So I've been contemplating over the past several days if whether or not I should write a blog. Seeing as how this is the end of my first year of college, I've gone through my past blogs to see what possible thoughts I had going in to college and comparing them with what I have learned over the past year. Overall, I don't think I could have ever fully comprehended what college was going to end up doing for me. This blog is dedicated to those who have yet to enter college or for those who've already attended college and wish to see whether or not the university system has changed much if at all.
Just last year, I was an eighteen year old kid graduating from a large suburban high school in Houston, Texas. I was working a part time job at Kroger and was ready to leave high school for college. Fast forward one year later, I'm 19 years old going to Texas A&M University which is just about 90 minutes northwest of Houston and living on campus. All in all I have to say college has been a rather mixed bag of good and bad. The funny thing about my life is that I never really receive too much of a good thing. Case in point, whenever I do have a good day, I can be sure that the next one or two will be miserable. For example, one day as I was about to drive back home to Houston for the Easter weekend, saw there on the car windshield not one, but two citations. Turns out both citations were for the same violation for parking in a non parking zone. Alright, I understand, I made a mistake, I'm sorry, but what really angers me is the fact that both tickets are two days apart from each other, the second cop could have easily called me on my phone from the Texas A&M parking garage records to let me know that I was parked in a wrong spot and I would have gladly moved my car out of the space seeing as how I don't drive during the week and had no clue about the misdemeanor. But no, instead of calling me, you just put the second citation on there regardless of the fact that I was completely clueless of any said violation. The funny thing about all this nonsense was that it all had occurred the day after I attended Wrestlemania when I drove back to College Station. From a high note to two low notes, thanks a lot police force, you really know how to piss someone off.
Well, back on topic.
On the first day after arriving to college I remember walking to my dorm with my suitcase and basically twiddling my thumbs for the rest of the day in my dorm playing solitaire on the computer seeing as how I have yet to have an internet connection or a television. The next day I had a job interview at the university book store in hopes of earning a little money on the side. Now here's mistake #1 for those of you future college students, Do not get a job on your first semester of college. You don't know how many hours of study I sacrificed thanks to my unruly schedule. Often times, I didn't have enough time to study for a test because my work place kept me busy and thus caused me to not be prepared for an exam I had the next day. Although it was a mistake to hold a job, I won't really regret it, because I did earn enough money on the side to get me through my semester.
During my college tenure, I began to have a crush on someone, which seems to happen every year and nothing ever seems to come from these love interests. Oh well, I haven't seen the girl since December so eventually this crush eventually faded away just like they all do and I have yet to like anyone else ever since. What I find strange though is that even in to the end of my freshman year of college, I have yet to technically have a girlfriend. I have friends who just happen to be girls, I've had those fake elementary school buddy relationships, and even a stalker, but never really a girlfriend. Everyone that I talk to seems to think that is strangely unusual because most people would have already been in a relationship by college, well not me apparently. Meh, to be honest finding that special someone became tiresome, and trying to find a girl who may not even like you isn't worth my time.
So where does most of my time go in to as a college student? Well, you guessed it, c-lass. At A&M and most likely any other university, you are no longer obligated to try your hardest in school. The teachers have all been paid so they could care less whether you show up to c-lass or get a decent education. So when it comes to get a promised Grade A instruction from an accredited university I'm pretty much screwed and basically have to teach myself because the teachers definitely do not do a good job at that. I began to grow tired of this nonsense and began regretting my choice of major as I was not enjoying any of my c-lasses; in fact I started to hate them. My weekly schedule began to become progressively worse over the year climaxing to a point in late January after getting back from Christmas break where I went through two weeks of extreme depression. I've been depressed in the past, but never to this extent where I regretted my future and my whole life. For so long I've been stuck in the past thinking about all the mistakes I have committed over the years and then it hit me, while I've spent all this time regretting the past, I forgot to enjoy it, and the simple days of just sitting at home and eating my mother's home cooked meals were long gone. Thoughts began pouring in to my mind regretting of what was to come, majoring in something that I wasn't enjoying, most likely working a career that I despised. My life was over, no more fun, no more easy street, it was going to all be harsh loneliness from here on out. I hate showing emotions, but I'll admit, I cried. It didn't help that during this time I had an extremely crippling flu that weakened me severely, I was struggling to walk and in bed most of the time. I had insane chills and the only time where I felt somewhat decent was when I took a hot shower to combat my chills. This pandemic kept me knocked out for those two weeks, so that may have been the biggest cause of this depression, but just as how there must always be an end to every beginning, this partial mid-life crisis, or quarter life crisis to be precise, faded away.
