The Playlist to my Freshmen Year

Can I be real for just a second. I'm reflecting on this past year, and I honestly don't know what happened and how it flew by within a glance. So now I am thinking of the opportunities taken and those missed, the resources that I evaded and the one's I used the most. I walked into the Rutgers' community intimidated, I knew there would be no more handholding and it wasn't like I was looking for a handout but just a little support. And now that the end is here, I am trying to remember all the things I did and the only way I can, is by incorporating something that has always been near and dear to me, my music. So I kind of just want to go through the Rutgers experience in terms of my music, the soundtrack to my freshmen year life... THUG LIFE!

Ok, so I am no Tupac and I did not lead a thug life. If anything I grew up in a suburban neighborhood and was afforded many opportunities. But the reason why I chose this song was because Tupac is pretty much thanking his mom. I knew that this new leg in the journey to my future would not be possible without the love and support of my mother. Since day one she has always been by my side, and has been a useful tool when it came to my Rutgers experience because she is an alum. I think that in college you will do whatever possible to really start becoming an independent adult, but in the end some battles cannot be won alone and you need your parents. I can honestly say that a lot of the mistakes that I learned from this year could have been avoided if I just listened to my mother, but it's life and I learned a lot from taking he occasional fall. In the end, I do appreciate my mom because without her, I doubt I would be as motivated and level headed as I am in college.

This song is the most accurate portrayal of my class selection process. In true fashion to my freestyle life, when I went about picking classes for this past year I was all over the place. Without focusing on the core requirements I had to meet and what degrees I wished to pursue, I went into webreg like a child on Christmas and opened up presents that really held no significance in the long term. Fortunately, I still managed to meet some requirements but I honestly do wish I had sough more help. After having an academic advisor meet us in one of the NSO classes I realized that not everything is as easy as it seems, and that in order to get things done you do need help. For any of you who may still not know, there are four places where one can seek academic advising and they are: College Ave Milledoler Hall, Douglas Campus College Hall, Livingston Campus Lucy Stone Hall, and Busch Campus Busch Campus Center.

Let's be honest, I am no longer a spend thrift because college is expensive. In high school I held down one job and made a very high salary compared to my peers, but in college to maintain the life I had become accustomed to, I picked up a second job and still found it hard to do what I wanted. That's when I learned that it was no longer about me, but about how to focus on what I needed and not on what I wanted. This is also when I became one with the love of my life, financial aid. Yes, our relationship is more giving on my part than taking but what we have will last a lifetime well at least a couple of years. The financial aid process is grueling to say the least, from all the countless things one must fill out to the little aid that I receive, I found that working was now necessary in order to help further my education. But when you have questions on the financial aid process never hesitate to ask: Office of Financial Aid 620 George street

I will only speak briefly on this, but relationships in college are strenuous. I learned a lot from them and I have now decided that for now at least, I would rather focus on my education. In the beginning of the semester I was more focused on building and fixing a relationship than on my actual studies and for that I suffered. But in the end, it was well worth the test.

In conclusion, this has been an interesting year full of growth, headaches, a little heart break, and a lot of learning. But in the end I can't say that I would trade this experience, or change colleges for a chance to re-do it. I now know what I plan for my majors and minors to be thanks to the help of upperclassmen who because mentors and professors who led me in a great direction. I know how I plan to attack next year, and this summer will only add to my ever growing list of achievements and lessons.