6 Weeks of University Reflection

If you don't already know, I am a first year student in university. I have been living on my university's campus for six weeks and decided that I would dedicate this weeks blog post to sharing my thoughts since I've arrived here.

The one word to describe my experience so far would be... change. The lifestyle I had back home is nowhere near the same as before. Before moving to university I was aware that I would have to be fully independent, or in other words, be my own adult. However, being fully independent is something I feared at first but have actually grown to enjoy. I like knowing that I can buy my own groceries, make my own meals, do my own laundry, and just overall "do my own thing" without my parents presence. The school I am attending was not only my first choice because it has the degree program I am interested in, but also because it would give me the opportunity to move away from home and grow as an individual.

The first couple days of "dorm living" was strange. I went to summer camps as a kid, but being older now... makes it completely different. When I would come home from school, I would be around my family or just do my own thing, but now when I get home from my classes... I am still surrounded by friends and can easily go up or down residence floors and hangout with some more friends. It was weird at first to be surrounded by teens all the time, but I actually like it. I will say that there is an adjustment period, it all depends on the person, but if you are a first year student in university or will be in the future... just know that you can't adjust to "dorm life" in a couple days, it takes time but you will adjust.

The "college life" that's shown in movies is real... but not completely real. In my case, the university I go to doesn't have frats or sororities, so all of the parties are either in residence or off campus. The parties in residence can be fun, until a residence advisor shuts them down... which happens more than you think. I came into university thinking that it would be like what's shown in movies, but my school ended up being a lot more strict than I thought. The house parties are pretty fun though, it gets pretty wild but that just makes it more exciting. I was always a "goody girl" in high school, so I never drank alcohol until I got to university. Drinking is fun for me, but hangovers are honestly not the best. I do want to say that if you go to parties, always be cautious and safe, because you never know who will slip something into your drink or take advantage of you. I went out every weekend since I've been here, besides thanksgiving weekend. It was actually nice to have a weekend to just not drink and get ahead of my school work. Going to parties is the easiest way to meet people and make friends. So if you're going to university soon and aren't a big fan of the parting scene, just try it out, especially in your first week at school. I've met a lot of people and have made such great friends from it!

School work comes first before anything. Whether you are taking a low as three classes or as high as six classes, time management will be your best friend. It took me a whole month to establish good time management skills. I say this because I was putting more time and effort into three of my classes, which led my other class to suffer. You need to find balance when it comes to putting in time to work for each class you have. I will say that it is not easy, I spend roughly four hours a day doing school work and still have to study and do more work during the weekends. However, I like to look at the bigger picture, which is that what I do in university will guide me to my dream career and successful future. Thinking like this makes the time I spend doing work, worth it. One thing that I love about school now is that I get to learn what I am interested about. I can spend hours upon hours doing school work and I wouldn't dread it because it's material I enjoy. So make sure that when you get to university of college that you study what YOU want to study, and don't let your friends or family influence your decision, because at the end of the day you are the one who has to spend years learning material in that certain field of study.

As lame as it sounds, I've had moments when I stop and think about how I am actually here. Studying journalism in university is what I've wanted to do for many years. I didn't think I would be attending this specific university, but I am so happy and grateful that I am. This school gives me the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge to have the career I want, as well as allowing me to start to grow as an individual by being away from home.

This blog article is mainly for myself to look back on, but if you did enjoy reading it then I'm glad! Before you do go to college or university, just know that it is not just about the school work... it's about how you are now taking a large step in your life and constantly learning more about who you are as an individual and where you see your future going.

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if you have anymore questions or would like to talk personally, message me on instagram, or email me: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlys_campus/ & kimzavera28@gmail.com

new blog posts every thursday!

xoxo

kimberly

#university #reflection