Four Months Into My Future…

My first semester as a freshman at Mizzou has really been rewarding for me. I came into college with very bad preconceived notions about how fun or interesting my time at Mizzou was going to be. All I really knew about Mizzou was a good percentage of my graduating class, and everyone before mine, was at Mizzou. I was really concerned go to school in Missouri would be the same experience as high school all over again. Fortunately, my experience at Mizzou has surpassed all expectations and even just one semester into it, college seems promising to only get better as time goes on.

So far I’ve remained mostly inactive in clubs and organizations but for now I prefer it that way because I am still trying to teach myself to manage my time really efficiently. I have enjoyed my classes this semester and participated in a lot of the great opportunities Mizzou offers students. Since coming to Mizzou I have utilized the Rec Center a lot and it has helped me stay in shape and even improve some areas of my fitness. Also, I have used Ellis Library a lot in recent weeks to improve my study habits because of the quiet atmosphere and quick resources.

Beyond schoolwork, life as a freshman has been really rewarding. I never thought it would happen so quickly, but I have made some really good friends here. Some people I gotten to know so well that I have been invited to stay with them over winter break, and most everyone I meet makes me want to share my home town with them. Most of all I never expected to find new best friend material in my first semester. See, I left a huge, very close-knit group of friends in high school when we all left for college and I was very concerned that I would really lose out on all lot the activities we did together.

At home, I could always find solace in photography and my friends loved having me take their pictures or perusing my portfolio every time I added photos to Facebook. At Mizzou however I felt very distant from my passion even though I knew I was in the right place for photojournalism. I just couldn’t stand taking a 6-month break off freelance shooting and just all around enjoyable photography. I began feeling depressed because my classes weren’t as involving and interesting as I had hoped and I had no escape in my free time.

Then came Vince. Vince lives in the room next to me but not my suite mate. In mid-October, Vince and I were both going through a rough patch in adjusting to college and dealing with girls. We listened to each other’s problems, there were a few pep talks on each side and I knew that Vince was a better, more real friend than most people I had met so far.

In early November I took a weekend trip to Chicago to visit a high school friend who was going to school at Depaul University. The time away from Columbia helped alleviate some the stress and pressure I felt from classes. Afterwards I was able to focus and apply myself much better on my papers and tests assigned before Thanksgiving Break. Immediately following break, final papers and projects in nearly all my classes began to pile up, and it looked like a debilitating stress level might arise from the workload. Fortunately though, this I got by with a little help from my new friends.

This semester has been sad, exuberant, rewarding, sleep depriving, fun, chill, sweaty, hot, cold, early and late mornings, coffee and soda, hard, easy, long and short. I have learned more about human nature and myself this semester than all of high school could’ve taught me. Though I have had a great time, I would never consider repeating this process, as I don’t think I could survive round two. I’m looking forward to next semester more and more with each day that brings it closer.

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~ by bwphoto4life on December 16, 2009.