Embracing the Process of Growth

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Life is like a roller coaster, and some of the biggest loops most definitely happen during the time spent at college. Nobody said college would be easy, but knowing what to expect during your first semester of classes will give you an edge over the students going in without a clue.

The first four weeks of my stay in UPLB was like the craziest but the most entertaining ride in a park. It was thrilling and interesting at the same time. I have no idea what is happening most of the time and I don’t know exactly where I am headed. But everything turned out great. And here are the…

Five Greatest Lessons I’ve Learned after Going to College

I realized that I am an adult now; just because I don’t have to go to work for plenty of hours a day doesn’t mean I shouldn’t act like it. This is the time to take responsibility for my actions. I should be professional from now on. I should think about my future much sooner because for years, future seemed so far off that it was something I could always “get around to.” I didn’t realize that it was something I was currently living, or working towards.

This doesn’t mean that I need to make a hasty decision about a career or a major, I just learned that college is the time for me to discover who I really am, what I enjoy doing, what I’m good at, and who I want to be.

I learned that in college, no one is going to make me go to class anymore. This was the time when I realized that my parents did more for me than I thought. Waking me up every morning, doing my laundry, paying bills, buying groceries, yes, my parents did more than I think, and now that they’re no longer there, it all falls on me. So, again I should be responsible. I need to do my duties and responsibilities. I must learn to cope with homesickness. It’s only natural that there will be times when I miss my family, we are a clingy type of family so being 10 hours away from home is really hard. But I must find a way to deal with those feelings, such as making a phone call or sending some email home. I need to tell my parents how grateful I am for them and I need to be strong for them.

Being an adult means taking responsibility for everything that happens to me. I must avoid procrastination and work on prioritizing my life. It may have been easy in high school to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment or finish a task and still get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for me in college. I must give myself deadlines — and stick to them.

I realize that I should stop being at my dorm room for the whole weekend. I should get out and explore the campus. I need to work on my confidence, get out of my comfort zone, and try new things. That college is the greatest opportunity I’ll ever have for personal development. Combination of homesickness and a feeling of not quite belonging was my problem. So, I considered joining a student organization and sports teams. Because of this, I made new friends, acquired new skills, and feel more connected to my school. But I seek a balance.

College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings. Don’t tip the balance too far in either direction.

In college, I knew I will meet almost all kinds of people. So, I learned that I should build myself a supportive environment. I need to organize my environment in a way that supports my aspirations, and I need to surround myself with people who believe in me and know how to motivate me when thoughts of giving up pops up in my head. I need to make sure I’m surrounded by people who want to achieve the same thing or who have already achieved it.

I realized that I what I need in college is a supportive system that pushes me back on the right track.

By studying at a school that’s 10 hours away from home, I realized that I should avoid any illness. Getting sick can keep me away from classes for an extended period of time and there is no one to take care of me. In college, I learned that I need prioritize my health, that academics and extra-curriculars should only follow. I learned that I need to get enough sleep, take my vitamins, and eat right.

Without parents here to serve me a balanced meal, I may be tempted to go for those cup noodles and canned goods but I must myself that I should stay healthy and stick to a balanced diet.

Overall, I realized that in college, I will surely face a lot of challenges — but that’s all part of the process.

Soon enough, I will be sharing a lot more experiences and lessons with soon-to-be college students.