This week is an important week in my college journey. Both my parents are coming to visit and I couldn't be more excited! I haven't had a chance to see my mom since she first dropped me off at college, and I can honestly say I miss her so much more than I imagined possible. Talking to your parents over the phone is definitely not the same as seeing them in person.
This weekend is definitely going to be an exciting time for me. They get to come watch two of my soccer games and then we are heading to San Antonio on Saturday for the day. Here is an overall recap of our weekend that took place. First, they flew in on Thursday and I was able to hang out with them after soccer practice and grab something to eat. Friday, they came to watch us play during the afternoon. Unfortunately, we lost our game on Friday but I was still honored that they were able to watch me play. After the game, we went out to dinner and got some Texas Barbecue. Compared to California, the barbecue places here are substantially better so my parents love to get that when they come to visit. On Saturday, we took a day trip to San Antonio. We were able to go to the river walk and spend the whole day exploring the number two highest tourist spot in Texas. I had never been to the river walk before, and neither had my parents, so it was definitely a treat. I loved spending the day with my parents, since I have not been able to do that for a really long time. Sunday was their last day in town, and so they came to watch another one of my soccer games. A little after the game, they had to leave to the airport. It was so sad to have to say goodbye to them again, but I only have to wait another month before I see them again. I am just so blessed that I am able to see my parents still other than on school vacations. I know a lot of other kids who leave home to go far away for college, have to wait multiple months at a time to see any members of their family.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Transitioning from High School to College #8
This week was the week of our mid-semester break. I was unaware that any college gave students a random mid semester break, but I found it to come at the perfect time! College is a stressful place and it is helpful to have a break every once in awhile. If they had not given us this break, we wouldn't have one until Thanksgiving.
Since it was mid-semester break, campus was cleared out. Most people went home for the four days we had off. That is sometimes the strangest part of living so far away. You don't have anywhere to go on the weekend, like the rest of the people do. It is sometimes depressing because campus can get pretty boring over the weekend. That is when I am so thankful that I was able to get a roommate that is also from California. We are always stuck in the same boat.
I may not have been able to go home, but I stayed busy with soccer over the entire break. We traveled to Dallas and Houston over the break. Dallas was a good trip that turned ugly in the end. Our bus ended up running out of gas and we were stranded at University of Dallas for about five hours. We ended up having to call in favors to get us switched to a different bus that could get us home. Eventually, we started heading back around midnight and didn't get back to campus until five in the morning. It was quite a night and I am really thankful we had a good win over University of Dallas, otherwise being stranded with our coach for that long could have been a nightmare. Overall it was a rough night, but it will be a trip that I will always remember.
Luckily, our trip to Houston was a lot more pleasant. We ended up winning a huge game and came off of the weekend 2-0. It was definitely a weekend that will stick in my memory, that is for sure.
I was disappointed at first that soccer was going to consume my whole break, but then I realized I would have gotten bored over the break if it wasn't for soccer.
Since it was mid-semester break, campus was cleared out. Most people went home for the four days we had off. That is sometimes the strangest part of living so far away. You don't have anywhere to go on the weekend, like the rest of the people do. It is sometimes depressing because campus can get pretty boring over the weekend. That is when I am so thankful that I was able to get a roommate that is also from California. We are always stuck in the same boat.
I may not have been able to go home, but I stayed busy with soccer over the entire break. We traveled to Dallas and Houston over the break. Dallas was a good trip that turned ugly in the end. Our bus ended up running out of gas and we were stranded at University of Dallas for about five hours. We ended up having to call in favors to get us switched to a different bus that could get us home. Eventually, we started heading back around midnight and didn't get back to campus until five in the morning. It was quite a night and I am really thankful we had a good win over University of Dallas, otherwise being stranded with our coach for that long could have been a nightmare. Overall it was a rough night, but it will be a trip that I will always remember.
Luckily, our trip to Houston was a lot more pleasant. We ended up winning a huge game and came off of the weekend 2-0. It was definitely a weekend that will stick in my memory, that is for sure.
I was disappointed at first that soccer was going to consume my whole break, but then I realized I would have gotten bored over the break if it wasn't for soccer.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Transitioning from High School to College #7
This week has been pretty relaxed, compared to other weeks. I still have my hectic schedule, but I have grown pretty accustomed to it over the past two months.
