No Limitations

Truthfully, I couldn't think of anything to write about for today. So, I decided to follow a blog prompt that my professor sent us via email. I decided to respond to the question: Describe a moment when you feel as though you said or did something"smart" since you've been here at RWU (in class, out of class, whatever). I'mlooking for a moment when you did or said something or accomplished somethingabout which you are proud or about which you surprised yourself. Then explainwhy this was an important moment for you.

I really liked this question because it made me think. The one thing that stood out in my mind was that the way I am handling coursework here at college. During the last two months of school, I've been piled with readings from books and texts from all directions. I am amazed that I have yet to skip out on one reading. I have gone to every class prepared with all my reading done. I have yet to forget about an assignment, and I go to the writing center for every paper. I'm very proud with how I am adjusting into the college life. One of the seniors on the cheerleading team asked me how school was going. I told her this, and she replied that it won't stay that way. Being an A student herself, she said that the reading gets to be too much. At times you need to figure out which ones to do, and which ones you can get away with not doing. Rebekah Nathan had this same view in her book "My Freshman Year." What I don't understand is when do I decide that something is not possible? When do I draw the line? Over the last few months I've been very busy with everything, but manage to fit reading between practices, clubs, dinner, and sleep. Somehow, it all works out. I think that if I start to skip out on the work, it will only make me feel lost and confused. Why do this to myself? I want to do well in college. In highschool, I wasn't a fantastic student-- A's and B's with a GPA of about 3.5. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. College just seems so different. I have the mentality that this is a competition and who tries their best and gives their all will succeed. This is why I've continued to do all of the readings thus far. I was amazed that on the first week of classes, kids were already behind in reading a book for Human Behavior. Given the book was terrible, it was truly unbelievable that people were already slacking off. I think that I probably view college with more respect than other students because I know that not all people get the oppurtunity. My father cruised into college and medical school with perfect SAT scores and above a 4.0 GPA. On the other hand, my mother couldn't afford college, so she worked really hard her entire life to make a living for herself. She was always sure to stress on me that this is such an oppurtunity, and she's so proud that I have the chance to take it. I see college kind of like an internship. I'm here to learn, and I'm here on my free will. I want to be here so that I can figure things out, and I'm truly lucky to have been "hired."

Another thing that really affects my view of college is my best friend. With a learning disability, she has always had a really hard time going through math courses and anything that involves correct spelling of words based on pronunciation. She attends UNE now, and is working her butt off to be where she is. She's proven everybody who didn't believe she could do it wrong. She made it into the advanced Occupational Therapy program, and although she is in basic math, she plans on working all summer by taking another course of math to improve her skills. Currently in the basic math, she is at the top of her class. Her hard work and drive through college motivates me to succeed. She shows me that not everyone has the oppurtunity, and while I'm here I need to embrace it and give it my best. I'm really grateful for that. The other day she said something that really got me thinking. During a phone conversation she goes: "So, I'm going to be a doctor and you're going to be a lawyer. Can you believe it? We're here, and we're going to be successful. We're going to do it." Of course, then we went on to talk about how we will be shopping for cute suits together and then reminisced about how at one time we both wanted to be astronauts. It's crazy how things change. Listening to her was awesome because it was really amazing to put it in that kind of perspective. I really enjoyed hearing that because it reinforced that I can do it, and I can make the most of my oppurtunity here in college.