My first week of college was anything but what I expected. I had always been a very independent person at home – consistently on top of school work, in bed by 9 P.M and working out daily. However, the minute I became truly independent my life was filled with late nights, missed meals and a complete lack of structure. By the second week of living this unorganized, chaotic schedule I had developed for myself; I found myself sobbing on the phone to my mom begging to come home. This made no sense. I had been counting down the days until I moved into my dorm at Texas A&M University, now the second week in I was desperate to be anywhere else? How? This is when I learned the power of developing a routine as a first-semester college freshman and shaping it to fit my academic, physical and mental health needs.
Howdy Week was my first taste of freedom. I was going to bed at 2 a.m, then getting out of bed around twelve o’clock. I was continuously skipping meals and rushing out of the door in order to fulfill all of the activities I wanted to do that day. I refused to say no to any hangouts with friends even if I was exhausted and I was just all over the place. The second week of school, classes began. My first day of classes was rushed, confusing and entirely too stressful. I already felt behind because I had not read any syllabi. Then, that Friday was my first quiz, which, unfortunately, I failed. I felt completely out of tune with myself. I had always been academic and extremely successful in school up till now. How on Earth did I fail my first quiz in college – two words: no structure.
I think I had believed I was extremely prepared for how college was going to look. I had taken many college classes in high school so I felt ready to take on the challenge. However, I did not realize how much time you really spend in school whilst in high school. In college, I am now only in classes for maybe 4 hours of the day, and the rest of the time, I have total free rein. This is daunting. With free rein comes procrastination, numerous naps, and way too many episodes of Gilmore Girls. I had to learn how to balance my time, and I had to learn extremely quickly as midterms have already begun to sneak up on me.
By my third week of college, I vowed to have more structure in my schedule. Some of the best advice I have heard from my upperclassmen friends was to treat school as a 9-to-5. Complete all assignments between nine o’clock and five o’clock and then give yourself a good, long break afterwards to have fun with friends, eat junk food, and watch maybe a few more episodes of Gilmore Girls. I also made a note to incorporate the gym back into my life. By getting up early and going to the gym, I feel like I have more control over my body and my wellness. That hour and a half spent lifting weights is my time to solely focus on myself.
That third week on Friday, I took my second quiz in college, and I got a 100%. This gave me the confidence boost I needed to know I can take on college and all it has to offer. By giving myself that third week to reset, refocus, and restructure my schedule, I was able to gain the balance I needed. Through good friends and a very supportive mother who consistently receives crying phone calls, I have built my little life at Texas A&M University, and I cannot wait for the next three years to come.