As my first semester at UT comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the past four months, as well as all the time leading up to actually arriving in Austin: visiting campuses, sending in college applications, and opening acceptance letters. When I finally committed to UT, I got tips from my family, friends, and even strangers. However, I think the most valuable lessons I’ve learned have been from being on campus in Austin. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in semester one:
- GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS
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In one of my classes a couple of weeks ago, we had to list what orgs we were in, with our answers being projected onto the screen at the front of class. When my professor scrolled through the responses, a large portion of the answers said something like “none” or “nothing,” but many of my classmates said they wished they had joined any kind of student organization. As a member of multiple orgs on campus (shout out HerCampus), I’ve found various communities where I can pursue my interests alongside a wide range of people of different ages and majors. Additionally, I work on campus, which has introduced me to a ton of cool people while making money. Getting myself involved in orgs and work has helped me not only find something to do with my free time, but also explore all the resources UT has to offer.
- LEARN TO MANAGE TIME
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I can definitely be a procrastinator, especially with assignments that have no set due date or a date weeks and weeks in the future. However, spending days having to cram hours and hours of work at a time when I could have just done an hour of work since the day I got the assignment has motivated me to find better ways to manage my time. Utilizing study/focus apps, doing work as soon as I get it, and finding the environments I study best in have helped me immensely. Additionally, I feel so much better when I have fewer assignments to do. I’m way less stressed when I know there isn’t an essay I’m putting off until the last minute. Time management is a crucial skill to build, so being able to work on it in my first semester was crucial.
- Talk to People
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I’m naturally a more reserved person, so talking to strangers was honestly a bit difficult for me, especially at a school where many people come in with friends from high school. The first few weeks on campus, I was hesitant to talk to new people. Forcing myself to go and start conversations with strangers, whether people I sat next to in class one day or random people during recruitment for student orgs, has helped me find so many great people here who I never would have met otherwise. Meeting new people can be super difficult at a school that can feel overwhelming with such a large student body, but by being willing to talk to new people, I’ve found friends who I can see spending the next years of my life with.
Those are the most major takeaways from my first semester! I’ve been fortunate to have a great first semester, and I hope I can continue learning new lessons, both inside and outside of the classroom, as I continue at UT.