Dear IAM group,
My first semester in college was not what I expected. All the stories that I have heard were about going to college parties, how college was supposed to be easy, and how college teachers never cared about their students. I saw my first semester of college in the perspective of just like high school, but just in a bigger environment. It was hard transitioning from high school to college courses and moving to a whole different city.
At the beginning of staying on campus housing I loved it. I finally got more liberty than I had at home and was able to make new friends and decisions on my own. My first semester of classes was good. I had half of my classes online and the others in person. As a first time freshman I took 16 credits, which was a lot for a freshman and I am very proud of myself for being able to keep up and pass all my classes. I spent most of my time at the library. I would spend around 4-6 hours a day trying to complete all my homework and trying to get extra credit, but it was too overwhelming and it felt like too much to be able to handle without having a distraction.
When I was in high school I was very involved with the school especially in clubs and sports. Unfortunately, I was not able to do a sport in college at the moment but I was able to be involved in a club called Off Campus Student Life Neighborhood Ambassadors.
We created ideas for student organized events and we helped students come out and participate to be able to get to know other students around campus. This club/program helped me come out of my shell and be able to not be afraid of sharing my own ideas which at times did take place and it made me be a bit more creative and have an open mind about other people's ideas and opinions. It was a safe place to be able to be myself and have great feedback from other students. The most impactful thing I’ve been able to experience is student housing, being able to bond with my roommates during the first semester has helped me adjust to college so much. Finances are very tight for my mom and I find myself constantly worried.
This semester I have to worry about having to pay my rent which means that I have to work and might be distracted from school.
The help your group provided honestly played an important factor in my way into college. I was able to pay off my first semester of housing without having to worry about whether I would have to take out a loan or not. Not only did that help me, but since you guys were able to help me I was able to wait on working for my first semester to see how college classes were going to be.
It gave me the feel of how hard or easy each class was and the time I would have to take for studying outside of class. Being a first generation Mexican American college student, having all the help we can get is very important. I am very grateful for the help that your group has given me for my college journey. Being the oldest in the family is a very hard job because there is no one that I can look up to, for example a sibling or parent because my mother did not have the opportunity to go to college. The help that you guys have provided for me has helped me significantly, and my family and I are so grateful. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, I never thought I would actually get to go to college and live on campus. This is a dream come true! Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Anonymous 1/21/22
