This week has been REALLY good, and that’s mainly for the following important reasons:

I study.

Call me crazy, name me a freaky Freshman, declare me insane, but I am very grateful for the grades I’ve been getting. While good grades are not the only significant part of college, they sure do help, by George, considering I’m here on an academic scholarship. I pray, and I study, and I’m pretty sure those two combined do me a whole lot of good. This is the point in the semester when I have NO motivation to do anything… and neither does anyone else. But thankfully, I don’t need to worry about taking comprehensive exams or barely getting by in my courses. I will pass them all with ease, thank God. Whew. So, I just wanted to tell you… study. Like, now. Go read a book, write a paper, brainstorm a list, make a schedule, draft some ideas, find the solution, whatever be on your chore list. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun! ♪  You find the fun, and snap! The job’s a game!”

So go play it.

Bam! Just like that, three months flew by. In just a month, finals will go down, grade postings will go up, and who knows what the scores will determine. But I’ve found that grades aren’t the number one in importance. Even though they matter a ton, they aren’t the deciding factor.

Two things: First off, the campus is beautiful. Exhibit A. You must come visit (February 16th is Discovery Day! Click here)

The gorgeous cover photo of the UC Facebook page displays our fall beauty nicely, don’t you think?

The most glorious of all glories took place last week! It’s called a MUSICAL. Why did I demand that magical word be in all caps? You must know that a Music major is thrilled by most things involving professional drama or talented voicing. And musicals have both! I went and watched Seussical the Musical twice, because what else was I supposed to do on a Friday or Saturday evening? My homework? Ha! (Note: My homework was already completed, no worries.)

I love the talent here at UC. In the Spring we’re doing a Shakespearean play, and I’m already excited! I was so surprised by how professional and well-played the musical was. Not a bit amateur, in my opinion. Of course, you’ll just have to come and see for yourself if you don’t believe me. What’s even better about the musical? Two of the showing nights counted as a convo! How legitimate, we get to listen to beautiful, silly songs and friends acting on stage as a credit. Sigh. I want to go see it again. I’ve been singing the songs all day long.

I am rather thrilled to see what else November will hold. In a few weeks Thanksgiving break will be here, and after that comes preparation for Finals! Goodness gracious, I must say it’s been a great semester so far. Every schedule has its ups and downs, but no complaining necessary. My philosophy is simply, “Things could be worse!” Actually, that’s not my philosophy, that’s a line from a song in the Seussical Musical.

Thank your lucky star you’ve made it this far! Tell yourself how lucky you are!

I am taking 17 hours of classes. Essentially, that means that I am in college courses a total of 17 hours each week, not including homework or study time. I believe the maximum amount of hours a student can take in a semester is 21 hours and is never recommended. You don’t want to overload yourself!

Classes are of course very important to your college education, but they aren’t the only thing. Your social spectrum is actually another significant asset to post-secondary level success. I mean, think about it – if you have no friends to celebrate your straight A’s with after graduation, what connections did you really make?

Connections are very vital for the ultimate college experience. One of the ways students can meet new people and make friends is through different social gatherings, which are sometimes put together by different departments or by the Student Activities Board. There’s an acronym at UC that we use known as  ”CAB”, the Campus Activities Board. Basically, they plan campus-wide events for all students. This week there’s been Halloween events galore, spooky movies and safe areas to overeat candy.

During Welcome week when all we freshmen were moving in, events were held every night where new students could win gift cards, listen to bands, smash a beaten car, eat pizza, win dorm items, and more. My favorite CAB-inspired event so far was when we had a outside watching of The Avengers on the band field.

Dark sky, wet grass, and cheesy popcorn completed a perfectly chilly evening as many a student, freshman and senior alike, joined in drooling over the screen to catch every move the superheroes made. It was my first time watching this successfully-produced movie, and I was quite pleased. Honestly I would watch it again in a heartbeat, even on the first night of classes again. So, I give those producers two thumbs up, and also, I raise my pinkies to the Student Activities people at UC that planned the blessed event. God bless you all for not only bringing students together and serving free food, but also showing a legit movie! (I didn’t watch any of the Halloween movies this week on campus, because I’m easily frightened and can’t fit under my bed.)

The Avengers movie that night was like a drive-in, in the sense that it didn’t start playing until the sun went down. By the time the truly amazingly wonderfully awesome movie ended, 11pm was long gone. I’m no night owl – I love my sleep, but I guess this was one of those worth-it moments. The movie was on the night of first classes, so at least I wasn’t behind in homework or anything. It’s really important to not miss the opportunities to meet people, make friends, and have some good fun. I’ve been a little busy with homework and such this week so I didn’t get in on all the Halloween events, but believe me, I’ve had my share of candy, and have been reminiscing of The Avengers. I think it’s a pretty action-filled movie, it could be considered a Halloween one! Anyway, I’m claiming it so.

Take every chance you get to balance those college days with hoopla and study!

Classes have been in session for several weeks now, but I remember the first day like it was yesterday. Why? It was fast-paced. It was busy. And it was awkward.

There I was, arriving to my 9:25 class on Day Two of College, and all these people were sitting and standing near the doors. Introduction to Public Speaking and Old Testament were neighboring classrooms, so several students (mostly freshmen and sophomores) were huddled nearby without so much as a breath of noise. Suddenly, a really tall guy – who I later found out is from England – and I just think that’s so cool how many international students we have at UC! – walked confidently to the room and opened the door. Everyone else just kind of looked at each other before fearfully following. Within minutes, the professor arrived to a classroom full of students who would have been waiting outside if the senior hadn’t opened the door for us.

Funny how all it takes is one person to change your whole perspective. If it weren’t for that awesome, really tall British guy, we would have stayed crowded around the door for ten more minutes. That’s a pretty safe bet.

Sometimes you don’t know what to do, like when you’re starting College for the first time in a new place or you just moved away from home. Sometimes you’re afraid, because you feel alone or unsure of yourself. But it’s okay. Even in the silliest situations like waiting outside a college-level classroom, it’s okay. I don’t have to awkwardly wait for the professor to give me permission to enter. Some day I’ll be able to open with confidence the door to my life, the next chapter of my living lesson.

Some day I’ll lead others like the Senior led us that day. But one thing I want you to remember is that it is totally okay to make mistakes. When you’re deciding what college, what major, what classes,  don’t be ashamed of mess ups. Make mistakes! Make lots of them! It’s only in failing somewhere that you will ever succeed somehow.

“All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you, something great will come of it.” – We Bought a Zoo

All it takes is one person, one moment, one try, one mistake, one prayer, to turn a life around. So don’t be afraid of failing, because in failing, you’ll find you’re closer to success.

Note: I won’t be sitting outside my classrooms from now on.