High school had its fair share of twists, turns, and bruises which, in all honesty, left me exhausted by the time graduation finally rolled around. College was always the light at the end of the tunnel for me and saying that I am excited for the upcoming school year is an understatement. ASU allows me to reinvent myself and explore who I truly am as a person, which high school never really did for me. So, without further ado here is my list of 3 goals for my freshman year at ASU.
Branch Out
Admittedly, I am a truly reserved and quiet person. I do not do many adventurous or "exciting" things, and I tend to actively avoid these things. Routines are usually what I stick to and I do not branch out too far from my routines. For my freshman year; however, I want to challenge myself to bring new energy and a willingness to try new things into my life. I want to avoid the same monotonous routines that made high school life unbearably boring. College is the perfect time for someone to reinvent themselves and bring a positive change into their life, which is exactly what I hope to accomplish with my pursuit of branching out. I do not want to lose a sense of myself in the process or go too overboard with trying new things, so I have to strike a balance between the mundane and overly-exciting. This perfect balance is virtually impossible to achieve, but the desire to reach the balance will undoubtedly make my freshman experience both exciting and successful.
Maintain My Grades
Any high school teacher you ever meet will never fail to tell you how bad you are going to struggle in the transition from high school to college. It is like a rite of passage for any high schooler pursuing college at this point. I will be the first one to say that I flew through high school. Never once did I struggle or endure any hardships when it came to grades. Sure, this made high school easy for me, but it also instilled bad study habits and a reliance on my previous knowledge to get me through classes. This worries me mostly on the basis that I am not sure how I will react to challenging material that I will need to study to understand. For reference, I took AP classes throughout my high school career and I graduated third in my class. Everyone tells me that I should be prepared for whatever a college course has to throw at me, but I cannot help to think that I am probably going to struggle throughout periods of my freshman year. So, maintaining my grades proves to be my largest goal for the upcoming year and the one that worries me the most.
Avoid the "Freshman 15"
Probably the most advice I have been given about college is to avoid the "Freshman 15". With home-cooked meals going extinct once college starts, the enticing appeal of fast food creeps in. A late-night Cane's run on Tuesday, some innocent In-N-Out for lunch on Wednesday, and maybe some Starbucks breakfast on Thursday. Next thing you know, you gained ten pounds in two weeks and are wondering where your summer body went. My last goal for freshman year is to avoid this unneeded and unwanted weight gain. This is easier said than done, especially with cooking for myself not being a realistic solution. The gym is going to have to be my best friend if I want a shot at overcoming the "Freshman 15". Yeah, I will be eating out quite a bit; however, if I stick to a plan and workout regimen I will be able to conquer the greatest freshman challenge of them all: "The Freshman 15".
