My freshman year was a whirlwind, and I think the blunders I made beat out my “right moves” 2:1. Progressing from high school student to bona-fide college undergraduate is tedious and difficult, and everyday feels like a new challenge awaits me. As I explain this to my family and my friends still in highschool, I will also always say that the college experience is worth every adversity I’ve faced. I’ve learned a remarkable amount about myself this year, and below are my biggest takeaways.
- I learned to prioritize my health.
In high school, I chose to put academics above self-care. I would engage in unhealthy habits, like not letting myself sleep or eat until everything I had to do was done. In college, I realized very quickly that this wasn’t sustainable, as I started missing classes and forgetting to eat meals. I decided to put my physical and mental health before my academics. This entailed giving myself a “cut-off” time of midnight for doing homework, making sure to carry snacks in my backpack, and committing to going to gymnastics club (even if I had to do homework while I was there) to let off steam and to exercise. It hasn’t been a linear growth, but I’m absolutely in a better place.
- I learned that asking for help is okay.
You’ve probably just let out the biggest “duh” possible. But ask any Vandy kid and they will tell you how difficult it is for them to do things like go to office hours, ask for extensions on assignments, or reach out to support systems on campus. No shocker here, I am included in this. I am diagnosed with ADHD and generalized anxiety, and I always feel like I have to meet the same standards as my peers with no “extra” help. However, I’ve come to understand that the assistance I can receive doesn’t mean I’m any less capable than those around me. They are simply there to level the playing field. In the moments I stopped being stubborn about the reality of my situations and reached out to make it more workable for myself, I’ve found more fulfillment and stability in my academics.
- I learned how to use a calendar and academic planner.
I am not a “Type A” person by any means, and it became very apparent that my brain couldn’t hold all the lectures, homework, studying, events, and meetings that became my everyday norm this school year. During orientation week, one of the speakers we listened to said something I found very poignant. She said that we use calendars, planners, and lists to hold information for our brain so it can focus on more important, worthwhile things. Similarly to how asking for help in classes isn’t admitting I have a weakness, staying organized with a Google Calendar is absolutely not admitting I can’t remember or do it all. I use Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, an agenda, my notes app, and sticky notes taped around my dorm to keep it all under control. I struggled for a large portion of the year to find a system that works for me, so trust me when I say that I know the feeling of overwhelm gets darker before *dawn.
(*seeing your schedule and to-do list lined up and in pretty colors and fonts.)
- I learned which environments I work best in.
For some asinine reason, before coming to college, I imagined myself sitting in Central Library for hours on end. In a tiny cubicle I was churning out assignment after assignment, finishing paper after paper. Now, I laugh at myself for thinking my seven hour study sessions would be more than a pipe dream. I’m not cramping your style if that’s your vibe; I love that it works for you. However, I’ve probably spent more time fidgeting, moving, and “getting settled” than actually doing work in quiet, self-contained environments like the library. It’s been a year-long effort to decipher the code that is my optimal working conditions. I would spend hours in the Commons Center, frustratedly moving between the three floors to find the perfect spot. I went to coffee shops, but ruled those out after fighting with the inconsistent wifi. Through many trials and many more errors, I’ve found that I work best in three places: at my dorm room desk, in my dorm floor common room, and in “liminal spaces” like before and after my classes. Instead of camping out in one space for a long period of time, it’s better for me to switch places and squeeze in short bursts of focused energy in between obligations.
5: I learned to give myself grace.
There’s an artist named Anna Laura (@annalaura_art on Instagram and TikTok!) whose work I adore. One of the comics she created acknowledges the fact that this is everyone’s first time living. There is no one on the planet that is a master at life, since it’s everyone’s first swing at the bat. This spoke deeply to me as someone who becomes easily self-critical, because it reminded me to give myself grace. The transition into university is not particularly elegant, and everyone is also working to find their new normals. This process does not come without its awkward situations, failed tests, and setbacks. I learned that it’s important to meet myself where I am, and to always be my biggest supporter.
It’s absolutely impossible to sum up the entirety of my freshman year in five points, but I hope my attempt was valiant. I’m still learning the ins and outs of what it means to succeed academically and personally at Vanderbilt, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to share a little bit of that journey with this platform.