What I Wish I Knew as A Freshman : Grades are important
Ah, Freshman year: the beginning of an incredible journey in every high school graduate’s life. There are so many things to know and untold secrets that no one tells you until you’re there, trying to figure it out for yourself.
Deciding to come to Utah State University was the greatest decision I could have ever made. I could tell you a million reasons why, but that’s not why I’m writing today.
Coming from someone with a background of lots of extra-curricular activities, a high GPA, and a busy high school life, I thought I was totally ready for the rigorous college life. Alas, I was wrong. I had always wanted to succeed, and I knew that continuing my education was the best way to reach that point. But when I got here, I realized my minimal skills of meagerly studying and skimming through English books as I had done previously weren’t enough preparation for diving into the college experience.
My freshman year was a mix of little studying, a whole lot of social life, church activities, and of course, fun. I quickly discovered that only focusing on the simple efforts (turning my homework in) without putting in the actual effort of studying, understanding and discovering the meaning of what I was doing and why was doing it, was causing me a world of hurt, in more ways than one. Having received a scholarship in order to finance my college education, I knew there was going to be a lot that was required of me, but when college life hit full force, that thought disappeared to the back of my mind until it was almost too late.
By the middle of my first semester, I was 15 credits in, and was only passing one of my classes with a decent enough grade to be happy about it. My GPA was slipping and I was in danger of losing my scholarship and other financial aid, which was one of the only ways I was able to afford to attend Utah State as an out-of-state resident. I walked around campus like a scared puppy, afraid of doing anything that would result in a negative experience or possible failure. Several times I thought to myself, “How could it get any worse than this?” Colleges and universities really do require a lot of their students. I know that now, and it’s something I haven’t been able to forget.
There’s just something about life experiences and hard times that make you discover who you are and what you want from life, more than anything can ever teach you. My life was in shambles and many sleepless nights were spent wondering if I would ever make it through college. I used my first semester as the backboard for how I thought the rest of my college experience was going to go. It never left my mind and in fact, it almost haunted me day after day.
After my experience of living in an unhealthy state of mind, with a dramatic self esteem drop and a little bout of depression mixed in, I took a step back, unbelieving the state I had ended up in.
I made the resolve at the end of my freshman year that I would do everything in my power to return to classes, make a sincere effort to significantly improve my grades and in turn, save my GPA. It was quite a commitment to make, but I knew what I wanted, and would stop at nothing in order to get there. Was it easy? Absolutely not. Did I struggle? Absolutely. Did I continue to go to school and work harder than I have ever worked before? You can bet I absolutely did.
Grades Matter. Whether or not one thinks they do, they do. Grades are what keep students on track. Sometimes they are things that can give us a boost of happiness when we feel like things are falling apart. We all have the capacity within ourselves to establish habits and patterns in our individual lives that can help us to get to where we want to be. Freshman year can be that defining year for you to begin to reach your fondest dreams. Learn from my experience, and you will have a much more fulfilling time in your college career.
-kortni.marie.wells@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @kortniwells