love it so far.  Both my roommates are into reading and writing.  I don't think I'd be having a good of time as I am had I not met them.  Knowing I have a couple of awesome friends to hang out with everyday is such a relief.  It has made it much easier to settle into my new home here.  

Packing up and moving in was also pretty difficult but made easier by the support system I had around me.  I was sooooo unprepared to move up to rainy Washington.  Luckily, I had my mom to help me.  She and I got everything I needed pretty quickly and she helped me pack everything up.  Pro Tip for moving to college: storage containers are your friends.  There's nothing worse than having stuff strewn all over your room because there's nowhere to put it.  But seriously, thank you so much to my mom, dad, and brother for helping me get things together.  Had they not, I would probably be rocking in a corner right now. 

Make sure to check out Skylar and Sophia's posts today!  They have some awesome things to say on the subject of preparing for college and you don't want to miss it!  Check back tomorrow for the next post!