Whether it was an uphill challenge for some or an easy breeze, the first week of school is officially behind me. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulder now that I’ve stepped out of my last class for the week, only to have homework and studying quickly replace it.
Not only am I new to Sylvania, I’m also coming right out of high school, and diving straight into the college experience. Monday morning I realized I was walking right into the danger zone of dirty finances, stress, and caffeine addiction. Nervousness and fear weren't stopping me I had my high-heeled boots on, chin high, and heavy backpack prepared for whatever the day was ready to throw.
I arrived thirty minutes before my first classes and ended up using twenty of them wondering feebly around campus just to find the classroom. That wasn’t the only time I was lost and confused on campus. At every step I made, wrong turn, going up and down the stairs my toes curled and cramped. My black booties failed to do the justice I thought they would serve. If I knew I’d be doing so much helpless navigating, I would have picked sneakers instead.
As noon rolled around I was finally able to enjoy my couple hours of break before the next class. I headed off to the main building on campus known as the “CC” to snag lunch. At Sherwood high, I'm used to seeing the same people every day, whether or not I met them before I knew them by name and maybe a little something that I’ve heard about them. Walking into the CC I was introduced to a variety of ages, ethnicities, styles, and religions. In high school, if you weren’t a well-dressed white teenager, you stood out. Here it’s hard to stand out when I’m sharing an education with peers who are all unique. There’s a comfort in knowing that I don’t have to carry that stress of taboo anymore and do my own thing.
By the middle of the week, I’m feeling pretty good about the flow of things. My perfectly picked schedule had me doing class three times a week, homework after class, working or hanging out with friends during free time, and still having down time with myself. Until receiving an email from my College Success professor,
URGENT
Dear Kimberly,
You have been dropping from my CG100 class this term due to absences of the first day.
In confused dismay I wrote a quick reply back explaining that there must be a mistake, I'm only supposed to attend that class on Thursdays and today is Wednesday. The reply back explained my wrong and officially kicked me out of the class. When I read TR on my class schedule it meant more than a class on just Thursday. T stood for Tuesday and R stood for Thursdays, I unconsciously skipped the first day of a mandatory class. The first day is very crucial and missing it meant a waitlisted student took over my spot.
Without that class, I could lose my grant from the Oregon Promise for free tuition for the year. I rushed to an advisor and by the afternoon I had a brand new schedule. Luckily I didn’t have to change too much, but with last-minute pickings, I now have a 6:30 AM yoga class and a three-hour CG100 class to make up for my mistake.
I can only hope now that my weeks to come will carry none of the stress I endured from the first.
