Dear CSULA freshman,
Your time has now arrived, and you will begin a new
chapter. This chapter is important because it will determine a lot about your
future. Everything might seem a little confusing to you right now and that is
okay. As time passes by, things will start to fall in place. I know how you
feel and what you will go through as a freshman because I was in the same place
as you are right now. I remember walking to class the first day of school
feeling scared and so little, but luckily I survived and made it through.
College is so different from high school, and you are now
a young independent adult. It is a quarter system, so it will go by super-fast,
and you won’t meet with your class like how you’re used to. One thing I did
through each quarter was go to every single class meeting and not miss
anything, and that did help me stay on top of my work. I also turned in every
single assignment on time and tried not to procrastinate. One thing I wish I
would have known back in fall is that college writing is not five paragraphs
like I thought it was. High school teachers did fool me around, but at least
now I know. I did enter in remedial
English class, and I was scared to not make it through. I thought that my
writing was horrible, but as time passed by I saw how it got better. Do not
feel bad about entering in remedial courses, and remember it is for your
benefit. If you do not understand
something, never feel discouraged to ask for help, that’s why teachers are
there for.
I
am in the Educational Opportunity Program and went to see my counselor every
time I needed to get advice. If you are an E.O.P. student, take advantage of
what they offer. They offer some courses with a study group, which are very
helpful. I was able to get a math 109 class with a study group, and if it
wasn’t for the study group I would have gotten a low grade. The First Year
Experience really helped me a lot saving me a spot in classes to giving me a
lot of important information. I also made some good friends in FYE because most
likely you see the same people throughout the quarters. One of the good things
is that I did not have to worry about getting classes my first year. E.O.P gave
me priority registration and FYE gave out permits to save me a spot. Take
advantage of those opportunities because getting classes can sometimes be hard
and maybe in the future you won’t be able to have that opportunity. Another
thing I recommend is to try to buy your books through FYE or any students
because you will save a lot of money rather than buying them at the book store.
To pass my classes I worked really hard. I would say
harder than what I did in high school. Every time I had to write an essay I
would get kind of scared because I do not really like writing. What I would do
to write was just type and type everything that came to my mind. As each quarter passed, I was asked to write
more for English, but it is possible to write more because of all the practice.
For tests I made myself study sheets and flash cards and reviewed them for a
couple of days. Most of the time it is not about memorizing things, but
understanding them. It is really up to you and what you do that depends if you
do good or not. Just don’t procrastinate, ask for help and you should do well.
Remember to take advantage of all the opportunities and helpful
things you are offered. Make friends and also try to make the best of it
because it is your college experience. Try to get the experience that you want
for yourself. Just don’t have too much of a good time or you will suffer the
consequences. Pretty soon you won’t feel scared anymore and you will be
realizing how fast it went and hopefully be moving to your second year. Good
luck on your college career and never ever give up on your dreams.
Sincerely,
Soledad Hernandez
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