Personal Narrative: My First Semester Of College

When I started my first semester at Florida SouthWestern, I found myself under a crushing amount of stress and believed I would be overwhelmed within the first week. I also convinced myself that the Cornerstone Experience was a significant waste of my time. However, throughout the semester my opinions changed as the course introduced me to several important topics that I found myself referring back to throughout the semester: financial literacy, time management and wellness and stress management. Today’s world is controlled by money, which means students should begin to develop skills in financial literacy. In becoming financially literate, students learn how to manage and invest money, how to budget money, how to handle debt and how to prepare for their future. Although many students may believe they understand financial literacy, they will find themselves struggling and in debt. Some students believe that the only way to pay for school is through loans, however, there are multiple ways in which school can be paid for. School can be paid for through federal aid loans and grants, scholarships and work study programs. When I
Within the first semester of college, students may find themselves struggling to cope with the changes college brings, some even choosing to drop out. While some stress is necessary, large amounts can be countered by eating well, exercising, sleeping properly, avoiding harmful substances and addressing mental health. Students are known to perform stronger academically when they are in a healthy state, and many students eat poorly, have irregular sleep schedules and do not exercise. At the start of the semester I was eating very poorly and averaging fifteen hours of sleep in a five-day period. After creating a schedule, I found more time to sleep, relax and eat. My academic performance has also benefited greatly from these