Dominique R. McGhee
HottyToddy.com
When I was preparing to graduate from high school and enter college, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what it would be like. By the end of the first month, I realized I had been incredibly mistaken.
I have learned a lot, and I still find myself learning things outside of class that I never thought I would have to learn. I would like to share some of my experiences. It’s only right to spread the wealth.
- Nobody cares about you or your sad story.
I learned this my first semester actually. I overwhelmed myself by taking on a 17-hour course load. I reached out to my adviser at the time for help. No such luck. I was immediately told to quit my major.
That was it. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Just quit. I was completely taken aback and insulted. He didn’t have the time to explain to me why he thought that or to set up a time for us to have a discussion about my options. To be clear, I never wanted anyone to hold my hand, but the slightest compassion, understanding or patience is not too much to ask, is it? No, because nobody cares.
- People suck.
After switching to journalism, I found out how unreliable people can be. I recall many a time that I have been on the brink of tears and pulling my hair out because people I made contact and arrangements with just left me hanging.
I don’t know why I hadn’t realized that people do not care about my time, but it was a great wake up call. People suck because they are human, and the only thing you can do is try to be a less sucky person. I do small things like compulsively checking my emails and making phone calls in the corners of rooms, because I have been on the other side, and it’s pretty lonely over there.
- I mean it, people really suck.
Guys in particular suck, and I have had my fair share, but I have to take responsibility for some of the situations I got myself into as well. Like the sneaky, shady guy from freshman year who I had expressed to my mom via text messages that I felt he was sneaky and a liar.
I never have anything to hide, so I don’t take my cell phone with me when I leave a room. Of course the little rat looks through my phone and obviously got his feelings hurt. He then decided to proceed to call me out and catch me in a lie. No. If you want me to hurt your feelings, I gladly will and put you in your place.
On a separate occasion, while I was sad about my less than stellar grades during my first semester and needed comfort, I was told by him that I was just looking for attention. Needless to say, we don’t speak anymore.
- There is hope even in the worst of times.
I could not write an entire story based on the negative experiences that I have had. That would be unfair, even though – honestly – there have been more bad than good, but the good was pretty great.
I am in a major that feels natural to me now, and I am excited about a future that isn’t solely based on my potential salary. Last semester, the once barely B GPA I had was closer to a 4.0, and the my scholarships were reinstated, which meant more spending money from my dad. #winning
Some of the people I have been able to interview and come in contact with allow me to have engaging conversations that make me think more. It is even better that now I feel confident that I am able to hold my own in these conversations.
And lastly, while I don’t have the colorful group of friends I imagined I would have, I have found a couple of people that can handle me and all that comes with me.
These lessons and the many others that I have learned during my time here make me feel more confident that I will make better decisions when I prepare to choose a university for graduate school. Hopefully, I have grown out of my naivety and will be more realistic with the experiences I have had.
