Back in October I wrote a post about how hard college is, even for a nerd who makes her living on supporting students graduate from college. It made sense to go for a round two as I refocus my project on the topic of college success.
This semester has been easier in some ways and harder in others. I figured out that (shockingly) if I applied myself in class, I could get A’s and do so consistently. I found myself increasingly frustrated by the quality of some of my classes, due to the amount of money I was paying and the wild amounts of hubris shown by a few professors. Near the end of the semester, I started to struggle with major personal issues, losing a close friend to cancer, learning of others close to me receiving dark health diagnoses, and watching a long term relationship evaporate in an instant. Without a doubt, the two weeks in May when everything came to a head, were probably two of the roughest weeks of my life.
What does this have to do with academic blogging? I mentioned in the previous blog that one of the reasons I returned to school was to remember what it was like to be a college student and how I would overcome obstacles. In the midst of my struggles, I found myself requiring the emotional pain reach an extraordinary level before allowing myself to reach out for help. At first, I told myself that many of my students don’t reach out in circumstances that certainly warrant help, but immediately realized that we were one and the same, just with different experience under our belt. I suddenly understood why my students won’t visit their advisor, or ask a professor for an extension or admit to their coach (me) that it’s time for a new strategy. I also recognized how CRITICAL it was to have a community of classmates and friends who would both lift up your spirit, but also support you to succeed academically. One day, I had two classmates come over to my house and work next to me, in silence, just to give me confidence everything would be okay.
I also recognized that well designed support systems work. This is an obvious insight, but one that is critical to my success. I knew I could reach out to my supervisor and trust he would support me, rather than scold me. I knew that I had a student supports team I could reach any day of the week, with one easy click. I also knew how to request special circumstances (though that system could be improved).
I’ve come out on the other side of the scaries, having gotten what I asked for in wanting to remember why school was hard. I’m grateful for being in a place where everything was going for me at school, when nothing was going for me in my brain. Now, I have to translate that experience into solid research and stories for those who may have forgotten just how hard it is to get a degree.
