Week 15: The End (of the semester)

Y'all!!!! It's the end of the semester, this is literally it!
I am in the process of finishing my exams and projects right before finals week, and just looking back at this journey has been crazy. I don't think I expected myself to grow so much as a person and be so happy being on my own. Of course I miss home, but I have realized that I am okay with being in Austin. I am actually kind of sad, way more than I thought, about the semester ending. It's weird how every semester feels like the end of the year because your whole schedule changes every 5 months, unlike high school. I enjoyed the process of adjusting and actually learning about myself. I realized the type of person I am, who I want to surround myself with, and what my goals are academically. The plan for next semester is to hopefully be able to internally transfer, which is a process, let me tell you, it actually sucks; but, I will get through it. College is literally so hard, but it is also so much fun. I usually take so much longer to be happy with where I am in life, and I usually realize it after it is over, so I am grateful that I was able to figure out this is what I want. I am glad I chose UT to be the school I attend, the opportunities and lifestyle here is so different from any other college, and I wouldn't change it (except for the amount of stuff we constantly have to do). I love being busy, but like your girl needs a break because right now, things are not it. Also, speaking of break, can we talk about how winter break is literally 5-6 weeks long, like WOW! I am so ready:). This semester has been amazing, and I am so happy. Thank you guys so much for being on this adventure with me, I am so glad I got to document my first semester of college because I know I will look back at it and reflect. College changes you but in my case, I think for the better. You get to learn so much, so just be open-minded and enjoy your time because you won't ever get it back. I hope you guys have an amazing adventure in your college years, have fun and be well. Thank you! :)

Week 14: Major and classes

Hey y'all! So I just finished registering for courses, and let me tell you, being a freshman sucks. I literally got like two classes I wanted and trying to create an ideal schedule is so hard because of my previous post on registration. Anyways, I want to talk to you guys about picking the right classes, and how that can be challenging when you do not know what your major is. So currently, I am a corporate communications major at Moody College of Communication at UT Austin, and I chose this major because I wanted to be a lawyer when I first applied. However, things have...changed:)
I now have no idea what I want to do, but I want to transfer to McCombs because I think it is a flexible degree that can help me pursue any career I want in the future. I am so scared about transferring because it is so competitive, and basically reapplying to college despite already being in it. It is so awful, I can't. But, I know that if I don't get in, I can still stick with Moody and minor in Business. There are so many avenues to have what interests you part of your degree, so do not put limits on yourself. Majors are already hard, and majority of college students literally do not know what they are doing until later, so do not stress. Pick something you are comfortable with and interested in and go from there. Now, moving on to classes. So classes are already super annoying and difficult in college for no reason, but picking classes that do not make you fall behind or waste your time is important to pay attention to. A helpful tool that UT has is our Degree Audit, which shows us our pace and track for completing our degree plan. We have many requirements, so I suggest that if you are confused about what you want to do in the beginning, just take those core requirement classes and knock them out of the way because honestly they help you realize what is right for you. I know that I do not enjoy taking classes that do not benefit me in thinking critically, so I do not like taking simple classes. I also learned that I hate unnecessarily difficult classes that are pointless to me, which is why having some GPA booster/easy A classes every semester is also important, just to prevent stress and issues with mental health. College is already hard enough, so having some "fun classes" is a good idea, but do not waste all of them in one semester. Use your electives wisely! Pay attention to your degree audit, your interests, and dislikes when picking classes and your major, and I promise you will be okay!!! :)

Week 13: Networking

Hi!!
So similar to last week, I will be talking about getting to know people this week. Again, being open-minded to anyone and everyone is key because you never know what you can get out of the interaction: a friendship, a job, or just a learning experience. You have no idea if the person next to you will end up being a multi-billionaire CEO of a company in a field that interests you. One thing that I would credit to my FIG is that we have had many lessons on how we can utilize our college experience in order to enhance our future in life. It is recommended to make a LinkedIn, update your resume, and just contact people all through social media. There are many people out there to scout and help you out, you just have to be cognizant and diligent in figuring out how to get in touch with them. If you start early and put in the effort then more people will notice you and know who you are, which could make you a front-runner in highly competitive situations, like recruitment. I recommend you guys take these tups to heart and actually get a head start because college flies by and sometimes people leave without knowing what to do next, so getting ahead and exploring avenues where you can gain opportunities to try new things will really help you. Let me know if you need help because even I am trying to get ahead, but I know it can be tough setting everything up and keeping it up to date so contact me if you need to! Good luck:)

