College Reflections

It's been exactly one month since I moved into my campus dorm. Since I have some sort of free time, I felt I should write a bit, explaining how I've come to feel over the past month.

Starting from the first day, one thing that delighted me and continues to do so: the food! Apparently my college is ranked 14th in the nation for best food, in some list or another, and it sure does live up to the number. Before I arrived on campus, my diet consisted mostly of Ramen noodles, cereal, and Pop-Tarts. This was mostly my own choice, so as not to expend too much money. But ever since the first day, at least twice I've been able to have a meal of a variety of foods. And a lot of it, as well. Trust me when I say I'm eating well here.

One of the things that has surprised me about this place is the relatively strong Christian presence. Universities are known as places where secular thinking is prominent, and people tend to lose their faith. I anticipated the place being somewhat antagonistic to faith. What I've found is pretty much the opposite. A lot of people here are Christian, with differences in how serious they are about it. It's not uncommon to hear people playing Chris Tomlin songs on their laptops. Several campus missions exist here, of which I've hooked up with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). One of my teachers, who I assumed was a non-believer due to his strongly analytical nature, is actually a faculty advisor for one of the groups! I don't have to be as defensive about my faith as I thought I would, because several others here are at least somewhat open about it, and I've yet to hear them (or myself) get any crap because of it.

Something else I am discovering is that I'm lacking in the necessary levels of self-discipline and time management. Starting about a week ago, you could say I've been pretty busy with schoolwork. Seriously, all my time not spent in class is usually spent doing something related to school work. The reading and assignments take up lots of time, perhaps more than they need to. And I believe part of the reason they expend so much time is because I'm so easily distracted. When I'm working in front of my computer, I usually have Internet access. What's on the Internet? Facebook, Twitter, message boards, etc. So many things that, often, are more interesting than what I'm supposed to be doing at the moment. One of the skills I'm developing out of necessity is being able to say "No" when I need to concerning the Internet and distractions. It's strange, but my location does affect how easily I fall into this pattern. If I'm at my desk in my dorm, it's likely I'm gonna end up at twenty other Web sites instead of my homework. Yet put me in my floor's lobby, or perhaps a library, and I'll be much more focused.

Time management is also a pain. Part of the way I operate is that sometimes, I'll find something intriguing or a creative idea will pop into my head and even if I'm trying to do something, the excitement of this new thing will hijack that. Combine this with being wont to procrastinate if something isn't due for a few days and you get a little bit of a mess.

These two things may seem a bit strange coming from a type A personality person like myself. But I suppose that in the past, my natural intelligence allowed me to do well in school and other things without much hassle. Yet somehow university is different and that kind of thing isn't cutting it. It seems I need to (gasp!) put effort in order to do well. The purpose of university is to teach us how to think, and it seems that in some aspects my thinking skills haven't grown sufficient. But hey, that's why I'm here!

Something that I've repeatedly experienced here is near informational overload. Reading seventy pages for a week's worth of discussion? Needing to know things to the most minute detail? This is new for me. Having to sort all this out is quite the challenge.

As an introvert, I've been slow to integrate myself into any social circles. Beside my roommate, I can't say I've developed any quality friendships. I have plenty of acquaintances, but not really any friends. This is something I've been proactive about since just about the first day I've arrived. Knowing my pasts follies, one of my goals has been to get active in social groups. Loneliness is not fun. It seems my main method for getting to know people better is adding them on Facebook. Admittedly, this is something of a flawed technique as people aren't really the same online as in real life. I think what I need to do is start getting to know people on a personal level. To the college's credit, I have found most people to be receptive and kind. A lot of people are willing to engage, I just need to do so as well.

This post seems like more complaining than what I intended. I do enjoy being here. Being away from home in a setting where I can better shape myself and my lifestyle. Where I am better set to pursue my goals. With this kind of freedom comes responsibility and I am slowly developing the skills to utilize this freedom to its maximum.