Year One: Reflections from a Rising Sophomore

Dear Future,

It has officially been well over a month since I’ve finished my first year of college and moved out of my beloved room 2128. It’s been nice to finally be back home in the city, but a month or two back also means I’ve had time to let my first year experiences really marinate and develop in my mind.

Now, I’m not one to cry much but the second night back home, sleeping in my bed that I’ve known for seventeen years for the first time in a while, I BAWLED. I didn’t know where the emotions suddenly appeared from but once they came, they didn’t stop for a hot second. Naturally, it was me missing my college friends, my college life, and my college experiences, which in turn lead me down that 3AM rabbit-hole of thoughts on my future: what I really wanted at the end of my college experience and whether or not what I’m doing now is helping me on my journey towards just that.

I think this unsettling feeling of being lost while also physically surrounded by what most would consider a perfectly regular situation is something I often found myself running into, and what I’m sure many other first year college students have as well. In my first year, I found that there were so many factors of uncertainty in my life including:

1. Am I truly in the the right major?

2. Am I doing the right things to set myself up for success after college?

3. Do I even know what I want after college?

4. Are my friends that I’ve made now going to be with me in the future?

And the biggest case for me, and I know for a fact, many other first year students especially a few at my school:

1. Am I even at the right college?

Amongst these questions and many, many more that roamed my mind along with my coursework throughout the two semesters, the last one was by far the most pressing one to me. Now, the issue wasn’t per say that I didn’t want to be at my school. On the contrary, I actually was absolutely loving my college experience all throughout my first year, however the one major pressing issue that I had coming into my first year at my school, which was only reaffirmed throughout my experience, was that I was most definitely the overwhelming minority in terms of disciplines of study at my school (as well as being an Asian female in a largely Caucasian student population, with a 7:3 male to female ratio, so there’s that). Being a business management major amongst a sea of engineering, computer science, and STEM majors had been an interesting experience which has had its ups and downs.

–  Self Reflection  –

College is usually the first time you’re not living at home for the vast majority of your year, so being fully immersed, or in other words essentially yeeted, into a new environment can sometimes expose new things that you never knew about yourself before. In my case, I had always seen myself in a massive college environment (we’re talking 10,000+ student populations), therefore I thought I would hate my 6,000 and some student population. I was sorely wrong, as I realized that the smaller population not only worked out great for me academically, with the individualized attention, but also with the leadership opportunities and campus involvement. At the same time, college also actually amplified a few things that I had an idea about, such as how I love absolutely love the independence and release of pressure from the obligations of self-imposed curfews and letting someone know where, where, why, and how you’re going somewhere at anytime. I also found that I love being surrounded by friends constantly, but at the same time, when I did have the opportunity to be alone, I also love being by myself with my own thoughts and ideas (the best of both worlds!). One of my main reflections and feelings that I had felt all throughout my first year experience was just how quickly it flew by. I was able to experience so many new things, establish meaningful connections, and begin my mark on campus, but there are, without a doubt, a plethora of things I either want to do or wish I pursued more during my first year. With that in mind, I plan on going forth with my next three years with the mindset that I am here to make so many more memories, learn from my many experiences to come, and really just make the most of my time there. Before I know it, I’ll be walking across the stage in my gown with my cap in hand and a dangling tassle in the color “drab” (yes, you heard me right. Business degrees get the best color on this special day :’^) ) attached to it.

–  Academic / School Related Reflections  –

With the pros, all of my major-related courses have small class sizes which allows for a more intimate learning experience and chance to actively participate, which I’ve found that I personally thrive and gain the most from as opposed to a lecture style class. In addition, one thing that I’ve found myself capitalizing on, with the small nature of the business school, has been the opportunity to stand out and take initiative without having to go through dozens of people in order to get your idea heard and hopefully into fruition. Hand-in-hand with the opportunity to stand out, I’ve also been able to apply for positions without having to compete with as many individuals as a much larger business school. Now that’s not to say that I automatically get every position or role that apply for. Fewer people doesn’t necessarily equate to less talent, so there will usually always be other people extremely qualified for whatever you’re aiming for. What matters is if you’re giving it your best shot. The point is, if you are an attentive hard-worker and one to take initiative, you should be able to have a pretty solid standing in whatever it is you’re looking to achieve!

Now as for the cons that I’ve found, the biggest one by far has been the disparity in resources, namely career and job related connections, offered for the schools of Business and Humanities & Arts at my university as compared to the schools of Engineering and Sciences. I do understand why it is like this, given that I go to a school primarily known for its engineering and STEM studies – hell, polytechnic is in the name of the university! But at the same time, with the recent growth in students and overall interest in both the business and humanities schools, you would think that there would be greater initiatives for opportunities towards those students. I’ve found that in order to thrive in this school, at least in its current state, you pretty much have to go on, do your own research, and create your own opportunities rather than waiting on the school’s limited career resources.

Because of this, I feel that I have definitely been able to develop more of a go-getter attitude when it comes to career and academic opportunities. This in turn has translated over to other aspects of my life as well, which has landed me in positions such as a founding member and Vice President of the Women In Business club at my school in my Freshman year. Through putting myself out there for positions like that, which quite honestly I really went on a whim and was extremely unsure of whether I could handle it or not on top of my coursework, other extracurricular commitments, and social life, it turned out to be an amazing learning experience, a great talking point for internship applications, and a door to continuing to expand an initiative that I’m passionate about across my campus.

–  Social Life & Everything In Between  –

Socially, I like to think that I’ve always been able to make friends in whatever new environment I’m thrown in, especially when it’s for the long run, whether that be the transition from elementary to middle school and middle to high school (given that I live in a big city where former classmates tend to branch out to different schools, leaving me with many unfamiliar faces with each graduation). It was definitely a fun time meeting so many new people during orientation and the first few weeks after moving in, but as every college vlogger says, people really do start to settle into their respective friend groups and don’t necessarily reach out as openly as those first weeks. However, this is not to say that people aren’t friendly anymore! You can definitely still spark a conversation at anytime of the year and make new friends well past the first few weeks. It may or may not take a little more time and coordination to form strong new friendships past beginning time period because of set schedules and settled friend groups, as mentioned before, but there are always going to be people that you just click with instantly no matter what time of the year you meet! The point I’m trying to get across is that if you are also an incoming freshman, definitely take advantage of that first month openness but most certainly don’t let it stop you from sparking new friendships past that time period! The business major in me also says that you never know when one of these connections will come in handy in the future! One major word of advice that I didn’t realize coming into college was that the people that you hang out with in your first semester may not always end up being the people you end up hanging out with later on. And, hey, it be like that! College really is a time to learn how to adjust yourself to new situations and just adapt, which will more likely than not end up being something super useful and reassuring in the future.

–  Reflection (wow say that one more time, Angela) on the Future  –

When I sat myself down to brainstorm what I wanted to put in this blog post, one startling realization I came across was that I had just completed one out the four years of formal academia I will ever have in my life (unless of course I decide to pursue a Masters Degree or MBA). That seems like such an obvious and given realization but just thinking about how nearly every year of my waking life thus far has been dominated by schooling and suddenly transitioning to a completely different realm of a different structure is slightly unsettling. At the same time it is exciting to anticipate where and what I will be doing in my life at that point, and really just how nearly eighteen years of schooling, every interaction I’ve had, and the world around me has shaped me into who I will be in the future. Phew, that was a lot but what can I say, life is a lot!

Sincerely, Now

#College #FreshmanYear #Reflections #Freshman #Advice