My First Week of College (with BBC Sherlock gifs) || And Some Advice to Fellow Homeschoolers

Hi friends! So it's been about a month since my first day of college.

I honestly can't believe it either

And I'm going to a community college so it's a lot different from university. I figured I could just give you a run-down of how the first week went. (And if you're not interested in reading this post, I wouldn't blame you/don't mind if you don't read this haha)

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Monday

I had a 7:45 am Spanish class which went okay. The teacher didn't seem too strict and I had a couple of my homeschooling friends in that class with me so it wasn't too bad. That class lasted until 10:15 in the morning and then my friends left. So I was alone for an hour until my next class... but it was nice. I walked around for a while and the time went by quickly.

Then I had Math class which started at 11:15 am and the professor took us on a quick "field trip" before class. The field trip was to the Learning Resource Center where they have tutoring so that was cool. And then we went back to class and did a Venn diagram thing where we had to go around and see what we had in common with another student. It was very traumatizing (*insert sarcasm*). The students I met were nice and we found several things in common so that was cool. Then we had to get contact information and we had to exchange phone numbers... which sounds unnecessary but I've had to contact a few of them already. So I guess that's a win for having "friends" on campus. Although I wouldn't consider them friends. They're simply classmates. Anyway, class ended at 1:20 pm and I had an hour until my English class.

I bought a sandwich and it wasn't great but hey, at least I wasn't starving. I walked to my English class and found a "friend" I met in math class. Turns out he was looking for my English class so I helped him out. We were both blown away that we happened to meet in math and if we hadn't, he couldn't have gotten to class. So that was cool. English class finally ended around 4 because she let us get out early and I was very grateful. The day was SO long and I wasn't used to it. Besides, all the classes were going over the syllabus and it was super boring. I came home and put all the important dates and homework into my planner.

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Tuesday

On Tuesday, I only had one class which was Counseling 150. Basically it's a class where they teach important life skills and not to procrastinate. It's not actual counseling. I had to take this class in order to get free tuition so of course I took the class! It was an hour and a half long and demands a lot of work from me which I totally didn't expect. So I got home and figured I should drop a class. The only logical thing to do was to drop Spanish because I needed the other ones to get free tuition... so now I don't have a class with my friends *cries* it was heartbreaking when I told them. We all mourned. But at least I didn't have to get up as early anymore!

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Wednesday

I dropped my Spanish class so I slept in and had a nice morning. We managed to get out of the house on time and I made it to my math class. It was mildly amusing but nothing very stimulating.

This is so iconic.

My professor is pretty cool though. It's the only math class I need for my general education so I'm putting a lot of effort into it and I'm doing well so far! Yay me :D

Then I had English and we went over how to complete the assignments and other things like that. Quite boring. We would start the actual learning during the 2nd week. But yeah that ends Wednesday.

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Thursday

I got up early and made it to Counseling on time. My professor is super cool for this class too. He's an older guy and has a lot of knowledge. His class isn't like anything I've experienced before. He talks about a subject (like procrastination or study skills) and we all chime in. We get to add comments or ask questions and he is super chill about everything. The same 5 people always participate (myself included) and everyone else just listens. Honestly, I really enjoy this class although it has a ton of assignments. But the assignments are easy and they help us learn about ourselves. We also get to choose which ones we want to do so that's pretty cool.

The first one I did was write my expectations for each class I'm taking. I had to write what grade I want to get, what the class requires, all the assignments I need to complete, and what I need to do to get the grade I want. I got full points for it! So it's going pretty well.

After counseling, I had 2 and a half hours until my math class... *cries in boredom* 

I made use of the time exploring the library. I ended up checking out 5 books... (#sorrynotsorry)

My fellow homeschooler friend was kinda weirded out that I checked out books when I had enough to do. He told me I was going to burn out. But I informed him that these were "for recreational purposes" and therefore I wouldn't burn out if I'm doing it for fun. So I spent the next hour or so reading the books. My favorite was The Traveler's Book of Verse. It's basically a whole book with poems about traveling and different countries in Europe. It's amazing! I'm considering buying a copy because it's a great collection of poems.

Anyway, then I had math and it passed by quickly enough. I don't remember what we did though. It seems like forever ago!

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Friday

After the whole week of not being home for hours on end, I was exhausted!

I wasn't used to getting ready to leave the house that early AT ALL. It's one thing to be up and productive in the morning but it's a whole other thing to get dressed that early haha! But uh yeah, almost every day I woke up earlier than usual to do things that I wouldn't be able to do later.

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And that was my first week of college! *throws confetti*

Now I shall give my fellow homeschoolers some advice.

1. People are weird (but will still try to talk to you).
Sure, people are weird. Everyone's got something weird about them. But no matter where you go, you're going to hear so many opinions... even when you didn't ask for them! Someone that sits next to you WILL talk to you at SOME point. So, prepare yourself. Community colleges are really insistent on being a community so they want us all to be friends haha (we're not but we make it look like that)

2. Scheduling is important.
Not only are you scheduling your classes and being at school for that long but you also need to schedule studying in. They say you need two hours per hour of lecture but, in my opinion, that is absurd. If you were homeschooled like I was, then you're used to not being very busy during the day.

But in college, it seems like they want you to take it seriously(AND YOU SHOULD) and that you need to constantly be in school mode. This really doesn't work for me. I study efficiently and quickly in short increments and get on with my day. I don't want to be at a desk or on the computer all day. So, schedule your time carefully and do your research(*wink wonk*). If you know how to study and it works for you, then don't change anything.

3. Take time for yourself and your friends!
You and your friends are going through this together so it's going to be crazy busy the first semester. I haven't seen the whole group TOGETHER since the summer. But it's to be expected! This is a huge step for you! But if you're missing friends, text them. Send them a meme. Do something with at least one person. Get ice cream. Meet up at the mall and walk around. Trust me, you'll feel so much better! You'll be able to study better and be more focused(and in a better mood!).

4. RELAX.
Guys, I worry. I worry about stuff. A. LOT. I'm a perfectionist and a bit of a control freak. But I'm also disorganized which freaks me out even more. BUT. I've learned that taking five minutes to listen to a favorite song with your headphones does magic. Finding a way to clear your mind is very essential to success. Because having a clear mind helps you to think and see your goal clearly. So, find whatever helps you and do it. No exceptions.

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Well friends, that's all I have for you. I hope you've enjoyed reading and maybe learned something new! If anyone is having any struggles, leave a comment and let's chat! I hope you all have a great day!