College: my experience & my advice

Summer is almost over & while most people are dreading school, I am so excited to start! I have always LOVED school... until I started college. I was never quite sure what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. I mean, I was only eighteen years old. How do people expect you to know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you are still so young?! I had many ideas of things that I might want to major in, but I knew I wasn't ready to make the choice of just one thing to major in.

So what did I do? Well in high school, I had taken dual credit courses which covered a good chunk of my basics. Once I started college, I took both business courses and science/math courses because I was thinking of either going into (A.) accounting or (B.) biomedical engineering. I know you are probably thinking I am crazy for having an interest in two things that were so extremely opposite of each other, but I did. My first year of college was spent at a community college, a few miles from home, on a full scholarship with some extra scholarship money. Basically, I got paid to go to college. No joke. It was great. My second year, I moved to College Station, decided to study strictly for biomedical engineering, and went to Blinn College... on NO SCHOLARSHIP. Yep, you heard it right. I was super bummed, but since I had gotten 'paid' to go to college the previous year, all that extra scholarship money went toward the tuition at Blinn.

I have always made good grades. I graduated in the top 10% of my school. I always worked hard and school had always been easy to me... until I got to Blinn. I had a terrible first semester. I didn't know ANYONE and stayed to myself pretty much the whole semester. So guess what? My first semester at Blinn was spent at home, never going out with friends because I didn't have any. I know it sounds super depressing, but I was way out of my comfort zone, struggling in school, and didn't want to add more stress to my life, so I just went to school and came home. School was so bad and I was so stressed that I dropped a course for the first time and it was Calculus 2 (just so you know it is okay to drop a class). I was barely making it in physics and honestly wasn't sure if I would pass the class (I did pass by the way).

For the first time in my life, I felt like a failure. I felt like I had failed not only myself, but also my family. After really trying my hardest, I gave up. I talked to my mom, my brother, and my older sister and asked for advice. I knew that if I was struggling this much at Blinn, it would only be harder at Texas A&M University. I searched and searched and prayed and prayed on what else I could major in because I needed answers and I needed them fast. I enjoyed my business accounting class that I had taken my freshman year, but knew that was not something that I wanted to do as a job. I went through so many different emotions and was a complete mess.

I worked up enough nerve, did a ton of research and finally told my family that I wanted to take an education course the next semester and I was terrified of how they would respond. Teaching is something I had always dreamed of doing since I was little but honestly, my family and ALL my friends pushed me to pursue other fields. They were pretty supportive of my decision and I actually felt relieved for the first time since graduating high school.

This past spring, I applied to Texas A&M University. I started taking some prerequisites for Education and absolutely loved it! Children are my thing. I love helping, playing, tutoring, teaching, and volunteering with children. I got accepted to Texas A&M and I start school this fall! I am working towards a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Special Education. For the first time in my college career, I am happy. I am where I am supposed to be. I have friends. I learned so much about life, but most importantly about myself. This past semester was better, but I am so looking forward to being at Texas A&M.

I know my story is long, but if you are struggling through school, get help. I used all the resources I could before giving up and technically I didn't 'give up' on school, just on that major. Do not be scared to meet with professors or counselors. They are there to help you! I met with my professors, got one-on-one tutoring from other professors, paid for tutoring, spoke with advisers, had study sessions with other classmates, got help from my genius brother, and called family for support and advice, but it wasn't working for me. I have learned it is okay to fail. It is good to fail (never thought I'd say that). Once you fail in something, you learn so much about yourself and work so much harder to not let that happen again. It has allowed me to find myself and find happiness again.

It is okay to change your major. Look how many times I did. It is normal. From thinking I'd major in either business or biomedical engineering to changing my major to education, I am only one semester behind and all those majors are completely different from each other. It doesn't bother me that I am behind because I am so much happier and I feel like I am free to go out, socialize, have a ton of friends, and actually experience & enjoy my last years of college.

My advice for all college students is:

1. Join a club or organization. This is a great way to make friends. There are so many clubs and organizations to choose from and you will instantly have friends with the same interests as you. Have a social life, but don't allow your social life to cause to you struggle in school. 
2. Get to know all of your professors. You may need help from them at some point. You might need a reference letter or you might need a boost in your grade because you're on the line of passing or failing. Truly getting to know your professors can be so beneficial for you.
3. Be organized! I cannot stress this enough! I am extremely organized... probably way too organized. Know your test dates. Write them down! Bring all materials to class. Don't be late. Don't skip class. Professors do notice.
4. Study. Study with classmates and friends. Study alone. Learn different study habits because what you have been doing your whole life just might not always work in a course. Avoid cramming as much as possible. Most importantly, take breaks. 
5. Get out of your comfort zone! I did not do this my first two years, but you can bet that I will be doing it this year. Don't stay to yourself. Introduce yourself to a few people in each of your classes so that you have someone to go to if you need help, have a question, or miss class one day. 
6. Lastly, have fun! I wish I would've had fun my first two years of school. My life was school and that's all it was. That is not how college is supposed to be. College is supposed to be fun and exciting, full of experiences and making lifelong friends, while working towards your future career. 

I already have my books sitting on my shelf (they've been sitting there for a month now). My binders are organized and ready. I have all my school supplies in my new backpack and my planner is ready and waiting to be scribbled in. :) Please tell me that I am not the only person who does this? Okay, maybe I am the only person. I like to be on top of things and plan for the future. I mean, I'm already planning for my masters degree and I haven't even completed my bachelor's... I'm really looking into Speech Language Pathology to work with students who need help with communicating.

Here are the majority of my supplies all decorated

and ready to be put to use. :)

(included in the picture is Vera Bradley Lighten Up Large Backpack, 

Paper Mate InkJoy Quatro Pens (my new favorite),

Paper Mate Clear Point Mechanical Pencils,

various textbooks, lime 3inch spiral notebook decorated

with washi tape, my planner (center of picture) designed

using Avery Brand Mini Binder Products and my own personal

planner inserts, and my binders (all found on Pinterest and then edited.

If you want them, comment with your email).

I hope all who read this have a great fall semester and a great year! I am excited for all that this semester has to offer. If you aren't ready, start getting ready. Order your books, buy some supplies, and be prepared for this upcoming school year. 

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or message me. I'd love to help!

xoxo,

Jade