With a new school year, new home, and new lifestyle comes new goals and targets. I hold myself to high standards so my goals are going to take a little extra effort but I am up for the challenge. I’m both anxious and looking forward to many things at college. One of the things I am looking forward to most about college is the opportunity to meet new people. It’s important to keep some ties to high school but is also essential to kind of separate and create a new identity. With 45,000+ students on campus, I look forward to meeting a lot of new people. I am also looking forward to learning how to live on my own and have a lot more freedoms then I had in high school. There might be a lot of trial and error where I will learn and gain information from every mistake I make or every great thing I come across. Lastly, I am beyond excited for football games. I have been to probably 8-10 games in the past and have had the time of my life at each one. Now I get to be in the student section and be at every home game cheering my team on. How many students from other schools can say that they have the opportunity to be with 107 thousand friends and family every weekend? That is a great opportunity and I am so ready to be cheering real loud for Christian Hackenberg, James Franklin, and company.
With the positives of being at a school with 45,000 students, there also comes a few negatives. I am anxious to be around so many kids every day that for the most part I have never met before. I am also anxious to find the right people and clubs for me. I am a little nervous for the heavy course load that I am taking in the summer and fall, but after all that’s what college is all about. I have to work my butt off for four years so I can earn my diploma and degree. I am very proud of what I did in high school, but also realize I could have done a few things differently. First I wish I  would have studied for tests a little bit more spread out and wish I would have studied a little bit each day. I got caught trying to cram the night before the test. Also I need to not be afraid to ask for help or for a tutor if I need it. Tutors are here on campus for a reason; to help students that need a little extra instruction. Lastly I need to improve my note taking skills. This was a very important part of high school and will also be an important part of college.

I am looking forward to getting involved in college. First I want to be on a club or intramural basketball team. Basketball is my #1 passion in life so I definitely think I should find some way to continue it in college. Also this is a no-brainer, but, I definitely need to get involved in Thon. Thon does so many great things to give money to research for pediatric cancer. It’s all for the kids! Anything we can do to help is great, so I want to try and do my part. Lastly, this one is still up in the air but, I would love to try ski club or study abroad. I really want to visit the world and enjoy to ski in my free time. Not completely sure on those two but I definitely want to get involved in as many clubs as possible.

Now comes the goals that I plan to strive for during my time here at Penn State. First I want to get a 3.0 GPA or higher during the summer semester. I am taking two challenging classes but I am up for the task! Next I want to get through my freshmen year without more than 1 C. I think that is possible and achievable and I am aiming for it. My last goal is to graduate in 4 years or less. I know many people have this as their goal, but in today’s day and age it is becoming more and more popular that colleges are requiring students to do a fifth year. This would cost much more money and I want to get a job in the work place after my four years here at Penn State. Can’t wait to spend these next years trying to tackle these goals.

WE ARE!!