One major event that happened this week, was getting my first college essay returned to me. Before our Professor handed them back she mentioned that a few of us received sixty percents because we did not internally site sources correctly. Heart-racing, I had my essay in hand. To my excitement, I was able to earn an eighty-five percent on my first essay of the year. I have never been a super great writer, and I consistently got Bs on my essays in high school. As you may guess, that surprised me tremendously when I got a B on a college essay. I would think that college writing would be harder, and I think in some ways it is. The length of the essay was somewhat difficult for me to manage. Granted, I did expect to get assigned an awful ten page paper like the first week in school. Luckily, that was not the case. I guess you could say writing in college is still pretty difficult, just not as awful as I anticipated.
Other than that, the only other event that took place this week was my second freshman module. We are required to take four modules over the course of our time at TLU, and the freshman module is mandantory for graduation requirements. This week in our module we went over our CEP plans, which are designed as a template for our four year schedule. It was a struggle having to pick all my own classes and being responsible for deciding what I am going to take every semester I am here. Working on these plans just reiterate our freedom of choices we have in college, and the ability to do what we want. We're now adults, who have to decide on our own.
It will be hard to register for classes on my own. As freshman, our first semester was pretty much put together by our advisors, so we didn't have to do that on our own. It will be interesting to see how I manage that on my own.
One major event that happened this week, was getting my first college essay returned to me. Before our Professor handed them back she mentioned that a few of us received sixty percents because we did not internally site sources correctly. Heart-racing, I had my essay in hand. To my excitement, I was able to earn an eighty-five percent on my first essay of the year. I have never been a super great writer, and I consistently got Bs on my essays in high school. As you may guess, that surprised me tremendously when I got a B on a college essay. I would think that college writing would be harder, and I think in some ways it is. The length of the essay was somewhat difficult for me to manage. Granted, I did expect to get assigned an awful ten page paper like the first week in school. Luckily, that was not the case. I guess you could say writing in college is still pretty difficult, just not as awful as I anticipated.
Other than that, the only other event that took place this week was my second freshman module. We are required to take four modules over the course of our time at TLU, and the freshman module is mandantory for graduation requirements. This week in our module we went over our CEP plans, which are designed as a template for our four year schedule. It was a struggle having to pick all my own classes and being responsible for deciding what I am going to take every semester I am here. Working on these plans just reiterate our freedom of choices we have in college, and the ability to do what we want. We're now adults, who have to decide on our own.
It will be hard to register for classes on my own. As freshman, our first semester was pretty much put together by our advisors, so we didn't have to do that on our own. It will be interesting to see how I manage that on my own.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Transitioning for High School to College #6
Home-sickness. A feeling that is hard to describe but easy to understand. One that is finally starting to sink in at about the two month mark that I have been away at college.
The root behind my feeling of home-sickness mainly involves my friends from back home. Talking to one of my friends over the phone the other day, I realized how much I was missing out on. She starting to tell me about a trip she was about to take with one of her friends. A friend that I had never met or didn't even hear about before that moment. It just hit me like a truck, and thoughts started rushing through my head. How many other things am I missing out on? I am not even clued in to my best friends' life anymore, a realization that made me incredibly sad.
I am still lucky to say though that that has been the only major incidence that I have faced with home-sickness. Other than that, I have stayed relatively sane in adjusting to leaving home.
I have made incredible friends already. Two major friends of mine include my roommate and suite mate. We are actually so close, the three of us, that when we are apart for more than a couple hours we almost hit the point of separation anxiety. I find it so funny that we only met a little over a month ago and now we can't get enough of each other.
I guess another thing I can say I am thankful for then is that I was paired up with such wonderful girls. I have heard numerous stories of other people on campus that have an intense hatred for the roommate that they were designated with. So far, I have no complaints about who I share my dorm with.
I feel like doing these blogs every week help me put my feelings into words about my excitement journey of college life. It has already been an exciting adventure and I couldn't have expected anything better.
The root behind my feeling of home-sickness mainly involves my friends from back home. Talking to one of my friends over the phone the other day, I realized how much I was missing out on. She starting to tell me about a trip she was about to take with one of her friends. A friend that I had never met or didn't even hear about before that moment. It just hit me like a truck, and thoughts started rushing through my head. How many other things am I missing out on? I am not even clued in to my best friends' life anymore, a realization that made me incredibly sad.
