I started school with everyone else my age. A Bio-Medical major with a Pre-Med concentration, ready to take on the next four years, graduate in 2018, and head off to (A&M) Med school. Or so I thought. You know, college isn't high school, in case you haven't noticed. If you were anything like me, you breezed through high school with A's and B's, took upper level classes and still barely struggled, and for sure didn't have to study. So when you get to college you think, "I can do this! Sure, I'll have to study more than I'm used to, but It won't be bad! I'm ready to have the time of my life!"

well.... wrong. Now I say "I used to be really good at school... Then I got to college."

It's not that college is bad. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it. But it's hard and that pretty much sucks.

So my first semester, I take basic classes, Biology, speech, algebra, the usual. No biggie. The next semester I get to take the oh so dreaded...chemistry. You see, I didn't have the best chemistry high school experience. I had a terrible teacher the first half, and ended up switching classes, all the while all this information was basically going in one ear and out the other. Well, apparently, as a young, naive college freshman, I was completely unaware that I had not just one, but 4 semesters of chemistry were required.

Yeah, exactly my thought too. Well, I decided to conquer Chem 1, and what do you know... that didn't go well. My GPA bombed and I was stuck in a hole that was going to be VERY difficult to dig out of. So I sat down and and seriously contemplated my dream of becoming a Pediatric physician and decided to take another, similar route of nursing. Luckily, a lot of those classes were a common factor in both degrees and I wouldn't have to redo too much, but it still put me about a semester behind than where a normal incoming sophomore would be. So I strapped up and was ready to take on what was thrown at me, determined to catch back up, refusing to be left behind because that's just awkward. Well, I take the courses still required, making decent grades, and yet, still the light and the end of the tunnel seems to be so far away. If you don't know, when your GPA falls, it's way hard to pull it back up. Come Spring of my sophomore year (mind you, most aspiring nurses my age are entering their prerequisites this semester), I work hard on my GPA and apply for my nursing pre-reqs for the Fall semester.... and do NOT get in. Yep I know. Depressing right?

So here I am, an entire year behind every one else. Retaking all kinds of courses that could use a higher grade to raise my GPA, and yep. That includes retaking Chem 1 too. I'm on my last basic course. Taking classes that are full of freshmen as a junior, EVERYTHING riding on this semester. Some serious stuff. I've been pissed off, already cried more tears than you'll ever known, but also filled with more determination than a lion chasing its prey. I've finally learned to accept that it's okay to be a year behind. COLLEGE IS NOT HIGH SCHOOL. IT's okay to not graduate the same time as the peers you grew up with. It's okay to take things at the pace YOU need too. People are gonna judge, but hey, you're still in and you didn't drop out. CONGRATULATIONS

None of this means you won't go off to be freaking awesome in your career. Whether you want to be an nurse like me, or a doctor, or a mathematician or a CEO of a huge corporation one day, you CAN do it! No matter how far behind you are. You're getting that dang college degree and you go! Seriously. Trust yourself. Trust God. You will succeed. Even if it does take you a little bit longer than others ;)