It was the morning of move in day. I said goodbye to my home and headed out. I passed the local shopping market and my high school where I enjoyed a fun four years. As I headed to Norman I realized I was leaving everything I had ever known. All my life has consisted of living in the same house, going to school with the same kids, and going to the same supermarkets and restaurants. While I’d like to say I have developed a good idea of the world around me by visiting so many cities around the United States, in reality the only world I’ve ever known is the same one I have spent my whole life in.
I have loved growing up in Northwest Oklahoma City with the friends that have helped shaped me into who I am today, however I relished the opportunity and challenge of going off on my own to a completely new world filled with people of all backgrounds and stories. Going to college I was blissfully overwhelmed with all the opportunities to get involved on campus. So much as to I might have gotten too involved. Being open to all these new opportunities and getting to live on my own was a completely new experience which though tough was something I truly enjoyed.
However having this new responsibility it was forced to learn life lessons that will surely benefit me in the real world. In just one semester of college I learned more about myself than any other year of my life by far. By working hard in high school I thought college courses would be more manageable then they turned out to be. In college you can devote over half you day, over twenty hours a week, to one subject and still not get the grade you wanted.
A student coming into college with a 4. 2 weighted grade point average can work and study up to 50 our a week and still come out of their first semester with a 2. 86 grade point average. Having such a low grade point average to start college can be very demoralizing, which is something I’m currently struggling with. But being in this situation has taught me more about life then any class could ever teach me. Sometimes a person can fall behind; they can work their butt off and have nothing good to show for it. That’s how life works though. You can fall behind while all your colleagues keep moving forward, and nobody stops to help you.
I have learned however, that in a situation when you find yourself behind, you can complain about how hard your life is but that won’t get you anywhere. In life it doesn’t matter how hard you get knocked down, the only thing that matters is if you have the will and the might to stand back up. I finished my first semester at The University of Oklahoma in a way different than I wanted to, but it’s taught me to keep moving forward and to work hard. Experiences like these will help me develop as a person, which will ultimately benefit me as a person.
Although college has come with many new tough and exciting experiences, I’ve already learned so many helpful skills prior to college to benefit me. Throughout high school I was able to develop many skills pertaining to the social aspects of college, which have really helped me. Growing up, I’ve been fortunate enough to live in a two parent, middle class home. I have never experienced death of a family member or someone close to me. I have been so lucky to have such a wonderful life.
Once | started going to leadership camps, meeting kids who have had such difficulties in their lives I realized not everyone’s lives are as happy-go-lucky as mine. This has taught me to treat every individuall meet in college with compassion and kindness, as you never know what kind of life they’ve had. No one should be judged by his or her social class, friend group, how they dress, or come off in public settings. Each person has experienced some hardship in their life and thus everyone deserves their chance to show a person who they truly are.
Using this mindset I have been able to make many friends in organizations such as the President’s Leadership Class in which I wouldn’t have typically met them. This predetermined view of the world has helped me graciously in college. While the world has taught me many helpful skills and lessons to benefit me in college, growing up in the same environment my whole life has limited my experiences. The University of Oklahoma has already taught me valuable life lessons that will develop me as a person and prepare me for life after college.
