Submitted by Brooke S.

I am passionate about trying to make our world a better place. I want to help our environment and save the planet. I want to help advocate the importance of stopping pollution, saving electricity, reduce-reuse-recycle, conversing water, and using less paper.

I am currently taking many classes that don’t relate to my major or my main interests. However, these courses can be beneficial and help me in some ways. All my classes are General Education courses, which we are all required to take and so I am one step closer to getting my degree. 

I realize now that I am a very strong person and I can get through anything if I have a positive mindset. I also realize my self-worth and how I deserve to be treated by others. I’ve learned that if a person is meant to be in your life then they will be and if they aren’t, then there is a reason behind it. I’m so thankful for all the amazing friends that I have and to have the opportunity to make new ones here at SDSU. 

I believe that is is useful to reflect and imagine a new way of looking at things. Rather than focusing on the negatives of tough experiences, you should look at the good things that came out that experience. I believe that everyone would be happier if they focused more on the positives in life rather than the negatives. 

The most essential piece of advice I would give incoming freshman commuter students entering SDSU would be to not be afraid to talk to people and make new friends.  It is important to have other students as resources in your classes if you ever have questions or miss a class. Along with this, it is nice to have friends to hang out with in between classes, so make as many friends as you can.  At the beginning of the semester, I was very shy and afraid to talk to new people and therefore I spent most of my time alone. However, as I became more comfortable, I started to talking to more students and now I have many friends who I hang out with in between my classes and I feel more included.

There are many qualities that it takes to be a successful student in college.  In order to have success in college, a student must have motivation, persistence, support, and must be well-organized.  In order for a student to achieve their goals, they must have the motivation to want to get an education and be willing to work hard.  Along with motivation, a student must also have persistence when faced with challenges. If a student receives a bad grade or is faced with a challenge, they need to persevere in order to be successful rather than giving up.  To hit a road bump does not make you a failure. If your brain starts telling you that you don’t belong in college, or that you don’t deserve to be in college, tell it to quiet down. You do belong here. It is important to acknowledge that college is not meant to be easy. It is full of challenges, just like life. Please realize that in order for any student to be successful in college, whether they are an honors student or barely got in, it is essential that the student knows who their support system is and who they can go to with any questions.  Lastly, a student must be organized in order to be successful, knowing where their work is and prioritizing their time. I believe that I have improved in all of these throughout this semester. Although college was a difficult transition at first, I have now learned how to better manage my time and have become more knowledgeable about the school and the resources available here.