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My first week at college was definitely rough. I didn’t know anyone at the school with over 50,000 people. My roommate was a junior, so wasn’t really interested in doing all the freshmen things a freshman would want to do.

 

As classes started, I thought it was easier than what I had done in high school. I went to a British school, and the British school system is very different from how an American school system operates. We have major exams at the end of the year – meaning after two semesters with the same courses. So usually, I would relax throughout the semester. I wasn’t familiar with this new system at all. I did not know how the Grade Point Average system worked, which is why my first semester was the worst. I, unfortunately, was assigned an advisor who overlooked my mid-semester grades and I ended up with a very low GPA; right at the start of my college career. 

 

I did not know the importance of really attending class as well. I was confident that I would make up for it. That’s how it was in high school. Students would miss school, only to go to after-school tutors who covered everything you missed. It was my mistake for not getting more information. I was too consumed in living abroad and the ‘fun’ aspects – not having your parents around. My callousness my first semester lead to me starting out with a low GPA, and I have been trying to recover ever since. 

 

I have had previous instances, where I was borderline failing – I do not mean just grades wise, but as I detailed in my other key learning experiences, I tended to have a mindset where I believed things would turn out in my favor. I would stop myself from stressing out and completing things on time, simply because I was careless and lazy. 

 

My first semester at college was definitely a shock to me and my system. I was away from my home, away from my family, completely responsible for myself. College was not a place where you are babied as you are in high school. No one cares if you aren’t doing your work, it would only negatively impact me, no one else. After I got my GPA, I knew I had to pick myself up and become more responsible. My parents had provided me with an opportunity to come study abroad in a prestigious institution, and I needed to improve my approach to my studies.