Incoming Freshman Survival Guide

If I had to give a few pieces of advice to the incoming freshman, it would be these: Step outside your comfort zone. If you're a shy person, try to be outgoing. Trust me, you're going to want to make as many friends as possible your first year. It will open up a whole new world of possibilities. For the love of God, get organized. If you think you're already organized, become more organized. I'm pretty sure that every academic issue I had this year was due to my lack of organization. Sometimes I missed due dates or underestimated the amount of time I had to do an assignment. Also, you're going to want every piece of study material you can lay your hands on when it comes time for finals. Any past assignments that you've kept organized and on-hand will really help you in the long run. Be prepared to sacrifice. Whether its friends you're growing apart from or the decision to go out or study, you need to learn when to sacrifice something to save the other. Oh, and have fun. You're in college after all. 

Study Abroad

The University of South Carolina has an exceptionally high rate of students that participate in study abroad programs. The presentation we saw about study abroad programs really got me thinking. The hardest part about study abroad, at least for me, would be deciding where to study. After some consideration I narrowed my choices down to Ireland and Italy. Ireland because that's where the school of journalism has its sister school, Italy because I have always wanted to go there. When it comes time to pick, I have a feeling I'll go with Italy. My attraction towards that beautiful, pasta-laden country is never-ending. Our presenter gave me a good idea, to take more basic courses when I study abroad. There's a better chance that the school will offer them and I wouldn't be extremely stressed. I want to have as much time as possible to take in my surroundings. I'm still trying to decide on a semester to study abroad and the excitement is already building.

Career Research

Despite my recent research on the career of print journalism, I haven't found anything that I didn't already know. I know I'm not going to make a lot of money. I know that the business is pretty cut-throat, and that if you don't keep up you get tossed to the curb. As of right now none of this has changed my mind. I'm proud to say that I have found a career that I am truly passionate about and until the day I wake up and suddenly scare myself at the thought of being a writer things aren't going to change. If they should however, I am completely open to the idea. Life is full of change and it seems to me that most of it is for the better. If I do wake up on that faithful day and decide that I suddenly want to be a chef, then that's what I'll do. 

Dealing With Stress

I think most of my stress might come from my the major I chose. I knew Print Journalism would have a lot of writing (I mean its obvious) but I don't think I was prepared for the amount I've been given. This, on top of English, has led me to write nine essays in the past week. Inversely, I've probably gotten less than 9 hours of sleep in the past week. An overstatement, but I digress. I think the freedom might also be a stressor. Almost everything I do and almost every choice I make is up to me, and finding the willpower to make the write decisions is pretty difficult, and stressful. My friends are imposing some needless stress on me. They're all Bio majors and quietly lose their minds every night as they try to complete lab reports and other assignments. This in turn puts stress on me, because it feels unnatural to not have the same amount and type of work that they do. This blog itself is also stressing me out. I'm pretty sure I've missed just about every deadline for a post but hey, better late than never. I'm not sure if the stress ever stops, but I always get my assignments done. I eventually just say to myself, "Okay, seriously, do some work." and then bam... I'm on a roll. I just need to learn to take these stressors head on, because letting them pile up only makes it worse. 

Favorite Quote

I'm pretty sure I use this quote on just about every profile, account, or any other form of media that requires a user created page. "Love the life you live, live the life you love." This quote by Bob Marley-cliche I know- is far and away my favorite quote. To me it says, love what you're doing and live by it. Prioritize your life with the things you love first and everything else will fall into place. I've used this quote as inspiration for my future career goals. There are people out there who have no problem working for money, but I have been told that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. I like to pride myself on doing things for me and only me, and this quote speaks to that. 

Where Am I Going?

I have to be honest in saying that I dont really know where I'm going. I'd like to think that I'm on the path to becoming an automotive journalist because that's my dream. I 'd like to say that I'm on my way to figure out who I really am, because I feel like that is an almost never ending prospect. I just know that I'm on my way to doing me. That doesn't mean I'm on my way to do things just for myself, but rather that I'm on my way to the best for me, whatever that turns out to be. 

First Month of College

Well I've made it through the first month of college, literally speaking that is. I'm still here and I'm still enrolled, it's my mental resolve that I'm slightly worried about. I really underestimated the shock from high school to college. I feel like if I don't write down every word that my professor says during class I'm going to miss something. I'm constantly checking my schedule and calender to see if I've missed any assignments. I don't know, I either need to cover my room in post-it notes and leave little reminders to myself, or I need to take a moment and just breathe. I have met a few interesting people which is quite a comforting thing. I was worried that my choice to not pledge might hinder me in the "new friends" aspect of college, but so far it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. The food isn't bad at all, I really enjoy walking around campus (I could sit and watch people trip on the bricks all day), and my professors are really awesome. However, if I don't get a better handle on the academic aspect I might be in a bit of hot water before I know it.