My first semester of college was most definitely the biggest learning experience i had up to this point in my life.  Coming into college, i wasn't sure of what to expect, obviously i knew there would be a great deal of work and stress involved but I didn't  think it would be anything like this. Although i must say, i learned a great deal about myself throughout the process and hopefully that makes next semester a lot less difficult. 

I learned that organization within a college setting is completely different from organization in high school. My schedule in high school was jam packed 24/7 but for some reason I managed it no problem. College on the other hand, not so much. I had a hard time adjusting to the different style of work load. We would get assignments in class, their would be assignments on the syllabus, and also their were assignments on vista. I couldn't get the hang of checking all of these locations for all of my classes everyday. It was a huge hassle. Hopefully next semester however, I"ll find a way to have all my assignments in one location so I don't have anymore mix-ups. To be completely honest, I don't even  know where grades stand, none of my professors keep their grades updated and the grading process is nothing that I'm used to.

I would say my biggest struggle this year was definitely commuting. it was nothing like i expected. Driving a half hour to and from school is a lot harder than it seems. first of all you need to calculate this time into everything, which means waking up way earlier then needed and leaving school much earlier then i wanted to because I had work everyday. And once i got home from school and work, homework was the last thing i wanted to do because i was exhausted. Some people tell me to be a full time student and quit my job, but if i did this, I would have no way to get to school because i wouldn't be able to afford my gas or insurance, so either way I'm in a difficult position. I thought commuting would be good because i would have the comfort of my own home and city but in reality its just a huge distraction. Maybe if I was stranded in a dorm room, I would be able to get things done. Another thing that annoyed me this year was the amount of times my professors would cancel class, but rather then sending an email, they would leave a note on their door. I wasted so much gas because of this reason and that becomes extremely frustrating. I just feel like I have nothing to do with the university and I'm always out of the loop. And like i said, i wish i would could spend more time on campus, but my busy life doesn't allow me to do this. I don't feel like I'm gaining any type of experience. 

From this however, I learned that maybe commuting isn't for me as much as i thought it was. Im willing to try it again next semester, but I don't think I'll be doing it next year. The thing is, I know i have good time- management skills and I'm fully capable of doing the work, but living so far away from school makes it much more difficult. I think if i was living and working on campus, I would be able to put a lot more time and energy into my schooling rather then into driving back and forth and trying to organize my home life with my school life. 

Overall my first semester in college was a huge case of trial and error, and its a good thing i learn from my mistakes. I discovered my own personal learning style and also how I should deal with specific situations in the future. Another thing that changed was my intended major; therefore my goal for next semester is to figure out what I really want to be in life and what I'm actually working towards in school. Hopefully by this time next year, I'll be dorming and happy with where i am in school.