FreshmAN year in the rear view mirror
It's crazy for me to think about how fast freshman year came and went. All in all, I'd say it was a great year. Facing a new challenge in starting college was daunting at first, but soon I adjusted to the new atmosphere. I was challenged academically, not just because of the tough courses in the nursing curriculum, but also because I challenged myself to do well in these courses, setting a goal of getting a 4.0 GPA. I was able to accomplish this goal both semesters, completing mainly the core science courses that are going to be crucial to my future as a nurse. These courses included Anatomy, Microbiology, and Chemistry. While these courses were tough, they covered subjects that interest me, and I was determined to do well in them since they were so important to my future, resulting in getting an A in each of these courses. Another great part of my year was getting to volunteer with two great organizations. Over the Rhine Community Housing provides low income housing to people living in poverty, and Pigabilities helps train people with disabilities to live a healthy lifestyle and walk the last mile of the Flying Pig Marathon the day before the race. Being able to see the gratitude towards the other volunteers and myself was reward enough for the service I provided, even though I also got hours towards keeping my scholarship. Throughout the year, I met a lot of people that were different from those I knew going into college, most of whom were from outside of Cincinnati. This forced me to open up and shy away from my West Side mentality a little bit. Also, I enjoyed going to different sporting events this year to support the Bearcats, especially the last football game against Louisville, even though we lost. Although I'm a Bearcat now, I also enjoyed being able to go back to some of my high school's sporting events to support friends and former teammates.
With all of the lessons in class and fun I had freshman year, I think the most important thing I learned didn't come from a textbook. Rather, it was something I learned about myself. When I was getting ready to start college, I couldn't wait to get away from my annoying brothers and my nagging parents. After only a couple weeks, however, this mindset started to change. I missed spending time with my family, and especially the home cooked meals. I'd come home on the weekends for Elder football games on Friday nights, but even this wasn't enough, as I would dread going back to my dorm Sunday nights. I started to realize that I missed my family more than I thought I would. This led to the decision to move home for the Spring semester. This wasn't an easy decision, though, as I spent many emotional nights by myself trying trying to figure out what to do. Once I made this decision, it was easy to see that it was the right one, as I could spend more time with my family and eat my mom's delicious cooking. Most importantly, I was able to go support my brothers in their different sporting events without needing to get picked up from Clifton. Not to mention the money living at home saved This helped me learn how important my family really is to me. This lesson culminated in a sibling road trip recently where my two next-oldest brothers and I drove to Omaha, NE, for the NCAA College World Series final. When we were younger this trip wouldn't have been possible, as we used to get in fights all the time. As we've grown older, however, we've also grown a lot closer. I am interested to see how next year changes, with my brother graduated from high school and moving on to play baseball at Adrian College, where I won't be able to spend as much time with him
With all of the lessons in class and fun I had freshman year, I think the most important thing I learned didn't come from a textbook. Rather, it was something I learned about myself. When I was getting ready to start college, I couldn't wait to get away from my annoying brothers and my nagging parents. After only a couple weeks, however, this mindset started to change. I missed spending time with my family, and especially the home cooked meals. I'd come home on the weekends for Elder football games on Friday nights, but even this wasn't enough, as I would dread going back to my dorm Sunday nights. I started to realize that I missed my family more than I thought I would. This led to the decision to move home for the Spring semester. This wasn't an easy decision, though, as I spent many emotional nights by myself trying trying to figure out what to do. Once I made this decision, it was easy to see that it was the right one, as I could spend more time with my family and eat my mom's delicious cooking. Most importantly, I was able to go support my brothers in their different sporting events without needing to get picked up from Clifton. Not to mention the money living at home saved This helped me learn how important my family really is to me. This lesson culminated in a sibling road trip recently where my two next-oldest brothers and I drove to Omaha, NE, for the NCAA College World Series final. When we were younger this trip wouldn't have been possible, as we used to get in fights all the time. As we've grown older, however, we've also grown a lot closer. I am interested to see how next year changes, with my brother graduated from high school and moving on to play baseball at Adrian College, where I won't be able to spend as much time with him