A Look Back by Jenn

Ready for the final stretch?!? Let's do it! Hope every one had a wonderful break week. Talking with different students up here, every one had a different break week story ranging from house projects like moving and painting to personal problems like back spasms and sick kids. For some, break weeks are for accomplishing tasks and for others, catching up on sleep seems more important. I had a mix of catching up on school and rest, but probably the main thing I take away from break week is just getting reconnected with the family. I know none of us ever want to put family on hold while we're at school, but it inevitably happens. I've noticed that the only way to have time with family is to make time. Sometimes that means cutting out TV time in the evening or getting up early...relationships require hard work! But hopefully they know school only lasts for a few more weeks. Hang in there as we near finals!

As I'm looking back on this semester, there's a part of me that just can't believe I'm finishing up a year of college. I'm trying to remember what I thought college would be like when I first visited Corning. Let's travel back in time to last July/August when I first realized I was going to Corning. Everything was rushed and last minute because I didn't know I could graduate high school till early July. Sure enough, (surprise!) I had the credits! So off to college. I remember being nervous waiting for the placement test. I knew that I didn't need to be, but as a high school student I didn't know what this college thing was all about. I know we all want to act cool, calm and collected on our first college visit so people think that we know what we're doing. Ya, I don't know how I did with that! I had so many different ideas that I had grown up thinking college was like. Academically I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want to wonder if it would be too hard! I think I always as a kid thought that college was that really hard thing only smart people did and even though I always knew I could do it, it was always "sure I can do it, when I'm finally on my ace game". And ya, this year has been a lot of hard work but I've not always been alert (who is?!) and done my best but it's still doable. I think that's one of the great things about college is that it challenges what you personally can do, but if you're rightly placed, it won't discourage you so much you throw your hands up in surrender. There's always that promise that if you work hard, you can succeed.