Throughout the first semester, I have learned many new skills and techniques to succeed in college. Some of these came naturally and some not so much. The mistakes I have made actually have helped me more than hurt me. Life is a learning experience and gaining knowledge from every kind of circumstance can only help. I have learned many new skills in my first semester of college.
A huge transition from high school, college can either be a wonderful experience or a horrible experience depending on the person and the situation. To me, college was both, a horrible, yet wonderful experience. I learned a lot about myself throughout the semester. With each failure I realized a little something more about myself. Regardless if I do continue attending the same university, these past few months have brought about something in me that I could have never done alone.
I have always been a very good student, and feel proud that -- through the support system Key has provided me -- I am able to start off my college career strong. Before graduating, I was skeptical about whether or not college would be for me; the success I’ve had proves to me that it is. I think everyone who chooses to be part of Key is a leader. In Key Service, we learn about issues we’re interested in and how we can work towards change. None of us would do so if we didn’t believe that the world could change.
Being in this class has benefited me towards my priorities. I was always one to procrastinate and I still am, but now I know how to do it in a smarter, more effective way. During this class, I found out how to plan my priorities. I had to think about my life priorities, semester priorities, and also my week’s priorities. All of these take time and dedication to achieve and procrastinating in the wrong way is not going to help.
I eventually came to my own senses and decided for myself that all my years of being in school, planning for my future, long hours of hard work and perseverance shouldn’t go to waste. I shouldn’t waste my own intelligence and give up on what’s important. For me, a lower class civilian, the American dream is very much alive and achievable. And it guarantees a better life for me in the future. I decided to go to college because although I knew I should continue my education, I never realized how important it was for my future and well-being to have that knowledge and use it to better use.
The quotation from Doris Lessing really captures the essence of Honors 101 perfectly. The very notion that the semester may be summarized in this one quote— “This is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.”— astounds me, as does the number of topics we have covered in such a brief period. In high school, we squandered an entire year to cover the topic of racism alone, yet we managed to cover that topic and numerous others in a shorter time while still acquiring a more deeply rooted, genuine understanding of the subjects. Each topic presented new ideas to the overall theme of self and society in ways that seemed completely nonsensical until the ideas were discussed in class.
However, the freedom to make choices can often be an overwhelming burden instead of a earned joy. In an extreme contrast with high school, I was not only allowed, but expected, to make choices for myself. I realized quickly that the decisions I make in college will, in many ways, determine my future. Even yet, the paralyzing sensation of doubt coupled with the academic disease of procrastination, makes it easier to avoid making decisions. To defeat my self-doubt, I reframed my p... ... middle of paper ... ...o the way I felt upon arriving at college for the first time, I feel as if college is an institution of opportunity and personal growth.
During my first week in college, everything about college was unknown to me. From what to expect in college, to the adaptation of the college environment, the college experience seemed nerve wrecking at first. However, the lessons from Freshman Seminar proved to be beneficial towards my life in college. Because of this class, not only have I learned about the college experience, I’ve also adapted learning techniques that have greatly improved my performance in my other classes, as well as being a successful college student. Also, Freshman Seminar has escalated my confidence level toward college.
Without sacrificing my desire to take AP classes, I can still do all the activities I have been apart of. I know I should have shown the same focus as before because I would have done better regardless of my situations, but I let them distract me from my goal of going to college. It may not be the easiest thing believe when I say that I feel like I am ready for college, but I truly believe that is the case. I have learned from my mistakes and form my troubles and have grown so much from the experiences I’ve had within the last four years. I am capable of being successful on a college campus where know I will be surrounded by people who have all faced circumstances like mine or worse and are working to become who they believe they were meant to be.
Reflecting back on past work, school and overall experiences, it came to my attention not all the time did I try and be great, for I was content with good, good was good for me. I never took an extra stride to try and become great at what I was doing. Chapter 1, I felt to be the most influential, it truly grasped my attention and made me think to never settle for just good because someone else out there is taking extra steps to be great. Moreover, while all the characteristics have a significant meaning in the text and assist one another in transitioning companies from good to great, the Hedgehog Concept is on... ... middle of paper ... ...onsistently provide strong work ethic, dedication and most importantly patience. There will be no “aha” moment, good to great results occur over time.