Plans
Classes haven't even started, but college has already taught me something.
"I'm the type of person who really likes having a plan" were the first words I said to the President's Scholarship Program Director a few weeks ago when I sat down to ask him some questions I had about classes and Georgia Tech. He responded simply with a grin and chuckle saying, "That may have to change." As our meeting progressed, he constantly mentioned the need for flexibility and an openness to change in college. I left with an understanding that my proactive behavior of planning was both a good and bad thing, and I felt that I would be able to adapt to change when necessary.
Fast forward to FASET (freshman orientation) this past weekend--a whirlwind of information and people. The meeting my new classmates and learning about opportunities at Tech was fantastic; the registering for classes, however, was not. I left my registration session registered for 1 credit hour in the fall because all of the classes I had planned out were either full or restricted by major. Feeling frustrated and confused, I left for the PS office hoping to find some assistance. What I found was a PS Director simply telling me to calm down and seek out the help of my ISyE advisor.
I didn't see what my advisor could possibly do, but I trudged over to West Campus in the heat to find her office anyway. She marked up my flow chart, looked up various classes, issued permits and overloads, and suggested a host of other directions to go in. I left her office enrolled for 4 credit hours, making myself a third of a part-time student. But the fact that I finally registered for more than one class wasn't even the best part of my visit with my advisor. After speaking with her, I suddenly felt more confident and calm. We came far from solving all the problems I had, but I just felt better after being reassured that not registering for the classes I particularly planned on was not the end of the world.
I came home that night and fidgeted with my registration a bit more, finally finding myself enrolled in six classes for a total of fifteen credit hours-a very solid first semester. Two of those classes are actually in my specific majors and I am ecstatic to learn more about the fields I have chosen in my first semester.
In my first two days as a Georgia Tech freshman, I learned more about maturity and independence than I have in the past seventeen and a half years. We are often told that things can't always go the way we want them to, and it's our innate stubbornness that often makes that hard to accept. But now I have firsthand experience that when things don't go the way I planned, they usually turn out better.
I know it's summer and no one really wants to think about the future and college and work and all of those wonderful "adult" things, but I think it never hurts to have those things in mind. I have finally learned that having those things in mind and planning them out to a T are two very different things, and the latter isn't necessarily better. So have an idea of what you want to do and who you want to be, but always remember that it's just that. An idea. It isn't concrete. And the only way to strengthen it is to flow with it and allow it to be changed, altered, and most importantly, improved. Because in the end, plans are overrated.
Fast forward to FASET (freshman orientation) this past weekend--a whirlwind of information and people. The meeting my new classmates and learning about opportunities at Tech was fantastic; the registering for classes, however, was not. I left my registration session registered for 1 credit hour in the fall because all of the classes I had planned out were either full or restricted by major. Feeling frustrated and confused, I left for the PS office hoping to find some assistance. What I found was a PS Director simply telling me to calm down and seek out the help of my ISyE advisor.
I didn't see what my advisor could possibly do, but I trudged over to West Campus in the heat to find her office anyway. She marked up my flow chart, looked up various classes, issued permits and overloads, and suggested a host of other directions to go in. I left her office enrolled for 4 credit hours, making myself a third of a part-time student. But the fact that I finally registered for more than one class wasn't even the best part of my visit with my advisor. After speaking with her, I suddenly felt more confident and calm. We came far from solving all the problems I had, but I just felt better after being reassured that not registering for the classes I particularly planned on was not the end of the world.
I came home that night and fidgeted with my registration a bit more, finally finding myself enrolled in six classes for a total of fifteen credit hours-a very solid first semester. Two of those classes are actually in my specific majors and I am ecstatic to learn more about the fields I have chosen in my first semester.
In my first two days as a Georgia Tech freshman, I learned more about maturity and independence than I have in the past seventeen and a half years. We are often told that things can't always go the way we want them to, and it's our innate stubbornness that often makes that hard to accept. But now I have firsthand experience that when things don't go the way I planned, they usually turn out better.
I know it's summer and no one really wants to think about the future and college and work and all of those wonderful "adult" things, but I think it never hurts to have those things in mind. I have finally learned that having those things in mind and planning them out to a T are two very different things, and the latter isn't necessarily better. So have an idea of what you want to do and who you want to be, but always remember that it's just that. An idea. It isn't concrete. And the only way to strengthen it is to flow with it and allow it to be changed, altered, and most importantly, improved. Because in the end, plans are overrated.
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