Throughout high school, several people told me that I was a 30-year-old man inside an 18-year-old’s body. Teachers, employers–I’ve heard it from everyone. And logically, upon being told that, one would only feel so proud of themselves and of the people who could recognize that within them.
The shocking part is that I never felt that way. I always felt a bit too “overvalued” whenever I heard that. I always recognized that whenever it came to anything–school, work, sports–it was my family that came first. And then school, and then work, and then my friends, and then sports.
But towards the end of my senior year I started to realize that I had that whole order of events inverted. I started seeing myself place my job before school, and my friends before school, and school before my family.
This year, I want to change all of that. Many people use the term “clean slate” when they’re starting a new year back at school, and that’s exactly what I’m going to try and do.
- Family
- School
- Friends
That’s the order I plan to take this year. I’m not getting a job first semester, and I’m not doing anything else but devoting two (2) hours of studying time each week per class. I’m not referring to the amount of time I do homework or write papers—I’m talking about studying. I might regret that in the future, but that’s my bare minimum.
I think it’d be a bit immature for me to say how I think college would change me. I like to think, in general, people don’t change too much. And even when they do, it’s mostly an act. So, I won’t sugar-coat anything that I think I might be or that I think I won’t be, but that’s where I stand.
All I can hope for is that I further my education and I receive what I came here for: an expansion of my network.