Entering week 6 of classes already? I thought we only just began? We’ve reached that point where our first round of tests have passed and midterms are right around the corner. Maybe those first tests did not go as well as planned and they’ve crushed your confidence. Now is the time to step up and make a lasting change to turn the semester around. As a freshman being in a new learning environment is scary, sophomores and upperclassman can also being having a tough time adjusting back after a nice long break. Talking to your professors and asking for help can be hard. The key is to understand they are there to help you. I’m sure you’ve heard this over and over, but its true. The special experience of going to a smaller school is that your professors are willing to help you understand, and they want you to succeed. Now is the time to adjust your mentality that asking for help is a weakness or you’re just too scared to talk to your professor. Just remember that successful people do not get to where they are by doing everything alone, they ask for help and accept constructive criticism where it is needed. Nobody successful got to where they are by doing everything the same along the way; they make mistakes and adjust accordingly to make their work stronger.
There is also those of you struggling to find your place, maybe academics are going great but you just haven’t found your niche. Trust me I didn’t find my people until the very end of first semester. My advice? Be open to try new things, find something you enjoy doing and do it without others. Live in the real world and don’t imagine what could be in life. I spent my first semester re-watching all of Grey’s Anatomy, and that did not make me friends. This made me even more lonely because while my roommate was out making new friends instead of spending all her time with me, I began to think I was not important anymore. When in reality I was isolating myself. Do things that make you uncomfortable. I know that is hard, but start small and work your way up. Personally, I have found that a reward system works well. I give myself something special when I do something assertive and in return it makes me just a little more motivated it do it again. My final piece of advice is that I know it is hard, trust me, one thing I found after opening myself to making more friends and talking to more random people is that there are always others going through similar things. You’re never alone. And if none of this works for you talk to your RA or a professor, older people have a lot of wisdom they love to share with the youth.