Put First Things First

Dear Freshmen,

            After graduating from Apex Academy, I decided to enroll at CSULA. My first quarter of college was certainly an experience I won’t forget. It was definitely not what I expected and at times I felt like I wasn’t ready for it. College is a lot different from high school and its transition takes some time to adapt. There is a lot of freedom in college but with it there is a lot of work to do in order for you to pass your classes. The first thing you'll notice is the workload. It will be heavier and more intense than you ever experienced before. The major challenges of college work are the large volume of reading, the short deadlines, and the intense amount of writing. My advice to you is that you will be able to accommodate to the amount of work you will receive if you are able to choose a class schedule that fits with your daily life routine.

There were definitely some times where I felt alone because I would spend most of my time studying at the library instead of hanging out with friends. I began to realize that as a college student the main priority was to complete the assignments and then have some free time for myself. I advice you to spend your time wisely by studying, doing homework, and then have some time left to relax or exercise. A lot of stress can arise from reading books, writing essays, and memorizing terminology. Therefore, some exercise can help you release tension and stress. Going to sleep early will help you focus better in class. If you are the type of person who likes to party and stay up late then I recommend you to choose afternoon classes.

My first year in college was hard but not as much as I would think back then when I was in High School. Pretty much now since every student is on their own they have to well balance their schedule. All the work from college is pretty time consuming. I would always calculate everything I would do during the week. Since I had a part-time job during my freshman year in college and was a full-time student it was very hard since most of my time during the week was just school, homework, studying and working. I would barely have time to go out with friends. I mean it was hard but I managed to go through with it. I would be a very busy person and many times I would rarely have energy to go out. My suggestion for everyone that's going to be a freshmen in college next year would be to expect some hard times and do not quit because all that hard work will soon or one day pay off.

Every day that I would go to school I would always feel exhausted. I hated the fact that many times I would go to sleep late because often I would feel sleepy and tired throughout the day since I was staying up late. I know college was stressful but I managed to overcome those challenging, and long sleepless nights. Another thing I would suggest to all the new incoming freshmen for next year would be to start your assignments the day, they are given. I would procrastinate often and do all the work at the last minute. I know sometimes I would do this in order to have free time for myself but in the end I was just harming myself.

The main question to ask yourself is, why am I doing this? Am I doing it for other people or for my own good? It is not a bad thing if you are doing it for someone, but really think hard because later in the future you might not be satisfied with what you are doing. As you walk to your class for the first time or to the courtyard have an open mindset because there are a lot of major that you can go into. If you are having trouble with what you are interested in what your doing, see your guidance counselor and ask them question like what types of major does CSULA provide. This was a big problem for me because I did not know what career to choose. Seeing my guidance counselor was a big stress reliever. Not only did he explain to me the different types of major, he also set up a two year plan for college, in which helped me set up my classes for the following two years, so I would not stress out in finding a class. Meeting your counselor can be time consuming but it is worth the time because you would not feel the stress that many students feel when they do not know what classes to apply to. One thing you should remember is that college is completely different from high school, so no one is going to hold your hand as you face many challenges ahead.

Sincerely,Jason Lopez