Now that a semester of college and finals is behind me, I'll share a few things I've learned.
- The freeway is a pain and you never know what to expect. I hated those mornings when traffic started out great and I was singing along to the car radio when...traffic jam. I remember one morning the traffic was terrible and when I finally got past it, five cars had been pulled over but they weren't even on the freeway; they were on a different road. I guess curiosity gets the best of us sometimes. Then there was the morning when a beautiful, bright yellow sports car drove into a ditch and a white car was rear-ended. That poor white car had to be loaded up onto a truck while the back bumper dragged on the road as the truck drove away. The lesson is: plan for delays.
- Expect your professors to be brilliant and crazy. My English professor had great suggestions for writing a well-written essay. However, you never knew what kind of behavior you would get that day. One morning, she yelled at another professor for not getting out of the classroom in time and making her wait to start her own class. A few swear words were angrily thrown across the classroom and the other professor stormed out of the classroom saying, "I will be reporting this!" Every Monday and Wednesday after that was entertaining. Each professor was civil towards each other but you could cut the tension with a knife. And if your math professor says, "Bloop, bloop," don't be alarmed. He's just thinking.
- When reading graded papers, hold the paper away from you. My English professor was amazing and I enjoyed her class but my papers always came back to me smelling like rotten coffee and cigarettes. To be honest, she always smelled like rotten coffee and cigarettes; especially her breath. But like I said, brilliant professor and I loved her class.
- Sleep is mandatory. There were several nights when I stayed up too late trying to do homework but when morning came, I was too exhausted to pay attention in my classes. I even fell asleep in one class but that class was astronomy and the chairs reclined and were soft and the room was dark and warm. In a room like that, it's hard to stay awake even on a good day. Sleep=staying focused in class. Staying focused in class=better grades.
- Manage your time. Procrastination is my own personal downfall. If I used my time to my advantage, I probably wouldn't have had to stay up late doing homework (see #4). When I procrastinate, I don't do well on my homework assignments. Use time wisely!
- Do nothing. Sometimes, I would get completely stressed out to the point I'd start crying. When I got to that point, I realized I needed to do nothing. I would email friends, read a book, or watch a movie. Naps are also an amazing thing, even if sleep doesn't come; just laying down and relaxing helps a lot. After doing nothing, I would get back to work and feel much better.
- I'm not sure the "Freshman 15" is true. To be honest, I think I lost weight because of all those stairs I climbed and running across campus (which is not a small campus and for me it involved crossing campus and two streets in ten minutes). All I know is my jeans are bigger than they used to be.
- Ask questions. In my astronomy class, I asked so many questions my professor actually knew who I was. Asking questions helped me learn better and enjoy the class more and it also helped me stay awake and focused.
- Eat food! I forgot to eat breakfast one morning and my stomach wouldn't stop growling at me. Of course, it would gurgle during the most silent part of class making it sound much louder than it actually was. For me, I have to eat. If I don't eat, I get sick, literally sick. I feel as if I'll throw up, I get massive headaches, and I get dizzy. So food is a little bit important.
- Being with friends during the weekend should be required. I loved knowing the week was done and now I could spend one night watching a good movie with friends. I couldn't do something every weekend but it was great when I could.
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