Definition Of Success

Submitted By syd_the_kid_94
Words: 1290
Pages: 6

College is a lot different than high school. Many people enter college expecting to have a good time, learn new things, meet new people, and have a new sense of direction. They soon find out that college comes with many challenges and struggles. Many college students experience a great deal of stress, especially when they are trying to balance classes, job and social life. As students, we often find ourselves exhausted because there just does not seem to be enough time in the day. Putting in long hours and worrying about classes adds stress to a student’s life. The fear of failure and not measuring up to expectations adds more pressure to an already stressed-out student. College also has many rewards if a student does not get burned out and gives up.
Success means different things to different people. Success for me as a student at TC3 means passing my classes, having something fun on the weekends, having money in my pocket and gas in my car or something like that. I know my personal definition of success will change as I get older depending on where I am or what stage I’m at in my life. This semester has been a learning experience for me in many ways because of my experiences last semester and personal experiences that went along with every decision I made. Last semester was one of my worst semester(s) academically so far. I have ADHD and anxiety disorder so I have a hard time focusing, studying and sitting for long periods of time. As a result of my anxiety disorder, I have spent a lot of time trying to fit in rather than focusing on my school work. I was placed with roommates that often skipped class and did not focus much on school work. In an attempt to fit in, I made my school work secondary too. At the end of last semester I realized the atmosphere with my roommates was not good for my study habits or my personal well-being and I changed to a new room. I moved to a different dorm and am currently living with two student athletes who have to stay focused on their school work in order to maintain their position on the basketball team. This has helped me stay focused as well. So I can complete my work on time. I study more often by starting to study a week before each test and I study and review a little bit each day. I try to do this for each class. This semester has been a lot different than my past semesters. I am spending more time studying and getting my work done and this is helping because I’m passing all of my classes.
I am taking five classes and I’ve had successes and challenges in most of them. Most of my challenges are making sure I end up with a passing grade by the end of the semester. One example of a success and challenge is my programming recreation class. We have a semester- long programming project which is really stressful. We had to get in groups and come up with a program to design, plan and run. My group came up with a 3 on 3 basketball tournament to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. I love the idea we came up with because one girl in my group is on the basketball team and another girl is a veteran herself. My grandfather is a veteran too so this hits home for me. This is a very intensive project and it is a huge time commitment. My group has been meeting every Wednesday and Thursday to work on it and the tournament is being held this Friday in the gym. I’m so excited, but nervous too, to see how our program turns out. You need a 70% on the project to pass the class. My first aid and CPR class is another example of success and challenge. The class is really fun because we get to practice our techniques on dummies. The stressful part of the class is the huge exam at the end. You need a 70% on the test to get your first aid and CPR certification. If you don’t get a 70%, you have another chance to take the test. If you get a 70% or higher this time you get your certification but if you don’t, you fail the class. This test is stressing me out so much.