My first day in college was a busy one, to say the least. I arrived in campus just before classes started and spent the first few hours of class writing my essay, rewriting it, and then editing it. A lot of that day’s activities were rather disorganized and disinteresting, but I’m certain my time in college was one of my most valuable hours. I learned a lot about myself and about college in the process. Today, as an adult still pursuing an education, I write college essays and select my topics based on what I know now.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I enrolled in my college. I knew that I wanted a bachelor’s degree, but the only two choices were either to take general education courses or major in a specific area of study. My first encounter with college was a quick introduction to the requirements for each type of program. My advisor, a rather perceptive older male, explained to me that I needed to complete a minimum number of general education credits and a major, in order to declare my Bachelor’s degree.
It didn’t dawn on me at the time that my educational opportunities would turn out to be so limited. The educational opportunities that I had imagined for myself included a brilliant career in creative writing or journalism. These ideas occurred to me while I sifted through the pages of university publications in search of information about college. The college essay is one of the central pieces of college writing, and that particular day in college was no exception. It is my very favorite part of the college experience, so I spent many happy hours during my days as a student trying to create that best-written college essay.
My first day in college was also my first day of writing. I spent all of the allotted hours of writing that week, but it was not a productive amount. Rather than utilizing those hours towards my education, however, I cranked them out in an attempt to finish my college application and get into the university of my choice. I spent three solid months writing my college essay, cramming to get it done before finals. Now, I am preparing to write my master’s degree application, which I expect will require a great deal more writing on my part.
I have to admit that I used some “black hat” methods of writing my college essay. I chose to include verbatim quotes from outside sources in my college writing, and even went so far as to copy wording from my personal computer usage! The result: my college essay was filled with garbage. I was no better writer than the writer who wrote the original version of the college essay. I have since learned my lesson, and I will refrain from filling my essays with such needless and unnecessary college writing.
My first day in college was also the day that I decided to stop caring about my college grades. I let my pride get in the way, and I didn’t worry that I was not as good as all of my friends who had been in the same situation as I was in. Now, when I am asked to speak on behalf of my entire family, I don’t hesitate to tell the audience how badly my family’s financial situation is, or how proud I am of my step-sister for maintaining her grades despite being in poverty herself.
Another thing that I did wrong when I was writing my first day in college was to completely forget that college is a social experience. Now, I am very aware that college is a social experience – but for me, it is still just a class. I learned early on in college that if you want to impress professors, you need to keep your classmates in mind. If you talk about yourself too much in your college essays, you might end up getting into trouble with your professors. The best way to approach college is to be genuine – to talk about yourself, your achievements, and your opinions, but do not allow your classmates’ opinions to cloud yours.
Lastly, when writing your first day in college, I learned that you should write using short sentences and a few paragraphs. This means that you have less to include in your college essay. Also, remember to use proper grammar and spelling. These are not things that you need to remember over the years. Make sure to pay attention to them now, because otherwise you will find yourself forgetting them in a few years.
