As the end of the semester is drawing near, and Christmas break is a mere two weeks away, I thought I would take some time to reflect on my first semester as a Freshman here at Clemson. I learned a lot of things that were not taught to me in labs or lectures. These lessons were ones that I had to learn the hard way.

Throughout my educational career, school always came easily to me. I was in the "gifted and talented" class since the first grade, always performed well on standardized tests, and made good grades in high level classes without much effort at all. I was a a gymnast for 8 years, a cheerleader for 6, and paid a lot of attention to my social life and very little to studying. I knew I was going to come to Clemson since I could spell the word, and when I was accepted in December of my senior year, I felt like I had nothing else to worry about. I had the perfect plan. Graduate Clemson in 2020 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, go to MUSC and become an orthopedic surgeon. When move-in day came around, however, in the words of the great scholar Kylie Jenner, I just started "realizing stuff."

The first thing I realized when my Dad, sister, and boyfriend drove out of my dorm's parking lot and headed back to Charleston was that no one was responsible for me, except me. I had no one to make sure I was up in time for my classes, or to even make sure I went. No one was keeping me accountable for my assignments. No one was making sure I was studying, or managing my time correctly. And I realized what little self discipline I really had.

As a senior, you always hear your college friends say cliché things like "high school can't prepare you for college," or "time management is so much more important," or "your professors will not baby you," and you smile and nod and wish that graduation will come even faster. Y'all. Why don't we ever listen?! Personally, high school did not prepare me for college. Not at all. Sure, I was a "smart" kid who took honors, AP, and Dual Credit classes but they are NOTHING like classes here. Clemson is not going to call your parents if you miss a class or 20. Your professors will quietly put your zeros in and not say another word. You can sit in your room and watch Netflix for 14 hours straight neglecting all of your assignments and not one person will say anything to you. You can literally do anything you want, but your grades will reflect exactly what you do. And with that bitter dose of reality, I now have a completely different outlook on how to tackle semester two, and the next six semesters I have after that.

1. Being Organized is Way Better than Being a Hot Mess

I bought a cute little Plum Paper planner and probably opened it twice throughout this whole semester. That was a mistake on my part. I suggest collecting all of your syllabi, sit down, and map out all of your assignments and assessments. There should be no excuse for forgetting that it was exam day. Yes, that really happened.

Also, writing down a daily schedule and actually following it is totally helpful. Schedule what days you're going to workout, schedule study time (!!!!!!!), schedule assignment time, literally schedule everything and have it written down (or typed). It sounds completely anal but trust me, you're way more likely to follow through with plans you've actually taken the time to organize. One last piece of advice for staying organized: check blackboard (or whatever your schools' learning site is) EVERY DAY. Oddly enough, logging on after three weeks and seeing the 127 pending notifications does not relieve stress, it creates it. Weird, I know.

2. Productivity is Hella Important

So it turns out that binge watching Grey's for 10 hours and studying for 1 will not get you an A. Maybe if you're one of those freak geniuses with a photographic memory, in which guess I'm jealous of you, but otherwise that's just not how things work. Setting time aside to actually do your homework the day you get it sounds horrific, but its way better than trying to complete two weeks worth of work in one night.

I have a few suggestions on how to improve your productivity if you're struggling like I am. First, when I think "I can totally just sit in my room and do that" I'm lying to myself 100% of the time. I get nothing done in my room. I end up eating or scrolling through social media or, shocker, watching Netflix. It's way too easy to slack off in your nice, cozy, 10 by 10 room. Get your stuff, get a snack, and go to the library. There's something about being surrounded by people your age that seem to all have their lives way more together than you do that motivates you to actually get things done. Also, join study groups. That way, there's other people that will make you feel bad if you don't show up. It works.

3. Ask For Help

So in high school, I was never shy about asking for help if I needed it. The thing was, I never really needed it. Coming to college and realizing that a lot of the time, I had no idea what was going on was a weird experience for me. Clemson has this awesome thing called the Academic Success Center, which is literally just a jackpot of resources if you have questions on like anything in any class. At other schools, though, take advantage of tutoring and your professors' office hours and advising. Being in a lecture class of 200 students is scary and going to see a professor who probably won't even recognize you is scarier. But they're literally paid to help you; take advantage of all those bucks you (or your parents) are handing over for tuition!!

4. Register Wisely

Are you someone who takes 2 hours and 3 cups of coffee to wake up in the morning? Here's a tip: Don't register for an 8 am! You will literally never go. Do you plan on going home a lot on weekends? Avoid Friday classes because you'll totally end up skipping them! Try to schedule your classes with yourself in mind. You don't have 8 hours of uninterrupted instruction anymore and you don't have a guidance counselor putting you in the classes you should be in. Make yourself aware of how many hours you need and what classes you should be taking for your major. It's totally up to you, a common theme here in the world of college.

This semester was a learning experience, and not really a fun one. There's only so much that someone can try to tell you before you realize how they were right. Sometimes you just get thrown in the deep end and you have to learn to tread water, and sometimes you drown for a lil bit but then you get it. Good luck fishies.