During my freshman year of high school, I slacked off immensely. I did not possess quite the amount of will and aspiration to succeed academically as I do now. However, later on in my high school life, my hopes and dreams of going to a great college and becoming successful overshadowed this, and, as a result, my grades soared to an all-time high. However, what strategies did I use to overcome this major obstacle?

What it really came down to was simply willpower. I had to stop procrastinating, wasting time, and realize that it was solely my responsibility to succeed academically, and in life, in general. I could no longer hold my parents' hands through this new experience, like I did in middle school - I had to make it my own. And the first step I took towards doing so was clearing time out of my day to dedicate to academics. Studying, doing homework, and preparing for the next day. Being more organized was truly helpful in my proceeding academic success, and helped me so much in the long run. I became used to not procrastinating, and before I knew it, my grades were improving.

This strategy has worked up until my last day of high school. So, what will I be doing to succeed in college? For now, using the exact same strategy. However, I will be doing some things differently than in high school. As college is going to be a completely different environment for me, I will have to adjust both academically, and socially. Therefore, I must be open to new activities, courses, possibilities, and most importantly, people. I will be introduced to many new groups and types of people that I may not have ever encountered in the past. The road that lies ahead of me is full of potential discovery, along with uncertainty - but this is the best part of the experience. Not knowing what I must do, fulfill, and who I may meet along the way, is probably the most exciting and thought-provoking part of starting my college life at Fordham this fall, and honestly, I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for it.