Finishing Up Semester One

My first semester of college is definitely one that I will never forget. I met a ton of new people and got to experience so many new things, like going blonde for the first time! With this being my first year of college, I was definitely in an environment full of different types of people, which really helped me understand how differently people are raised.

Attending a Community College rather than a Four-Year school is, for lack of better words, isolating. Many of the students who attend only come for classes and then leave to go home. Which I understand, you're only here for an education, is the mindset for most people, but some people, when you attempt to befriend them, they’d just ghost you as if you hadn’t talked before.

For a while, this was something I struggled with, but after a while, I just realized that’s the way some people are, whether nice, rude, or just outright desperate… all of them somewhat had an impact on my character and forced me to get out of my comfort zone to experience new things. It pushed me to take the initiative in meeting people, joining clubs, and building relationships! Whether that was for the better or for the worst, I am entirely grateful I got to experience it, since through it all, I was able to find some people I can call friends.

Near the end of the semester, I did start to struggle academically, though, since a lot of drama had emerged in my program, which distracted me from my studies. And while the outcome of the situation wasn’t what I anticipated, I'm glad that I, as well as my classmates, voiced our concerns and the issues we were all experiencing during our first semester, and that, through our struggles, we became much closer as a class.

Aside from the drama, I feel as if this semester challenged me both academically and socially. For the first time, I truly struggled in some classes, but I also learned how to stand up for myself and what I believe in. I managed to strengthened my independence, my study habits, my confidence in unfamiliar environments, and my commitment to pursuing psychology. I’m grateful for the challenges and the support systems I built, and I’m entering my next semester with clearer goals, better balance, and more self-awareness