After n long years, I have finally been promoted to my 5th and graduating year--and just finished the first week! The first week alone was tiring already but hopefully the year goes off without much hitches (failing grade scares), save for the ones I'm already expecting (thesis woes). My earlier years in college were fun yet tinged with turbulence and fraught with difficulty (of course). But that doesn't matter now as I think I'm more than ready to move to the next stage of my life. I hope I finish the school year in one piece to make everything 100% official!
Someone once said "Hindsight is 20/20" and that's true. There are a LOT of things I wish I could've done earlier and some I wish I didn't even do at all!! But, for every mistake I made, I think that I wouldn't be the person I am today had I not gone through those experiences. So, in the spirit of being older (and wiser--wiser than when I was a freshman anyway), here are some things I would tell my freshman self:
1) Know your priorities.
I just wanted to go to college in Manila so I could watch UAAP basketball games live. (How's that for being prepared? How's that for priorities?) I was very much a probinsyana that set foot into a whole new world with minimal parental supervision (my parents trust me too much, perks of being a good girl), kind of like a kid in a candy store, that I went wild. I kept going out. And though I wish it were a productive kind of going out like joining organizations, it wasn't. Puro laag. I mean, I went to class (Trivia: I NEVER skipped a class in freshman year) but I also went out more than I should've studied. And that was a shame, it was disappointing for my achieving self cause I got pretty low grades in an EASY semester I know I could've aced.
2) Plan.
I had hopes in mind, like make the Dean's List, maybe graduate with Latin Honors if I could. But it's not enough to simply have hopes, you have to plan. Goals without deadlines are just dreams. I remember thinking that those dreams (hopes pala kasi may chance naman mangyari) were okay na since if they won't go to fruition, I won't get disappointed. I mean, plans don't always push through. But that mindset was so wrong. It pays to plan so you have something to look back on, something to motivate you to do well. My friend Emmae is my super idol on this. From the start, she's always known she wanted to be a doctor, what med school she'd go to (UP-PGH), etc and I'm super proud to say she's very much on track.
In hindsight, I realized that that a lot of my classes in UP were easy to pass. I just failed to know my priorities and plan to study.
3) One bad grade is not the end of the world.
Maybe you were an achiever in high school, maybe it's your first failing grade, maybe you'll get delayed, but one failing grade isn't the end of the world. Sometimes it's you, sometimes it's the teacher. Know that as long as you're secured in yourself that exhausted all means to pass, it's not your fault.
4) It's not all academics; join and be active in organizations.
I realized this so late in the game!! Organizations are a good way to do what you love, learn and meet like-minded people. Besides, companies look at your extra-curricular activities aside from your grades. It gives them a glimpse into what you're like and what you're capable of.
5) Seek opportunities (and take them!)
You're in college for heaven's sake! Things aren't gonna come to you. If you wanna go on exchange, look for opportunities to. If you want to join a club but are shy, try!! You'll never know unless you try. (Guilty of the shy thing by the way, that's why I'm including it in the list!)
6) College (or life) is not a race.
I remember writing in my high school diary that I couldn't wait to finish high school--just to get to college and experience new things. (Actually, I was just really excited to go to ADMU & watch UAAP games). I was 3rd year high school then, at the height of my UAAP fandom, and high school just seemed to go on so slow. In comparison, college years move so fast. So fast that I woke up one day in my 3rd year in COLLEGE thinking, where did my freshman and sophomore years go? I think I found it so fast that I went crazy for a bit. I thought, "wait, I'm graduating in 2 years and I don't think I'm ready to yet!" I didn't feel confident moving up year levels when I didn't fully learn the basic principles of chemical engineering, so I stayed behind. Back then, I wasn't even sure I wanted to be an engineer.
Fast forward to a few years later. My batchmates have graduated and are now engineers, while I'm finally finishing college. I'm at peace at where I am. I know now that I want to be an engineer. I know the material I need to know well enough, and I ticked off the things I wanted to accomplish in college so I think I'm VERY ready and willing to leave college behind. Yes, it was a bit depressing to see my batchmates graduate and work, but I realized that I shouldn't compare myself with them. I've always been a late bloomer and I move at my own pace. Life isn't a race to be won, it's a journey to be enjoyed.
7) Have fun.
Merrie and I taking a break while making our machine exercise
Take photos. Enjoy being a freshman: it's the only legit time you're allowed to be dumb, loud and ignorant. =))) College goes by so fast. I can't stress that enough.
So... I just found out about UAAP being the reason as to why you moved to MNL for college.
ReplyDeleteWhen you put it that way...it sounds so wrong pala haha :/
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