Thank you. Thank you for being the first one to greet me on my first day. I don't know if it was your lack of eye contact or your speech about how “no one will make an A in this class, I do not give As” that made me intimidated by you. Instead of dropping the class I decided to take on the challenge thinking maybe things would get better and you were just trying to scare us. As the semester went on things did not get better. Every rumor I heard about you was proven true right in front of my own eyes.
When It came time for our first exam I studied in ways I never have. I sacrificed sleep and I even drank coffee (I hate coffee). After creating countless flashcards, reviewing endless notes and watching what felt like four hour documentaries I believed I was ready. I felt as if I knew everything there was to know about the subject, I was relieved and somewhat excited to prove how well I spent my time. Once the exam was handed out you told us to pick four of the seven essays and write about them. Although that sounded easy it proved to be very hard when the essays were of no relation to the context.
After taking the test and receiving my first grade as a college freshman I was depressed. If getting involved, moving to a completely new place and saying goodbye to family freshman year wasn't hard enough, this made it harder. I felt as if this was how all my classes were going to go. As if I had failed myself and my parents. I tried talking to you and showing you my countless methods of studying in hopes that you could tell me what I was doing wrong. All you had to say was “maybe you're not cut out for this."
There couldn't have been a more discouraging answer. Instead of paying thousands of dollars to be told I'm not "cut out for it” I would expect to be helped, encouraged, and taught to the best of ones ability. After reading the statistics of my class average I realized there have to be other students who feel this way as well. My first day of school, first year of college, first glance at a midterm -- all things which are meant to be exciting -- turned into a disappointing first experience. So, thank you, professor. No, really. Thank you for teaching me what it's like in the real world because that's what college is supposed to do for us (even if it's hard to take).
Although this was not my idea of a first semester in college I am truly thankful for meeting you. Instead of giving up so quickly, doubting myself so often and becoming a college depression statistic I have decided to do everything in my power to become a great student. Maybe not in your eyes, but in others. So, once again, thank you for giving me the lemon because I sure am enjoying my lemonade.