Freshly out of graduate school, Kasia Kasperski is preparing for her new journey of being a Physician Assistant. The road from undergrad to fresh graduate was long and hard, but with a couple of tips and tricks that Kasperski found on the way, she was able to sail a little more smoothly through her years as a student.
It’s the fall of 2014. The sun is beaming down on top of Kasperski’s head as she moves into her new home, Smith Hall. Though the dorm was infamous for being one of the worst dorms on campus, Kasperski had her spirits up. College is a great opportunity for new experiences. Though extremely optimistic at first, her spirits began to dwindle as the fall semester hit her in full swing. “Personally, fall semester was pretty difficult for me because I had a lot of hard classes,” Kasperski recounts. “I felt like I didn’t have enough time to get involved in clubs because I didn’t manage my time correctly. I felt incredibly overwhelmed.” Though her first semester at Florida State may have not been all peaches and cream, Kasperski made sure she wouldn’t make the same mistake for the next semester.
“I took a look at my fall semester and thought to myself how I could improve,” Kasperski said. “I began to manage my time a lot better and made sure that going to tennis club was one of the main priorities. I thrived more and my grades were better when I learned how to balance my workload while also having enough time to go to social activities.” After conquering her freshman year, Kasperski began to enjoy her college time a lot more.
After a couple of years, Kasperski passed the torch over to me when I was accepted into Florida State. Naturally, I asked my older sis what some good tips are when starting in a college that’s seven hours away from home. I thought I could pass on some of her nuggets of wisdom to anyone who is looking for extra help during this time.
“I would split up college life into three categories: study, hobbies and fun,” Kasperski stated. “It’s vital to have these three to make the most out of college. This was the formula or equation I’d always have to balance.”
Starting with study tips, Kasperski would always prefer to study on her own so she would be less distracted. Constantly choosing to go to Dirac instead of Strozier for the more relaxed environment, she’d spend hours working on her class work. “During the week, after each class I would always review the notes that I took so I could become somewhat familiar with the material,” Kasperski said. “I’d also use my weekdays to finish all my assignments so when it came to the weekend, I primarily just had to study for any tests that were approaching for the next week.”
By having this work outline, Kasperski was able to put in the most work over the weekdays to be able to chill and do the things she loved on the weekends. “This method definitely helped me to not leave studying for the last minute and alleviated so much academic anxiety,” she stated.
When it comes to hobbies, Kasperski was involved in various clubs, such as the tennis club and the Polish club. Beginning to be more active in tennis, Kasperski was able to make more connections and friends. “Joining the tennis club was one of the best decisions I made at Florida State,” Kasperski claimed. “I met many great people and made lifetime friends.”
Another tip that she highly recommends is for students to go on travel trips with clubs or sports if you have the opportunity to. Kasperski said, “Traveling to tournaments made me bond with people from my team and with students from other teams. They’re some of the memories that I hold the most special in my college days.”
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