It's that time of the year where high school seniors walk the stage, shake hands with the principal/president of their school and end with some kind of special pose for Instagram to raise awareness of their accomplishment. Student's spend their last days of summer making memories by going to the beach, camping and making bon fires. Next thing they know, their on a plane to the unknown land where everything is expected to be a party.
Don't be upset when it's not.
From my experience, expectation has ALWAYS led to failure. I created unrealistic plans for my future, expected my ONLY boyfriend of 2 1/2 years to marry me (don't worry, we're still together) and I expected to get my dream job straight out of college.
Since those expectations, I have taken a new approach toward goal setting. This new approach has prepared me to look forward to the best and learn from my mistakes. My parents' unconditional support and life lessons have prepped me for life before, during and after college. Not every college student receives the same love and support from their friends and family; in fact, it was quite difficult to take any advice from my parents about college because we were learning the ropes of a small university together.
As a fresh college undergraduate (I'm talking May 13, 2013 FRESH), I would like to share with you my Helpful Tips to the Incoming College Student.
1)
Live your dream, NOT your parents' dream: Attend the school that YOU have always wanted to attend. Major in a subject that YOU want to learn more about. Your parents will be a HUGE influence on life after high school.
Sure, they know you, but you know you best. There were times where I would get so frustrated because I felt like I wasn't making my parents' dream come true. When I finally realized that I was going to college and pursuing my communications degree because it made me happy, I stopped worrying about trying to constantly please my parents. After four years away at college, they now know that I have a passion for what I do and they know that that is far greater than regretting a career choice for the rest of my life.
2) Learn how to time manage: FREEDOM will be your best friend and your worst enemy. And LAZINESS definitely kills. I highly recommend that you invest in a planner or start using that calendar on your smart phone. Poor time management will be the death of you, your grades and your overall GPA. I am obsessed with writing in my planner. Writing something down helps me to remember to complete the task by the due date. Time management for your school and play time is very necessary if you want to succeed academically. During graduation, our commencement speaker said that you can either be squished in the mediocre 90% block with all of the "lazy and just getting by" people or you can work hard and be floating freely in the 10% block with all of the "hard-working" people. What block do you want to be in?
3)
Get involved with your college community: College is the time to get involved! Don't just sit and watch your classmates do the things you wish you could be doing. You have to put your big girl/boy undies on and believe that you have the necessary tools and qualifications to be in a diverse club or student government. Don't make yourself feel inferior because of your lack of self confidence. College clubs and communities will help you make friends and build your self esteem. Members of these clubs and communities have all been a freshman student once in their life. Self pity is unattractive so get off your butt and stop feeling sorry for yourself! I guarantee that at the end of the school year, you'll have a family of friends that is bigger than your immediate family.
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| Hawaiian club after our performance at Convocation |
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| The Awakening Retreat #26 - May the Faith be With You |
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| The start of Chaminade's Civic Engagement Club - Chaminade University of Honolulu (Honolulu, HI) --> St. Mary's University (San Antonio, TX) |
Bonus tip:
Put the pen down and have some fun: Academics are important, but quit frustrating yourself with webs and outlines for your next five page paper. If you take into consideration the three helpful tips from above, then you should have no problem adding in a little fun to your college life. I spent my first semester as a freshman at my desk trying to finish homework on a week in advance. I was so afraid to go out and do what college kids do because I didn't want to upset my parents. But a little fun is exactly what I needed to cure the stress of perfection and academics. Going out with people from my dorm helped me recollect myself and ideas and refreshed me for that paper that was due the next day. Do it, put the pen down, close the lap top and have some fun!
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| Supporting our sister at her Senior Night Game |
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| Just being a pineapple head |
Aloha,
Jess