I am still lucky to say though that that has been the only major incidence that I have faced with home-sickness. Other than that, I have stayed relatively sane in adjusting to leaving home.
I have made incredible friends already. Two major friends of mine include my roommate and suite mate. We are actually so close, the three of us, that when we are apart for more than a couple hours we almost hit the point of separation anxiety. I find it so funny that we only met a little over a month ago and now we can't get enough of each other.
I guess another thing I can say I am thankful for then is that I was paired up with such wonderful girls. I have heard numerous stories of other people on campus that have an intense hatred for the roommate that they were designated with. So far, I have no complaints about who I share my dorm with.
I feel like doing these blogs every week help me put my feelings into words about my excitement journey of college life. It has already been an exciting adventure and I couldn't have expected anything better.
Mental Toughness #6
George Washington Carver, the inventor of peanut butter first found 300 other uses for peanuts. It wasn't until he founded peanut butter, however, that one was majorly successful. Looking at his mistakes as positives: George Carver did not fail at making peanut butter, he just found 300 ways not to make it.
Mistakes are what make us who we are. It is our mistakes that allow us to grow as human beings and become stronger.
One keynote speaker during the TLU convention, was Tony Wagner. One of his keys to education was "Trial and Error vs. Risk Avoidance". Basically acknowledging the importance of trying and failing versus not trying at all.
One of the keys in any athletic game is to never give up. No matter what you do wrong, or how far behind you may be, the key is to never give up. Coaches will always preach the importance of that point. Another point coaches often make is to never make the same mistake twice. After making a mistake, it is vital to shake it off and get right back into the game, not letting it happen again. I have realized one thing about myself over the many years of playing sports. I learn better when I first make a mistake. If I have a bad play, it makes me focus on what I did wrong, then I learn how to correct it and make myself better. If I continuously made okay passes over and over again I would never improve my skills.
Mistakes are not failures. Mistakes are just opportunities to learn different ways not to do something. We all just need to take advantage of our mistakes. The key is not to dwell on the past or mistakes, but learn from them and move on.
Mistakes are what make us who we are. It is our mistakes that allow us to grow as human beings and become stronger.
One keynote speaker during the TLU convention, was Tony Wagner. One of his keys to education was "Trial and Error vs. Risk Avoidance". Basically acknowledging the importance of trying and failing versus not trying at all.
One of the keys in any athletic game is to never give up. No matter what you do wrong, or how far behind you may be, the key is to never give up. Coaches will always preach the importance of that point. Another point coaches often make is to never make the same mistake twice. After making a mistake, it is vital to shake it off and get right back into the game, not letting it happen again. I have realized one thing about myself over the many years of playing sports. I learn better when I first make a mistake. If I have a bad play, it makes me focus on what I did wrong, then I learn how to correct it and make myself better. If I continuously made okay passes over and over again I would never improve my skills.
Mistakes are not failures. Mistakes are just opportunities to learn different ways not to do something. We all just need to take advantage of our mistakes. The key is not to dwell on the past or mistakes, but learn from them and move on.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Transitioning from High School to College #5
I have now turned in my first college essay and taken my first college exam. I have experienced my first extremely late night studying. I now feel like a real college student.
The workload is difficult and I now see the major differences between high school and college classes. First when I got to college, advisers told me that for every hour spent in class, students will need to study two-three hours outside of class to earn a solid grade. They weren't kidding. I feel like I spend a lot of my time studying and I haven't yet earned an A on any of my exams. Honestly though, I don't know how to fit more studying into my schedule. Twenty four hours in a day do not seem to cut it nowadays. With classes, athletic training, soccer, homework, some social time to keep sane, and trying to balance sleep in the mix; I don't know how to throw more studying in the mix without cutting something out. I already feel as if I am lacking sleep already, I don't know how much longer I can stay up into the wee hours of the morning working on school work.
That's another change from high school to college. Bedtime; there is none. Since there are no parents, there is no more set curfew. This new sense of freedom has consequences attached. I tend to stay up a lot later than I should and it's starting to cause a lack of sleep on my end. I tend to take more naps throughout the day to make up for the shortage of sleep at night. It is super convenient to have my "house" on campus. Allowing me the ability of taking a twenty minute power nap in between a couple classes. I find it funny how much I enjoy napping now. We start off our education journey in preschool, where naps were a constant reward. How ironic is it that at the highest level, naps are still a luxury that most students love and appreciate.