But even with so many over glaring negatives, there is one huge plus about college and that's the environment. Unlike in high school, where there are cliques of fake shallow people, most college students are just like you, trying to adapt to a new environment that is unknown to them. These guys are some of the most wonderful charismatic individuals I have ever met. Sure, occasionally I'll bump in to the typical valley girl who acts like a jerk towards everyone, but unlike in high school, that type of behavior doesn't get you anywhere in college. The great thing about this place is that even when during my worst moments, I had friends there to pick me up from down in the dumps. At first I didn't know anyone going in to A&M, but soon quickly got in to a conversation with a group of people that were just sitting outside, and ever since that initial banter, I have since become best friends with these guys. If it weren't for them, I often wonder what I would be doing during my free time when I wasn't studying.
Being at a university is really your first taste of what's in store for you in adulthood. No one is really there to hold your hand, sure there are your pals, but most of the time you're on your own. Feeling hungry? Either go out and buy a meal or cook it yourself. Ran out of clean clothes? Wash them yourself. You have a test tomorrow, are you going to sacrifice much needed bed rest to pull an all-nighter, or do you feel comfortable with what you have studied? Although the typical college freshman has already adapted sufficiently to know what to expect in college, it's still a big jump. Instead of waking up in your cozy bed at home and getting some breakfast, often times you wake up in a slimy dilapidated dorm and pick something up from a vending machine ten minutes before c-lass starts. It's an end of an era and a start of a new one. I'm not trying to be negative about college, I'm just trying to tell you aspiring students what to expect when you get there. Life is what you make it out to be. So without further a due, I will end this lengthy blog with a couple of tips for you crazy kids out there.
1. Unless you're a genius or have an undemanding major, I would not plan on partying every single night. In fact, I've been to a rave maybe twice this whole year and that's it.
2. Quarters, quarters, and quarters. Yes, make sure you have change for the washers and driers, nothing in life is truly free, and that means proper hygiene of your clothing as well.
3. This one is for you guys out there, ONLY get a girlfriend when you have the time and the money to maintain her. As guys, it is our responsibility to pretty much support her or otherwise we look like incapable losers.
4. DO ALL YOUR HOMEWORK! Yes, I know these are probably common sense tips, but honestly even if the homework is optional, I'd do it, because you don't know how much working something out on your own truly helps out.
5. Take it easy on your first semester. Again, unless you are a genius, which I'm not, I would not recommend taking more than 15 hours your first semester. Even though, a college schedule has less hours tan a high school schedule, you'd be surprised at how much stress you have to go through.
6. Eight hours of sleep is better than eight hours of study. Studying too much, especially when you're tired in the middle of the night is not only detrimental to your health, but you often times don't even retain information. You can try to keep your body awake with sugary energy drinks and coffee, but in the end these unhealthy habits are only hurting you.
7. Talk to people. It's Saturday night, you're alone in your dorm, you have no homework, no tests to study for, you are in your dorm. You could watch ROH on HDNet, but most of us don't get that channel and the episode probably won't be uploaded until the next morning. Instead of doing nothing, how about making friends with your next door neighbor. You'll see how much more fun and afternoon can be with other people instead of when you're by yourself.
8. Make sure to call your parents and/or guardians at least once a week. The more often you keep in contact the better. What were to happen if you were feeling ill for several days and your family didn't know about it, and then you just dropped dead the next day from this illness? That would be pretty awful now, wouldn't it?!
All in all, college is just like everything else in life, filled with awesome memories and painful suffering. It's an experience nonetheless that you owe it to yourself to go through and it's in your best interest if you wish to work a high paying career. I hope this blog helps those of you out who are going to college, and if you've already graduated or are currently attending college, what were you're experiences. Did they compare to anything I said? Was it worth it? Talk to me!