16 A&B: A Quick Look At my First Semester

                High school was four years of nothing but success, four years that I would gladly go back to at any time with no questions asked if possible.  College brought to the table a set of challenges and tested me from day one. College from the start ultimately tested my study skills, time management, work ethic, drive, and determination to succeed in the classroom. Come to find out, eight weeks later at the midterm break, I was far from the straight A student I was once was in high school. Through eight weeks I was nearly failing two courses; something that has never happened to me before. I was lost. I had a choice to make, buckle down and fix the mess that I’ve created in the classroom or let my problems run deeper to point of no return.

Here I am at week sixteen in nearly the same predicament I was at before. If you went on and graphed grades this would be the most up and down line graph of all time. With grades ranging from 98 and 94 to 58 and a mere 60 exactly, it’s safe to say I’m not the most consistent student you’ll ever run across. My biggest challenge thus far has simply been completing work and finding a routine that works best for me. Anyone who ever said the amount of distractions in college is ridiculous definitely wasn’t lying. There is so much going on at all times that for some reason my mind is easily strayed and wanders to who knows where. Half the time I found myself day dreaming or wandering my dorm in search of a new friend that shared the same inability to possess to the drive necessary to finish their ever so important school work.

I can tell you for a fact that if I were to go around our inquiry class and take a poll; it would read that nearly 100% of us had the same exact goal coming into our first semester of college: Get good grades and be successful. I can tell you for a fact my goal was to finish with a 3.5, and I can tell you that I wasn’t even close. As of now I’m sitting pretty with a Low 2 maybe? Who knows. I spoke to my parents and explained to them that I made a mistake, I owned up to it. No one else was to blame for my lack of effort and care towards school, it was my own fault. That’s one thing I sure did get better with, taking responsibility for my OWN mistakes. I used to be an immature kid, looking for excuses for every little thing I possibly could; never wanting to take responsibility for anything at all, no matter how much of the issue was my fault and my fault only. Though the academics lagged and my performance in the classroom was minimal and scarce, I did mature as a young adult.

The only thing left to do is move forward, move on from the first semester and look ahead to the winter class that I’m taking and the spring semester. Now that I’ve had a taste of the real world and what college is really about, I know what to expect and won’t be caught off guard now. I can formulate a schedule and study plan that works for me, and now that I know my weakness is mathematics, I can get set up with a tutor right away so I’m not struggling midway through the year to find a passing grade in math. Moving forward is all I can do, move forward from many absences in the fall and make sure that in the spring semester I’m in class every day and applying myself at all times. I want success and I was told “if you want something to go out and make it happen yourself because no one’s going to baby you.” So I’ll take the same passion and determination I have in football and baseball and apply it to the books.   It’s not the end of the world my mom said, and since she’s my mother, I’ll take her word for it.. after all, mom knows best right?