As final exams approach and I have only a few days until the last of my classes, I am coming to the realization that I completed my very first semester.

The stressful nights of endless homework and studying to the early morning coffee stops have finally paid off. Since the beginning of semester I have looked forward to this day, and now it's finally here. I look back at all the education I obtained and some of the education that I failed to retain. My first semester in college was one of the hardest obstacles that I've had to complete, but I did it.

Many people don't understand this accomplishment because they have no clue how time-intensive college really is, especially as a biochemistry major. My course load this semester consisted of biology, chemistry, biology lab, chemistry lab, pre-modern history and Spanish.

Although some of my classes were easy, most of the time anyway, there is still parts of the curriculum that are more difficult than others. For example, history is usually just note-taking but one difficult part of the course was when we had to read a 200-page book in a week. In my science classes, the workload never subsides. So when my humanity classes add to the workload from those two classes, it can get quite stressful.

Since it was my first semester in college, I had to adjust my learning habits that I had become accustomed to. For example, I couldn't wait until the night before the assignment was due to start it. I also had to learn how to manage my time and figure out how much time I needed to spend doing each subject. I learned that time management was a key factor for success in college.

I plan on using the skills that I have adapted to pass all of my finals. Although many of them are back-to-back, I just have to use my time efficiently. Passing finals shows what I have learned in a cumulative process since the beginning of the semester.

In completion to my first semester of college, I have time to relax before I start the next level of courses. I plan on relaxing by taking a vacation to the Caribbean with my family. Hopefully, time away from school will prepare me to do better next semester.

Overall, I have enjoyed my first semester of college, and not only furthered my education but I have learned things about myself that I didn't know before I started school.