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Darrell |
December 13, 2008Ay caramba! I’ve always heard horror stories about “Finals” week in college, but even I was surprised by how hectic this last week was! There was SO much studying to do, essays and speeches to prepare, and not to mention, packing for home on Friday. In spite all the chaos, I had to admit that there was a hidden blessing somewhere here. Being subjected to all this pressure actually made me work twice as hard, especially when it came to studying. Unfortunately, I’ve never been very good with studying, which I’m still trying to deal with. However, knowing that I had so many finals/tests to study for gave me that extra push I needed to stay focused as well as wanting to attain the best grade I could. In fact, I was SO dedicated to my studies that I not only kept all social contact to a minimum, but ended up managing my time very well, and came up with my own schedule for the following days. Pressure does the weirdest things, doesn’t it? If I said that I immediately jumped on the ball as soon as Finals week hit or even the week before, it would be a blatant lie. In fact, it took a rock-bottom moment (Yes, I hardly expected it either, but regardless, it did happen.) for me to make the real change I needed in order to rise above my current circumstances and truly succeed. While it was somewhat sad that it took that moment for me to realize and reflect on some of the mistakes I made during the semester, it was indeed an eye-opening experience and something I desperately needed. Everything actually pulled itself together after that. My appearance, which I had let “go to the dogs,” so to speak, I began taking more pride in. Whereas I had not quite been able to find a balance between my social life and my studies, I did so quite well, by fully minimizing social contact with friends. Where I had not been able to sit down, focus, and study my class materials before, I found myself doing so to the fullest extent. I found myself making more and more trips to the Rec Center and exercising self-renewal, although they had dwindled previously. Even my room, which had become somewhat of a disaster area, I was able to clean up and leave shiny and new. (I don’t think I’ve ever smiled more than when I finished.) Overall, these new changes helped make Finals week more of a breeze than I would have ever thought possible. I made overall A’s and B’s on all of my finals, and departed my classes having made a lasting impression with my efforts. With that said, I look forward to an enjoyable Christmas break with my family and more new experiences, people and memories in the upcoming semester. |