Brian Integration 2 Professor Anthony Polotto Moreau First Year Experience 01 December 2021 Beautiful Encounters with Nasty Beginnings Before I even fathomed it, assignments began to pile up. What used to be the two-hour breaks became more like two minutes. Every inch of my schedule became occupied by the rising number of responsibilities, assignments, and tasks. I became very much confused and bewildered. How was I to use my time wisely so that I could give an equal portion to both school and my social life? This was a struggle, and as a freshman in university, maintaining this struggle became an utmost priority. Time management was my first encounter. An encounter which brought forth tension within me. Unlike high school, college provided a limitless freedom. The freedom to make decisions, the freedom to do what I want, and the freedom to live the life you want to live. However, utilizing the time accompanying my freedom became a daunting task. Allocating my time wisely to each aspect in my life became very important, because without it, success in college was not a guarantee. “…expectations are all arbitrary and not definitive rules for the only way to live life (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan – Moreau FYE Week Nine).” Due to my struggle with time management, I decided to set myself achievable expectations. Setting myself expectations were not the most ideal however because it eventually placed stress onto me. This additional stress further led me to use my time in an unconventional manner. Nevertheless, my persistent trials eventually helped me identify the best course of action in how to use my time. Moving to a completely new state for university uncovered several mixed feelings within me. As a person who had a history with mild asthma, moving to a state with a colder environment was quite intimidating. As the cold weather approached, the number of layers increased. Staying warm became an encounter, as the cold weather was something that I did not enjoy. Nevertheless, two weeks into November, I became very sick. The coughing increased, my tiredness skyrocketed, and overall, my health was not in a good place. Through UHS, I got tested and all my results turned out to be negative. I decided to take some over the counter medications, but even then, my symptoms were not decreasing but rather remained stagnant. Throughout this period of sickness, I also became very homesick. The thought of being sick and being far from home made me especially miss my parents more. At university, all my struggles, particularly being sick, was a personal fight. This encounter taught me a lot on how to be an adult. “I want people to also know that their hearts are breakable, and it’s a very good thing, that it’s worth celebrating because it allows you to grow and expand. And you get to put your heart back together (“Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop” by Grotto – Moreau FYE Week Ten).” Being ill in an entirely new atmosphere broke my heart, primarily due to the separation from my parents. The realization of being all alone in your personal struggles hit very differently, as no one understood the struggle of being sick in a different environment. But, from this experience of brokenness, I also learned to expand and adapt to new struggles. The endeavor to feel better helped me become an adult. Visiting the doctor through telehealth all by myself and picking up my prescribed medications helped me become the adult I am meant to be. Engaging with myself and growing from the pain aided my success in overturning a bad encounter. Making friends was a confusing and difficult challenge. Entering college, my mindset was to discover the meaningful relationships that would be fulfilling in a mutual way. In the first weeks of the semester, I often found myself sitting by myself, attempting to make friends. Despite this, I eventually managed to find an amazing friend group who accepted me and loved me for who I was. Being a part of this friend group is truly a blessing, especially since I managed to make a close group of friends in my first semester of college. As a group, we spend so much time together, and we all attempt to get to know each other in a personal and dear way. My friend group is very diverse, both in educational interests as well as our physical differences. Despite our differences, our mutual appreciation for each other is what makes our friendship especially strong. “‘Race’ as we use the term and classification is not a reflection of biological groups (“Diversity Matters!” by Prof. Agustin Fuentes – Moreau FYE Week Eleven).” The evident differences of race and skin color is not based upon biological principles but rather due to environmental and clinal variations. When evaluating friendships, race, and acceptance of a single group of people should not be the primary factor. Rather, embracing every individual for who they are is the appropriate way to make and appreciate a friend. Personally, my friend group is rich in diversity, but it is not our diversity and variation that makes us friends. Our mutual love and level of understanding is what unites us in a strong bond of companionship. My worst encounter this semester was a course in my schedule. Calculus A was a struggle. It was a tough class to decipher and understand. As a student that came from high school with only pre-calculus as the foundation, Calculus A brought the absolute worst in me. Starting from the beginning of the semester, I was very proficient in the quizzes and first midterm. However, following the first midterm, the material became very dense for me to comprehend. The number of hours I spent studying increased, but it still resulted with mediocre results. My scores were absolutely disheartening, and I even left one of my midterm exams crying – knowing that I failed the test. “If you had watched your patient carefully you would have seen this undulation in every department of his life – his interest in work, his affection for his friends, his physical appetites, all go up and down (“The Screwtape Letters” Chapter 8 by C.S. Lewis – Moreau FYE Week Twelve).” My bad results in Calculus A really impacted me in a different way. I started to compare my scores with others, which further led me to even questioning my intelligence. I became very unmotivated to do better in calculus since all my repeated efforts were not procuring any good results. Despite this downfall, I decided to push forward and overcome my trials and tests. Calculus A really pushed all my buttons, but it also helped me realize which study methods work best for me in math. I also was able to understand more about myself and how I respond to different levels of stress. My first semester was filled with beautiful moments of encounters. While these encounters all began in unusual and non-ideal ways, I managed to learn a lot about myself and how I either succumb or grow from pressure. The encounters I experienced greatly helped me build my realistic first semester of college. I am very grateful for these meaningful experiences.