I can sense that college will be a challenge. Acclimatizing myself to my surroundings and finding a way to balance all my workload without becoming utterly overwhelmed. It will be an ongoing battle that I will have to work through.
The workload is difficult and I now see the major differences between high school and college classes. First when I got to college, advisers told me that for every hour spent in class, students will need to study two-three hours outside of class to earn a solid grade. They weren't kidding. I feel like I spend a lot of my time studying and I haven't yet earned an A on any of my exams. Honestly though, I don't know how to fit more studying into my schedule. Twenty four hours in a day do not seem to cut it nowadays. With classes, athletic training, soccer, homework, some social time to keep sane, and trying to balance sleep in the mix; I don't know how to throw more studying in the mix without cutting something out. I already feel as if I am lacking sleep already, I don't know how much longer I can stay up into the wee hours of the morning working on school work.
That's another change from high school to college. Bedtime; there is none. Since there are no parents, there is no more set curfew. This new sense of freedom has consequences attached. I tend to stay up a lot later than I should and it's starting to cause a lack of sleep on my end. I tend to take more naps throughout the day to make up for the shortage of sleep at night. It is super convenient to have my "house" on campus. Allowing me the ability of taking a twenty minute power nap in between a couple classes. I find it funny how much I enjoy napping now. We start off our education journey in preschool, where naps were a constant reward. How ironic is it that at the highest level, naps are still a luxury that most students love and appreciate.
I can sense that college will be a challenge. Acclimatizing myself to my surroundings and finding a way to balance all my workload without becoming utterly overwhelmed. It will be an ongoing battle that I will have to work through.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Mental Toughness #5
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you have to keep moving." In my opinion, this relates to the college journey. I actually included this quote in my FREX project that I had to complete over the summer before entering my freshman year. It stuck deep with me when I first came across it. Like Professor Barry mentioned in her interpretation of success, the journey is just as important as the final result.
Say you wanted to make a bird house. You need all sorts of components to come up with a successful birdhouse. Wood of course, nails, a hammer, and some paint. These may seem insignificant individually, but together they create wonders.
Think of college as this birdhouse. Wood being all of the classes each student has to take. Nails being books and supplies. Hammer being the professors and doctors. Paint being extracurricular activities. They all work hand in hand to result in a college degree. The final achievement that makes the countless hours of college and all the troubled components worth it.
I think it is important to be appreciative of all the little moments that happen, not only through the college experience, but throughout all of life. Take advantage of every opportunity. Be proud for getting all your homework done regularly or getting a good grade on a quiz or test. All of these things get you one step closer to your goal. At the end of the college journey, I am sure no student remembers every day of their experience. However, in the moment, do not look at the day to day tasks as burdens but accomplishments. They all are important and useful in the end. Without wood, how would a birdhouse have structure? Without nails, how would a birdhouse stay together? Without a hammer, how would a birdhouse get put together? Without paint, how would a birdhouse gain character? All things to think about.
Say you wanted to make a bird house. You need all sorts of components to come up with a successful birdhouse. Wood of course, nails, a hammer, and some paint. These may seem insignificant individually, but together they create wonders.
Think of college as this birdhouse. Wood being all of the classes each student has to take. Nails being books and supplies. Hammer being the professors and doctors. Paint being extracurricular activities. They all work hand in hand to result in a college degree. The final achievement that makes the countless hours of college and all the troubled components worth it.
I think it is important to be appreciative of all the little moments that happen, not only through the college experience, but throughout all of life. Take advantage of every opportunity. Be proud for getting all your homework done regularly or getting a good grade on a quiz or test. All of these things get you one step closer to your goal. At the end of the college journey, I am sure no student remembers every day of their experience. However, in the moment, do not look at the day to day tasks as burdens but accomplishments. They all are important and useful in the end. Without wood, how would a birdhouse have structure? Without nails, how would a birdhouse stay together? Without a hammer, how would a birdhouse get put together? Without paint, how would a birdhouse gain character? All things to think about.
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