This last year

The university year is drawing to a close and with the stress and sleep deprivation that is sure to come with this semesters exams, I have begun to look back on the changes this year has brought.

First year at college, first year at university, first year away from home. Safe to say its been a big shift from the year before. Such a big change in fact that I think adjustment has been the dominant focus of life for the last 12 months.

It has only been recently that I have managed to truly settle into a routine that successfully balances academics, social commitment and personal health. University is enough of a change from secondary education to truly upset most peoples study habits. Add into this the overreaching social aspects of first year college. It leaves precious little time for other aspects of life; family, sleep, keeping healthy. Trying to work all of this into life is of course manageable, and it is not as if the average college kid has it rough by any means. The issue lies with the lack of balancing skills that I sorely needed during my first semester. I was constantly going from one extreme to the other. Week long study sessions followed by a three week long abstinence from anything academic. A very poor method of management that showed through in my end of semester results.

As far as advancing my education I feel I haven't really achieved much. Currently I am completing my first year of an arts degree while still having not chosen a major. At this rate I am set to become a veritable jack of all trades but master of none. Thankfully I have applied for law at QUT next year, hopefully a solution to my lack of direction.

While college is a wonderful institution I feel now, after a year of attendance, that college most definitely has  a lifespan. While the social aspects are unforgettable and the friendships forged will surely be lasting ones, college students engage themselves solely with college, to the point of excluding the outside world. Three years of attendance and I'm sure I will be ready to move on to a life that is a bit less vapid and far more productive.

In summary this past year has brought me a great deal of learning but as far as real achievements that can be measured in a tangible sense, next to nothing.