My Third Learning Experience

As the semester is coming to a close I think maybe the most important thing I have learned from my freshman year at TCU is how fast time goes. I remember graduating high school, going to Frog Camp, and then eventually moving in to my dorm on the first week of school like it was yesterday. I was filled with excitement and nerves, not knowing anyone and not sure what to expect. I went to my first college class, became involved on campus, and began to form new friendships. Eventually first semester ended and I thought I had become a pro at college life. Second semester began and a whole new set of challenges were faced. New classes, new professors, and new friendships formed, all presenting me with many new excitements as well as many challenges. Now I am facing finals week once again and cannot believe how much I have changed since the day I moved in to TCU. I thought when I was a senior in high school that I was finally “grown up” and knew everything there was to know about the world. I thought I knew how to manage my time, how to eat healthy and exercise, and I had people figured out. After doing bad on my first college test, learning that you actually do have to exercise every day in college, and that not everyone you meet is going to change your life for the better, I knew I needed a serious reality check. I did not know everything there was to know about the world and as much as I wanted to be independent, I still needed a little help from the people most important to me. After spending Christmas Break with my amazing parents and my sister, reflecting on all my successes from first semester and my equally as plentiful failures, I realized that’s life. You will never have it all figured out, that moment just is not going to happen. No matter what stage in life you are at and no matter how many life experiences you have, we are all still human and we all still make mistakes. I returned to second semester with a renewed sense of excitement, now knowing that if I make mistakes, it is okay, as long as I learn from them. Especially during a time in life that is meant for transition, such as freshman year of college, the lessons learned are the most important part. As I finish my second semester of freshman year, I am a completely different person then I was the day I arrived at TCU. I have learned so much about the world but most important I have learned so much about myself. I now know that you have to start studying for a calculus exam prior to the night before the test and that your parents still are really there for you no matter how old you get. As I leave TCU in a couple of days I am now a changed person full of so many great memories and incredible friendships. I will come back to TCU in the fall ready for whatever the world is going to throw at me, knowing that I still have so much to learn, and that is exciting.