Wednesday, October 24, 2007

College Life at The University of Arizona


Greetings from hot and dry Arizona!

My name is Gillian. I am a freshman here at the University of Arizona. It is my 3rd month here, and the college life is treating me well.

I am an on-campus resident here. The rooms in my hall are a bit small, but not uncomfortable. I am so fortunate to have such wonderful suitemates. My roommate and I get along well. We go grocery shopping together, stay up late and talk about our personal lives, and we even hang out on the weekends together sometimes. I got very lucky because so often I hear horror stories about roommates that don’t get along at all!

I am a nursing major here at the UA, so I have to take many science courses. Currently I am taking chemistry and biology along with a few other classes, including this English class! Biology has been my toughest course this semester, but I believe in myself and I know I will succeed.

A typical weekday for me would be to wake up around 7 am for my 8 am class. This semester I have two back-to-back morning classes. After I am finished in the morning, I go back to my dorm room and take a two hour nap. I get up around noon, eat lunch, and do homework before my afternoon class at 3 pm. In the evenings I usually attend optional class discussions which are helpful if I do not fully understand the material. Other nights of the week I go to club meetings or events for the UA pre-nursing club. Once my day is over, I stay up and study. I usually don’t get to bed until around 1:30 am. It’s late, but I always have a lot of studying to do! My schedule then repeats itself the following day.

On weekends, usually I sleep in, of course! Then I get some of my homework done so that I can get a head start. Afterward, my suitemates and I usually run errands to places such as the grocery store or the drug store. Then, we spend the rest of the afternoon doing fun stuff. We enjoy shopping at the mall, seeing movies at the theater, or taking walks around campus. In the evenings, my suitemates and I get dinner at local restaurants or just on the UA campus. Later, we will all get dressed up and primped to go out and party! The late night is when the day gets fun! I think my favorite part of college is the social aspect. I am a very friendly person and I enjoy talking to and learning about new people. Going to social events such as parties is a great way to make friends!

In my opinion, the most difficult part of college is the exams. Typically, a course has little homework, so there are not many points to be earned, but the exams are each worth 100 to 200 points. This is why it is so important to know and understand the class material thoroughly. The work is stressful, but it is imperative to keep a positive outlook. I think some essential characteristics to have in college are motivation, determination, and independence. They will surely lead you down the path to success.

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