I've been enrolled in college, nonstop, since the fall of 2014. I have dedicated hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours, to my educational goals as a college student. It has been a crazy two years. I don't even know if crazy is the correct adjective in this case.
Each semester, I have taken 15 (or more credits). I don't even stop in the summer, where I still overload myself with online classes. I manage to stay afloat being a full-time college student, staying involved in one or two student organizations, creating content for Odyssey and working a job at least 30 hours a week. There have even been a few cases where I have worked more than one job.
I know, I'm absolutely crazy! Well, I guess you could say I like to stay busy. Some days, I surprise myself with how much I can throw on my plate.
This coming fall, I will be starting as a senior at North Dakota State, a year ahead of all the students who started their freshmen year the same semester as me. All my hard work and stressful days have led me to be an entire year ahead of where I should actually be by credits. My stressful and jam packed days have payed off in so many different ways.
Some, well actually, most people call my crazy and an overachiever. I get the questions of "How do you manage it?" or "Are you ready to be done, yet?" I get the all the weird looks and the dropped jaws each time I show someone my planner.
How do I manage it? I'm not even sure myself. I guess the only way to answer that question is to say I'm driven. I do not give up because I set goals for myself. I write them on little sticky notes, and I post them all over my apartment. When I reach them, I am so extremely happy for myself. When I don't, I can at least remind myself that I gave it my all. I look at the bright side of my bad days. I remind myself that all this is going to be worth it five years or even just a year from now.
Am I ready to be done? Oh absolutely. I am the closest I have ever been to reaching my career goals. 32 credits is how close I am. In my eyes, once I get my college degree, I get to move on to my career. I get to "live" the life I have worked so dang hard for.
When I walk across that stage, I will be able to work toward opening my nonprofit that helps low-income and impoverished families combat the cycle of poverty.
When I get that piece of paper, I will be able to hang it up in the home I own.
When I get to attend my last college lecture, I'll get to tell myself I did it.
So, yes. I am so, very ready to be done with college, but I will finish strong.
