Pre-requisites:Teachable Moment
You would think that most students that graduate high school expect the transition to college to be much more difficult than the high school experience they’re used to, but for some reason this is not the case at all. I, myself have a very similar experience to this. Although I did have some greater obstacles along the way, I thought that I would be able to perform the bare minimum in order to achieve the same amount of success I did within the previous 4 years, but I was rather incorrect about that assumption, and the real world snapped me back into life’s reality.
Throughout the course of high school, I was always one of those students that would gain straight A’s without putting in much effort. Never had to study, never failed a single exam, and was always at the top of my class all four years. Unfortunately, this was nowhere near the case throughout my college experience- as far as I’ve gotten at least. During my high school career I attended a very unknown school that goes by the name Theatre Arts Production Company in the Bronx, New York. During my Junior and Senior year, as I was collecting information about various colleges attempting to plant my big decision on one, not once did it cross my mind that college would be such a big change and nothing like high school. Even after all the speeches thatI would receive from guidance councilor’s, teachers, even family members trying to warn my peers and I. Having that “I know everything” mentality as a teenager really stuck with me, causing me to underestimate all of the great advice those around me were providing, as well as what I would be facing the next couple of years.
When I graduated High School, I attended college the City College of New York till the middle of my Sophomore year. While attending this college, I found that the courses were much more fast paced than what I was used to, as well as the fact that in college you do not have anyone but yourself in regards to staying on top of school work. No teachers/professors constantly reminding you about due dates, no one checking up on you when, and if you end up falling behind, even parents and guardians lay off a bit given the fact that you are (basically) an adult now. This really took a toll on me throughout my freshman year, though not as much as it did my Sophmore year, which is also the year I transferred schools. During my freshman year it was a bit of a struggle due to the fact that my high school graduation year was 2021, which was within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time the school year was completely virtual, making it a bit harder to focus with so many at-home distractions. Though this did impactmy learning ability, it did not impact it to the point where my grades suffered. I was still able to obtain great grades and achieve high honor roll. My freshman year of college was on the same route in regards to virtual classes, also giving the same outcome referring to my grades. In the beginning of my sophomore year, I was still attending City College where my major was Business Management. My interests then began to shift towards the Marketing side of business management, which led me to Baruch College. This is when my academic journey took a large turn for the worst.
I was intrigued to once again start a new journey, finally feeling certain of what my set major would be. Unfortunately, the semester did not start off so strong. During the end of January 2023, my great grandmother passed away after suffering from Alzheimer’s. This impacted my family and I significantly, causing us to deal with great grief. As this being my second huge loss within my lifetime, after so many years, I was completely devastated and was honestly questioning life. My great grandmother had a huge influence on my family, and I specifically. She was always the person who kept the family together and kept peace when thingswere not always so sweet. She influenced everyone to go to church and helped my family and I gain a positive and religious perspective. Without her, my family lost its glue.
Between this loss, work and school, it felt like everything was crashing down. I felt a humungous weight on my shoulders and did not know what to do. As we all are familiar with though, life stops for no one. Meaning I still needed to get up and take care of responsibilities, including the new semester, at a new school.
My devastation reflected in my grades immediately. I had just started off at a new school, and was already doing the worst I had ever done in my entire life. Yet, I did not have the energy to put in the effort I needed to, due to the high school mentality mentioned earlier. I strongly believed that I could do the bare minimum in order to just pass these few classes, and I would be fine. Now, this was the case for most of my classes, but there was one- the one that I needed the most, Pre-calculus.
Pre-calculus felt like the absolute death of me. Not only is this course a major core-requirement at Baruch College, but it was also a pre-requisite for every single course I needed to take afterwards. I NEEDED to pass this course in order to graduate.
I was hanging on by a thread throughout Pre-calc, and towards the end I was so desperate, that I attended various tutoring sessions, studied during all my free time, as well as gave away all my work shifts in order to dedicate ALL my time towards this class. I had no time for myself and I did not want any. Fortunately, studying paid off enough for me to pass the final, but there was nothing I could do for my previous failing grades in the course. This caused me to fail the entire course by 1.5 points.
As someone that was used to having perfect grades, this felt absolutely dreadful. I was so disappointed in myself and never thought I would be in this position.
After so many days feeling sorry for myself, I decided that I needed to think positive, and I finally convinced myself that it was not the end of the world like I felt it was. I used this courage and re-enrolled in the course for the upcoming first summer session that would begin in just 3 weeks. This time, I told myself that I would pass the course with a B or higher. No excuses.
The summer session began and I applied myself more than I ever have before, genuinely learning the material and actually finding enjoyment in completing assignments and tests. Rather than waiting till the last minute and allowing life’s obstacles to take such a huge toll on me, I gave it my all throughout the entire month, overachieving and passing the course with an A. This is what my great grandmother would have wanted me to do anyways.
The main lesson learned from this experience is the importance of genuine effort and perseverance for success, as well as preventing obstacles to consume me greatly.