As a senior looking back to freshman year I regret a lot of things I wish I could change. 

When growing up throughout high school it’s repeated to you constantly, “Freshman year really counts.” It’s repeated to you so much you think as a freshman, that’s not true. I know myself as a freshman I thought to myself, “Oh it’s just a B.” I always thought to myself in a negative manner and really didn’t care for my grades as much as I should.

As a senior, I realized that all these people repeating this to me were really telling me the truth. At times I feel emotional because I wish I could have taken advantage of this because I know I won’t be able to get into the best schools I could’ve got into. 

We have been in online classes for a semester and a month now. Being home away from friends has caused me to feel lonely at times but gives me the motivation to proceed hard with my studies. Being at home while on zoom has actually helped me raise my grades more than I have ever thought possible. I guess you could say this is sort of an advantage for me because now I study the most I can and don’t procrastinate as much as I did in school. What I do now is set a schedule for myself throughout the day on what I’m going to do. This has helped me in the long run with mentally building myself up to be strong and independent. Due to the pandemic, it has shown me that it is okay to be lonely in some ways which loving yourself matters the most. Everyone’s hard work pays off in different ways and on different roads.

Some advice I can give to all my classmates is to love yourself and take some time for yourself to grow along with focusing on your studies. Everyone is strong and unique in their own way.