Entry #4 A new way to learn

 

    From a young age, my parents explained to me the importance of going to college. They would say that it gives you the experience, knowledge and tools needed to go out into the adult world. Because of their advice, I always had this plan to finish high school, move on to college, and then get a job. It all happened so fast! Before I knew it, I was done with high school. With my senior year cut short because of the coronavirus, I knew my ideal college experience was not going to happen. So I started to prepare myself for a new stage of my life, online college.

    First, I saved up for a computer. My dad helped me choose a laptop that had all the programs needed for online learning; such as: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. Also, a priority of mine when choosing a laptop was to have the most amount of GHz I could get for the maximum price I was willing to pay ($500). GHz is the measurement of the processor speed. Speed was really important to me because I did not want my computer to be slow and collapse in the middle of me doing an assignment. The last thing I considered when buying a computer was its size. I wanted a small portable laptop, that way when I go back to campus, I can easily carry it. I ended up choosing a laptop that was 14 inches diagonally. The perfect size for me! When the computer arrived, the set up was a bit tedious. I had to go through several steps and I was anxious to get the set up out of the way so I could start navigating through my new laptop. Once I had my computer set up, it was time to get registered for the fall semester.

    Several weeks later, I set up a phone meeting with an advisor. I sent her my transcript and told her I wanted to pursue a career in business management. It was an easy process, she simply showed me the classes she recommended according to my major, and I accepted them. Just like that, my only task left was setting up a payment plan and waiting for the school year to commence. On the first day of school, I woke up early and got ready as if I were going to in-person classes. I only had two zoom meetings and they went by surprisingly fast since we only had to introduce ourselves and listen to the teacher explain how the rest of the semester was going to look like. Overall, the first week went smooth and I was completing easy assignments like student introductions and signing syllabus contracts. But after the first week, assignments were starting to get more and more difficult. The hardest thing about online learning for me is keeping track of all my assignments without my teachers constantly reminding me. So on my third week, I decided to buy a calendar where I would write out my assignments for each week, followed by the times they were due. It was a big help. To this day, the satisfaction I get from crossing off an assignment once I finish it, gives me motivation to complete them. Therefore, I was getting into a rhythm of finishing all my assignments on time and sometimes even working ahead.

    I quickly realized that college was way different than high school, especially in an online environment. In high school, I was used to teachers constantly reminding me of the homework due for the week and important projects coming up. The class would move at the same pace so whenever I had a simple question, I would ask a classmate instead of bothering the teacher. On the other hand, I do not feel as comfortable asking other students for help in college. Without face-to-face interaction, it has been difficult reaching out and making friends. On the bright side, my college professors always answer to my emails in a timely manner which helps when completing homework before the due date. Which is why it is very important to time manage in college. And even though I struggled with college in the beginning, online school has taught me important lessons about becoming an adult and taking responsibility for my own life.