So, I just finished my freshman year of college (yay!), and this year has been one of the most challenging yet educational years of my life. Both inside and outside of the classroom, I have learned a ton!
1. Don't judge a book by its cover.
You've probably heard this phrase a gazillion times. Honestly, so have I, and I always agreed with it. However, I never realized how much I actually limited my social life due to prejudgments I had made about other people. If they seemed a lot different from me, or had different opinions than me about certain issues, I normally This year I branched out, I became friends with people that I never thought I would be friends with, and I am so glad I did! There were so many people that I never would have given a chance before and now they are really good friends of mine.
2. Never be afraid to ask questions.
I'm always a little afraid to ask questions (even though I always have a million of them!), mainly because I worried of sounding stupid or that it would be considered a "wrong" question. However, this past semester I tried to get out of my shell some and ask questions that I've been afraid to ask. For example, I have always wanted to know what Germany's perspective on World War II and the Holocaust was. I mean, every time I learned about WWII, there was that nagging question: Well, yes, we know that happened and it's terrible. But what do the German people think about it?
It just so happened that my World History professor was from Germany, and he was born relatively shortly after the war ended (by that, I mean, probably within ten years of it ending). Perfect, opportunity, right? As the semester was coming to a close, I was getting more and more curious as to what he would have to say about it, but I was terrified to ask him because I thought it might be offensive. But one day I told him that I had a question, and after skirting around with words for a while, he knew exactly what I was trying to ask. And what did he do? He answered my question and all the other questions I had along with it, and also told me not to be afraid to ask things like that because they're important to discuss. I felt a little bolder when asking questions after that, and really happy that I'd finally found the courage to ask.
3. Math!
Okay, so right now you're probably thinking "So what, you learned math. Everyone else in America learns that in school too..." However, I not only learned math this semester, but I FINALLY learned how to apply it to my life.
I am super appreciative of all the math teachers that have taught me things in the past. And I'm not knocking all the Algebra and Trig that I learned in high school. But there was always a question in the back of my mind when I learned it: When on earth am I ever going to use THIS? Well, this semester I took Quantitative Reasoning (it's one of the Liberal Arts requirements at school), and this course was all about how to apply math to our life. We learned how statistics can be used to calculate information and how that plays into our grades, probability and how it can be used to make predictions or estimates on certain events in our life, and we learned how to use math to make a budget and figure out monthly payments (and pretty much financial situation in our lives)! We even learned how to use Excel to do all these things for us. And now I know why math is actually relevant in my life...yay, math!
4. It's okay to change your mind.
When I first came to college, I was aiming for an Elementary Education major with a Spanish minor. I had no intention of changing that, because I thought I would be really good at it and I would have hopefully have some job security considering my university's statistic (in 2014, 100% of graduates received a job in the education field). But my passion began changing the more I became involved in the Spanish-speaking community at school and when I took two (practically three if I'm counting World Geography) history classes. I realized that I was intensely passionate about Spanish and absolutely loved learning about history and making those connections that are so often overlooked in most history classes.
I also realized that I didn't really want to be an Elementary Teacher. I was going for it because I thought I would be good at it, and because I assumed it was 100% the right path for me. At first, I completely dismissed the possibility of changing majors. To me, it was completely ridiculous that I would even consider such a thing. But as the semester went on, I realized that maybe El Ed wasn't for me. So, after much praying, fasting, and discussions with parents, professors, and friends, I decided to switch my major. Now I am officially a Secondary Education in Spanish major with a minor in history (whoop whoop!).
5. Professors are not your enemies.
Before I came to college, I was told that professors don't care one bit about their students. I was under the impression that you were all on your own if you needed help and you should be prepared for people that intensely dislike you. And while I can't speak for every university/professor, at my school, I've found that statement to be untrue.
The professors at my school are so amazing. Not only are they super nice and extremely decent people, but they are willing to go out of their way to help you. I can't even number all of the countless times I had to go to my Quantitative Reasoning professor for help, and not only would she help me with the problems, but we would talk about all sorts of stuff and she would let me sit and do my homework in her office while she graded. Or all of the times I went to my Spanish professor's office and left with potential internships or knowledge about foreign culture that I had never heard before. And these are just to name a couple. Every single one of them has been so supportive and helpful, and they never make me feel as though I'm beneath them or that my opinion doesn't matter. They've completely changed my opinion of what a professor can be and I am incredibly grateful that God put them in my life.
6. Forgive and move on.
There will come a time in your life where someone is going to hurt you. And it's very possible that they will hurt you really badly. For me, this happened as I was entering college, but the pain and the struggle to forgive raged on even into this past semester. Although I kept saying that I had forgiven them, I blamed them for a lot of the emotional and spiritual problems I was battling, and if I'm being honest, a part of me hated them.
But somewhere along the line this semester, and I don't even know when or how, I realized that I was a prisoner to bitterness. It had invaded every part of my life, even affecting my ability to make wise decisions, and it prohibited me from moving on. Finally I'd had enough, and I managed to forgive them. Now, I rarely think about them anymore and when I do, it's with compassion and not hatred. No, it doesn't make what they did right, but I have finally moved on and I couldn't be happier.
7. It's okay to expand your interests.
I always thought that I had a variety of interests before college: writing, reading, and music. But boy, if I thought that was a lot, then I have an enormous amount of interests after this year. I have realized just how huge a nerd I am when it comes to learning. Now, whenever I can, I love to research almost anything I can get my hands on, and I love to try out new things.
Whether's it's reading a history book, campaigning for a friend running for office (that was super interesting!), or going to an event where you're only allowed to speak Spanish, my interests have expanded immensely. And it's been so much fun! Even though I might be a little indecisive with my interests, I feel like maybe it's better that I know a little bit about everything. Who knows, maybe it'll help me become more well-rounded! :)
So, there you go, 7 things that I learned during my freshman year of college. And these are only scratching the surface of the lessons that I've learned and that I'm sure I will continue learning during these next three years. Until then, I can't wait to see what's on the journey ahead!
