WHAT I KNOW NOW THAT I DIDN'T BEFORE | College Update + My Major
- 12:00 PM
- By Kenzie
- 11 Comments
*climbs out of the deep dark abyss of due dates and assignments* Y'all, I'm not dead! I'm very much alive! Oh gosh, it's been so long. So long.
Since March, to be exact.
And I'd like to think I have a reasonable excuse, but some of the factors (aside from internet and computer problems) that are involved in my absence is mainly just school.
Before the semester starts, I always make these big plans on how I will make plans to do my creative projects on top of schoolwork, but once those assignment due dates start popping up... I drop everything.
Since school is my main excuse for the lack of my pizza-licious presence, I thought I would write a post centered around the subject. So, today I want to talk about college and my major and just life things because you know that'S SO FUN.
Where I am in life (aka school)
I don't know if I'd already mentioned in some of my older posts... but over the years, I had been taking classes with a community college as I tried to figure out my path down the "higher-education road". I was mostly doing my schooling online, taking a class or two here and there. Last year, I took a semester off to work and figure out where I was going to transfer to and finish my degree. My original college plans did not go, well, as planned.
Instead of moving away to a sunshiney state with a beach less than twenty minutes away and a program that was made just for me, I stayed home and transferred to a school that is practically in the middle of nowhere with cow pastures and a lake only a short walk away.
Many factors played a role in this decision but what I didn't except was to like it as much as I do. I visited the campus during the fall/winter of last year and could not find myself to love it. To see myself there. Because there was a beautiful art school in Georgia just waiting for me!
But time was running out and it was at the point where I needed to make a decision. So, I transferred to the school that actually feels like home. Like I said, it wasn't what I expected. But again, it wasn't what I expected.
It turned out to be my better fit. A place where I feel comfortable.
WHAT I KNOW ABOUT COLLEGE THAT I DIDN'T BEFORE
This transition might not seem like a big deal from a distance considering I had already been in college for quite some time. But it was definitely a transition for me. I had been so used to an online environment and writing to my classmates through a discussion board.And now I'm in a real classroom with real professors and real expectations.
While this topic (actually being in college) used to give me so much anxiety, I found out that I am doing pretty okay with it. Sure, there had been a couple meltdowns (just one or two) but I managed. And I'm not as scared as I used to be.
People want to be your friend!
Somehow I had implanted the thought that no one would ever want to be my friend so far into my brain, I actually believed it. But college turned out to be so much more friendly than I ever imaged it would be. As an introvert who is still dealing with a lot of social anxiety, it's very important to me that I have an environment that feels welcoming. And it was. I felt welcomed.
If you care, you'll make it
Sometimes it mind-boggles me that students miss classes and joke about studying an hour before a test, or how they don't really care about the grade they will get, as long as they are passing.Which, hey. That's fine. But as a perfectionist like myself, I can't do that. I need to make it to every single class and make sure I write everything down in my notes. I think that going to the classes and giving yourself the best understanding of the material and talking to your professors is a lot more helpful in the long run, even more-so than studying until you feel like you're dead.
There is a good amount of tea (aka gossip)
I mean, where isn't there gossip? I dealt with my fair share at work. But I've found that it is easier to get caught up in it. Especially in a small environment, where everyone knows everyone.
You can survive an entire class just by reading the summary or SparkNotes
Okay, this may not work for everyone... But I just have to say that I did amazing in my Shakespeare class and had only read the freaking SparkNote summaries. (Oops.)
I'm an English major so of course I might have a heavier reading load than others. But one thing I learned was that if you want to stay sane, you can't possibly read all the material and you might just have to skim. Finding analysis summaries and was a huge help for me.
Professors are people, too!
They get stressed and overwhelmed and hungry. And sometimes they let it show.
There are a lot of expectations
Whether those are performance expectations or social expectations... They are there. So many students are doing far more than just their classes. They're hosting clubs or working with the faculty as part of an internship or on-campus job. Just when you think you're doing all that you can do, there's more you could be doing.
I'm not saying that this is TRUE. It's the anxiety that gives me the pressure to do more and be more because I feel as though what I'm doing now isn't enough.
I'm not saying that this is TRUE. It's the anxiety that gives me the pressure to do more and be more because I feel as though what I'm doing now isn't enough.
Coffee is your best friend
I had never had so much coffee in my LIFE until this past semester. I am a commuter (traveling a bit of distance) so I have to get up a lot earlier for my morning classes... And in order to survive until the last class of the afternoon, I need to be hyped up on sugar and caffeine like there's no tomorrow.
What I know about my major that I didn't before
So, I'm actually an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing.
I still have to take these general English courses that are not technically related to my concentration... But I need them to graduate. And man, those were not what I expected.
There are a lot of dates and memorization and things related to historical moments that I SHOULD know but do not remember learning. And it's all closely intertwined in all these classic texts.
They feel like history courses
There are a lot of dates and memorization and things related to historical moments that I SHOULD know but do not remember learning. And it's all closely intertwined in all these classic texts.
There's a lot of analyzing
One little phrase could take up a whole hour's worth of discussion. There's so much more meaning than you think. Like, dude. Sometimes I felt like my brain was going to explode from thinking so hard.
Why did I pick this major?
You know, I still ask myself the same thing. Often. But I try to remember that the reason why I picked English is because 1. I love reading and writing, and 2. It's so broad. I could do a bunch of different things with it PLUS having a concentration in Creative Writing allows me to hold onto my creative aspirations.
So, BAM. It's a win-win situation.
