You’ve got the work load thing handled.
It was a bit of a shock coming into your first semester of college and realizing that the work load here is way heavier than it was in high school. Of course, I expected college to be more of a challenge, but until I actually stepped into this college world, I didn’t have a clue. First semester for me was all about feeling things out, and finding my groove at school and one of the big things for me was learning how to manage my work load. I think I speak for everyone when I say that you all probably pulled a lot of all-nighters, staying up the night before writing 3 papers you didn’t realize were due. You thought you could easily get away with procrastination like you did in high school but you soon came to learn that budgeting your time is key to surviving college and you slowly began to move away from the procrastination habit (for the most part). During your second semester, you learn to anticipate the “end of the semester crunch” when all your professors got together and decided they would each torture you with 4 different projects and 6 page papers, in addition to preparing for a final exam. Yeah… that’s rough. The first semester has prepared you for this, so come the end of your second semester, you’ve budgeted your time (hopefully) and you’re not feeling as stressed about all the things you have due because these assignments didn’t come out of nowhere like a tidal wave crashing down on you, and you are not suddenly drowning in work. You’ve got the work load thing handled.
You’ve navigated the social world of college.
When I first got here, I had to start fresh. Sure, I had a few people I went to high school with here with me, but I had to go out and find a new group of friends. I had to learn how to navigate the social world of college, and that meant finding a group of people I clicked with. Once classes started, it became easier because I started meeting people in my classes and getting familiar with everyone. I’m not gonna lie, it was challenging meeting people and making friends. If you’re not a terribly social person, it may be harder for you, but eventually you’ll find your groove. My first semester I learned what kind of people I enjoyed being friends with and the kind of people I wanted to have around. I became an expert at meeting people in my classes and around campus. By the second semester, I was more outgoing and I’d grown up a lot and come out of my shell. I am now even more open to meeting new people and I made even more friends, who I became very close with my second semester here. I didn’t really have any problems making friends my second semester because I have already navigated the social world of college. Trust me, it’s all about finding your groove.
You’ve got a more confident head on your shoulders.
This one kind of goes hand in hand with the “navigating the social world of college” thing. First semester it was hard adjusting to your new life. Many students go to college far away from home and leave everything that’s familiar to them, so it’s a bit of a shock coming into a new environment where you’re left to your own devices, not being dependent on anyone, having to meet new people, and figuring it all out on your own. It’s likely that you won’t feel very confident when you first get here, and you may be a bit timid about trying new things like putting yourself out there and being more social. However, by second semester you’ve already jumped over the hurdle of confidence. You’ve made some close friends, plugged into the social scene, and you’re happy with the person you’ve become. You are for sure a more confident individual by your second semester of college.
You’re comfortable.
By second semester, I think it’s safe to say that you’re comfortable at college. You are comfortable to be who you are around all the people you meet, comfortable to go out to parties, comfortable talking to your professors and going to them when you need help, comfortable in your dorm room and with your roommate; overall, you are comfortable being a college student. First semester, when you first arrived on move-in day, you were a bit unsure of yourself. You weren’t feeling settled at your school or comfortable yet because you just got here, and everything was new to you. You barely knew your roommate during your first semester and now it’s hard to believe that the two of you have become the best of friends. First semester, the whole academic world on your first day of classes and pretty much during your entire first semester, you’ll probably feel shy about asking your professors for help or going to their office hours to work with them one on one. It isn’t until second semester that you really become comfortable reaching out to your professors. You’ve also learned that being yourself in college is okay. The whole idea of starting over doesn’t mean you need to become a different person. If you’re fun and outgoing, let your friends know that’s who you are. Or if you’re insecure or anti-social, let them know that too. Of course, first semester can be a bit challenging in that aspect because you’re still getting to know your friends. You haven’t opened up to them all the way and you’re not sure if you want them to know what kind of person you truly are. Come second semester, you’ve sifted through all that hard stuff, and you’re comfortable being yourself around anyone you meet.
You’ve mastered the art of being low on sleep.
Yes, the rumors are true. You will not get much sleep in college. If you live in a dorm, the noise at pretty much all hours of the night will affect your ability to sleep peacefully. You’ll experience those certain days during the week when everyone goes out to party, and well, if you’re not a partier and you’re in your dorm all night, attempting to get whatever sleep you can, it may be difficult. Loud shrills can come from right outside your dorm room door from a group of people coming into the building between the hours of 1 and 5 AM. The noise is only a small factor of what may cause you to be low on sleep, though. Most likely, it will be the hours and hours of homework you need to get done. If you’re a procrastinator, you will be up at all hours typing away at a 6 page paper you have due the next day. You could also have a project, or 10 pages of mindless busy work out of a textbook; it varies. Whatever the reason for your lack of sleep, you get used to it. By your second semester, you have become a pro. You have found your own way of functioning on only 4-5 hours of sleep and it works for you. Besides, now that you stay up so late each night anyway, it has just become your daily sleep schedule because, let’s face it, nobody sleeps in college. That’s why it was best that you mastered the art of being low on sleep.
