Looking back on my senior year in High School, I can say that my favorite memory consisted of me, standing on a stage surrounded by 200 people who I had spent the last four years with. The piano started to play and we all cleared our throats for the last time and sang “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent. This song is now one of my favorites because it explains how much can happen in just a one year of your life. When I was standing up there it was the lyric “How do you measure a year in the life” that still resonates with me to this day. It was at that moment that I realized my life for what I knew it, was about to change. My senior year of high school was ending and my freshman year of college was beginning. The next year of my life would be a totally new experience. I would have to be independent and learn how to manage my time without the constant help of my parents. I was overwhelmed by the idea of pursuing a career path and felt I was not ready to attend college. However, my experiences proved otherwise.
College is a time of independence and self reliance. A bunch of young adults are placed in a new environment with new people and a new room to call their own. It is hard for many of us to learn how to adapt ourselves to this foreign environment. However, this how we all begin our journey. Each day we are faced with new challenges that force us to make personal choices. Freshmen college students need to establish their own set of rules to excel. Which includes what time we get up in the morning, when we chose to study, how often we study, what course of study we take and even when to do our laundry. One of my friends on my floor started to do her laundry one afternoon and placed the clothes into the washing machine and then drier. The fire alarm had suddenly gone off we were all evacuated and stood outside for a good hour. It was early September so it was still hot. After the drill was over we all went to have dinner. About a few days later I hear a boy yelling down the hall and I realize that he was annoyed because someone left mounds of laundry all over the place. I walk into the laundry room and I see my friends sopping wet clothes scattered all over. I knock on her door we both walk into the laundry room and start laughing hysterically, her clothes had shrunk to doll size. She had forgotten about them for almost a week. It is instances like this that teach us the importance of independence.
With independence comes time management. College teaches young adults how to manage the time so that they can have ultimate success. The first year is probably the most difficult because you are forced to learn real world skills that you probably have never even heard of before. College students must learn skills that last a life time including executive functioning. For example, I spent two hours getting my Halloween costume ready for a Halloween party. After I had my elaborate costume together I realized that I had never finished the English paper that was due the following day. So I spent the night alone in a room typing away dressed as Dracula. The next morning when my roommate returned she had found me lying on my bed with fangs and red lipstick and my laptop beside me. I realized that the essay was more important than the party. I learned that it is important to make a schedule for yourself so that the balance between work and fun can be achieved.
A college education will help adolescents achieve a career that they wish to obtain. Lets face it not many people have any idea about what they want to be for the rest of their life when they leave high school. Most of us are clueless, I know I am. I was very nervous about attending college because I did not know what I wanted. When I got to college I realized that there were a lot of people that did not know what they wanted to do or how to pursue their personal interests. This comforting feeling allowed me to relax and start looking for careers that highlight my talents. Every young adult should attend college because it will open up their mind to new possibilities and help them to get the careers that they want. My first day of college was nerve wrecking because I did not know anyone and was afraid that making friends would be difficult, however I was lucky to have made my best friends down the hall from me the second day. As soon as we met we knew that we were going to be life long friends. The song “Seasons of love” asks the question “How do you measure a year in the life.” My freshmen year was measured in knowledge, independence, and friendship.