Week 12: Friendships and Meeting People

Hi!! I wanted to talk about how important making friendships are in college this week with you guys. So a lot of people talk about networking and connecting with people to help them in the future, which is extremely important, but more so than that, I think it is necessary to build bonds with people because they end up being your support system in your home away from home. I came in with many friends already here at UT, but honestly I have drifted away from some of them, and that is completely okay. People go through many friend groups during their college years, but they usually end up with a few extremely close friends and in touch with many good people. It is normal for people to grow and have their paths diverge in different directions, but that does not mean you cut people off or be rude. Staying kind to everyone is very important because you never know when you will need them, and being there for them is gratifying because you are helping someone through whatever they are going through. Furthermore, I encourage going out and meeting many people as much as you can. The semester can get really hectic and annoying to the point where you literally just want to stay in your room and work all day, but even if you talk to someone new every day in your classes can lead to lifelong or even short term friendships. Getting to know people helps broaden your perspective on life, new views, and just a good time. Never try to be someone you are not for someone else, but if you vibe with someone then make sure you make the effort to stay in touch with them. College is hard, I have said this time and time again, and I think that one of the main ways I destress or cope with my anxiety is by surrounding myself with good people and just hanging out with them whenever I can. So, I encourage you to meet new people and be open-minded because you never know when you'll encounter that new best friend or even someone that you enjoy talking to! :)

Week 11: Registration

Hey guys!! This week I want to talk about one of the most stressful and competitive parts of college: registering for classes. So not many people know, but the more completed your degree plan is, the earlier you get to register because you get priority - so again, get ahead! My registration is next Wednesday, and even after planning my whole schedule out I am so scared. My schedule isn't ideal because I have Friday classes and back to back classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they will be really hectic, running around campus all day. A lot of people have different preferences on how they plan their schedule. It's great how we can create it any way we want because we have the freedom to, but there's a lot to take into account. There is a lot of cost benefit analysis that goes on with registering. Some people focus on specific professors, others focus on timings of classes. I have a balance of both. I am not a morning person at all, like I literally cannot wake up and get out of my bed, which is why my earliest class next semester is probably going to be at 10 so that I can wake up at like 9:15. Even though that is still early for me, the class I want to take at 10 is taught by a really good professor. Doing research on who to get for specific classes, especially if they have a reputation of being really hard at UT, is important because after all, your GPA is key. Pro tip: downloading UT Registration Plus can help with grade distributions based on professors, reviews, past syllabi to see if the class is appealing, and other resources that can help you make your decisions. Do not take morning classes because it gets harder to wake up for them as the semester goes on because literally no one has motivation or energy. Everyone is so drained. Registration is very stressful, but don't worry, as you get older it gets easier. The worst is freshman orientation registration, but once that is out of the way everyone kind of does their own thing and figures out their path so it is less competitive. Good luck registering and do your research so you don't have to drop the class later.

Week 10: Exams

Hi guys! So this week I wanted to quickly talk to you guys about exams because this is the busiest part of the semester, and the stress level is REALLY high. Basically, exams suck. The amount of studying in advance I have to do is so annoying because I have so many other assignments and things to worry about. This past week, I was so mentally exhausted and drained; it was probably the worst week I have had since I started college. I was sick, tired, and stressed. After this week, I basically have a test every week and even though that doesn't seem like a lot because in high school I had tests every day, college exams are so extensive and difficult. I know some of my friends who have had five exams in one week, and it's honestly awful. Exams really mess with my brain and I need some sort of rejuvenating therapy to recover. I encourage you guys to start studying early, read your syllabi to know when your exams are, and plan ahead. The semester gets busy and everything just piles up, so if you already have an idea about when your stressful weeks occur in the beginning of the semester, you can mentally prepare for them. I stress a lot so I need to get on top of my game because the semester is no ideal right now, and I am honestly so scared. Take care of yourselves, but also prioritize schoolwork because that is why you are in college: to learn and succeed:)

Week 9: First Year Interest Group

Hiiii! Wow, it's already week 9 of college and I feel like I have done so much, but at the same time the semester is going by fast. My schedule is getting busier, I have to worry about next semester's classes, exams coming up, and managing my time (always going to be a struggle for me at this point tbh). Anyways... this week I want to talk about my FIG, or First Year Interest Group. UT has a special program for most of the colleges where freshman students are put into "groups" basically with people in a similar major or looking into the same field, and you have two or more classes with those people depending on how many the college reserves for you (I'll go over all of that in my registration post coming in a few weeks). Initially, I was kind of annoyed that my college picked my classes for me and made it mandatory for me to be a part of a FIG because I thought that this was my time to pick what I wanted, but honestly it has been really helpful. My FIG leader can be annoying because he takes attendance and if I miss too many days, I can be penalized during my registration, which I still find dumb. I don't think that a student should be able to have that power over freshmen, but it's fine because it's only one semester. I love my academic adviser because she actually cares about all of us and helps us with any questions we have, since we are all REALLY confused. The people in my FIG are so fun to be around, and I really think that I will stay friends with some of them even after our FIG is over because they are good people. We all have opened up because we basically see each other everyday and we have the most entertaining conversations, I love how we can relate to one another and get our minds off of all the stress we all endure. Before, I was hesitant on opening up, but everyone is so nice and we all get along without judging each other. We have weekly lessons on how to manage college life in different ways, like eating better, finance, class selection, etc. which are really helpful for me; so I am glad that Moody (my college) put me in the FIG because it has been a great learning experience. I encourage you guys to join FIGs as well because even my friends in other majors/colleges have made new friends and learned a lot by asking questions and connecting with others in general. Again, my tip is always to try something you wouldn't expect yourself doing because who knows, you might end up loving it :)