A COLLEGE DAY IN MY LIFE: FRESHMAN YEAR

Hello everyone!  My first year of college is coming to an end (I'm heading home in less than a week!), so this post is a bit late, but I want to share it while I still can.

If you're curious about what a pre-veterinary student's typical college day looks like, you've come to the right place!  This is a brief description of a pretty busy Thursday in my life.  Please enjoy!

6:00 AM - Rise and shine!  Get ready, eat breakfast, and watch some mindless YouTube.

8:00 AM - Leave for my first class of the day.

QUOTES ABOUT FEAR

Sometimes life is a scary venture.  Unfortunately, this is all too often due to harrowing or painful circumstances--but not always.  Sometimes life is scary because we make it so;  we dwell on our anxieties about the unknown, the future, and ourselves, and we allow anxieties to develop into all-consuming fears.

Before I started college, I never realized how afraid I truly was.  I never realized how much my small, insignificant fears deterred me from living.  For many years, I let general uneasiness and anxiety accumulate until they finally paralyzed me, barring me from doing so many things that I, deep down, wanted to do.

Now I try my best to regard fear in a different light.  I am still afraid--life will always be a bit scary--but I encourage myself to overcome fear rather than bow down to it.  The following quotes have been a major source of inspiration and encouragement for me, and I hope that they will be for you, too.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -- Helen Keller

"Sometimes, fear does not subside and one must choose to do it afraid." -- Elisabeth Elliot

MY GOALS FOR 2019

Like practically every other person on the planet, I usually fail to keep my New Year's resolutions.  A few weeks into January, they become swallowed in the chaos of everyday life, reduced to a few lofty statements on a piece of crumpled notebook paper.

However, goals are a different story.  When I take the time to create thoughtful and realistic goals for myself, and I think about the steps I should take to reach those goals, I usually make concrete progress--hence the title of this blog post.

During 2019, I want to focus on how my small, seemingly insignificant actions impact other people and things in significant ways.  I also want to master a few new concepts.  Hopefully my 2019 goals can give you some inspiration for what you want to achieve over the next twelve months and beyond!

1. Keep track of my daily habits.
Our little habits and daily rituals are what we spend the majority of our lives doing, so I want to focus on cultivating more mindful habits during 2019.  I recently started experimenting with a habit tracker, and so far I've really enjoyed using it to keep track of the small yet significant activities I want to accomplish each day.

FIRST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE LESSONS

To be honest, I was terrified of starting college.  I was terrified to move to a new state, terrified to attend a huge university where I knew practically no one, and terrified to create a new lifestyle on my own.

I didn't know how--or if--I would adjust to such overwhelming changes, as stepping out of my comfort zone isn't always my cup of tea.  Of course, attending college has required me to step out of said comfort zone daily.

It wasn't easy or automatic, but I settled into a new routine.  I started to develop new habits to suit my lifestyle.  I started talking to the people around me.  I started exploring more of the campus and the surrounding area.  And eventually, I started to really, genuinely enjoy college.  In fact, I haven't been so content with life for quite a few years.

BOOKS LATELY

A favorite blogger of mine described books as "long-term companions," and I couldn't agree more with that sentiment.  One of the more troubling results of the burnout I experienced throughout my junior and senior years of high school was my apathy towards reading.  As someone who has always labeled herself a "book lover," this apathy was very disconcerting to me.

Since graduating from high school, I've gained the time--and the desire--necessary to delve back into books.  I even started a Goodreads account, which inspired me to write this post about books I'm currently enjoying and books that are on my "to-read" list.  If you have any specific book recommendations for me, make sure to leave me a comment or send me a message!

Without further ado, here are some of the books I've been reading over the summer:

The Picture of Dorian Gray
I always try to purchase at least one "classic" novel on my trips to the bookstore;  after all, certain works are considered as "classic" for a reason!  That being said, some of the novels published in previous centuries can be quite difficult to read and comprehend--some of them, but not this one.  Oscar Wilde's writing is delightfully easy to follow, and in this work he crafts a compelling story about one man's ultimate corruption.

MY COLLEGE DECISION AND MORE UPDATES

Ciao!  It seems like I haven't discussed my life happenings on the blog in at least six months.  Before I delve into that, I need to address the first portion of this post's title.

I told you that I recently graduated high school, but I have yet to talk about my college decision or any of my acceptances--mainly because May 1 (National Decision Day) fell right before a lovely onslaught of AP exams and study sessions.  To sum my experience up quickly, I applied to nine colleges and a few scholarship programs, and after many, many discussions and deliberations, I finally made a decision.

I am excited to announce that I am now part of the Class of 2022 at the University of Florida in Gainesville!  Go Gators!

I really couldn't be happier about my decision.  I've always loved visiting UF's campus, and I'm thrilled to be spending four years in one of my favorite states at a top-ten public university.

SENIOR LESSONS

Well, it has been far, far too long since I have written and published a blog post!  I'll be sure to update you on a few major events that have occurred since we last spoke, but for now I would like to focus on one of my favorite types of posts to write and read.

Since my freshman year, I have been writing these "lesson" posts to teach upcoming high school students about what I have learned during each year of high school.  Now that I am a graduated senior (thank goodness), I would like to share a little about my experiences during senior year and what I took away from my last year in high school.  Without further ado:

1. Give yourself permission to rest.
Senior year can be very stressful, and it's easy to allow yourself to become overwhelmed and overworked.  However, you will be ten times more productive and alert if you give yourself time to relax each day--trust me, it works!

2. Realize the importance of what you are doing.
If you are a college-bound senior, you will quickly learn that most colleges ask for a senior class schedule and a mid-year grade report during the application process;  in fact, many universities highly value these items as tools to evaluate applicants.  Keep this in mind when you are registering for your classes and throughout the first semester of your senior year.