The summer before my first semester at Kean university was the greatest summer ever, it was the first time that I had the summer off and a vacation. I was also the first time in my life that I was excited for summer to end and to begin school. Everything was going great as I had finally got my car over the summer, earned some money at a job, and ready to finally be treated as an adult. I didn't truly realize how much work it was going to be and how it would change me.
But the start of the new phase of my life didn't go as well as I planned, the very first semester for me at Kean was a disaster. It wasn't like high school where the teachers were on top of you every day making sure you do your work and punishing you if you don't. In college you had to do everything on your own, on your time, with out being looked over all the time. Not only was I struggling in school but all the money I made over the summer I had to spend fixing up my car that I dinged up on a pillar at best buy, and to top it all off my cousin who I was very close to and only three years older than me was already getting married. I was happy for him but at the same time couldn't help think about me and our friendship. He was getting married and moving a couple hours away to Monmouth county in south Jersey. And what I thought would happen did in fact happen, he moved and we grew apart.
By the time I was in my second year I felt like I was just going through the motions, I was doing the same routine day after day. I was passing my classes but I really wasn't anything but an average student, and I was in a huge rut. Every day would be the same thing with me going to the school, going home and watching TV until I fall asleep, and continuing that cycle over and over again. With my cousin having his own life than I became a hermit who lived in his own world. During that time though I took an elective class in illustration which I've always liked, it was one the only class I liked that semester and its where I met my good friend Mike. Mike was in the same position as me, he was a bit anti social himself and thats why we got along so well. We had other things in common as well such as music, movies, and sports but I think it was our similar personalities that had a bond. It also helped me forget about my cousin as well, who I said before I was close to but never really had much in common.
The years at Kean got easier because I was improving in all my classes and actually having a pretty fun social life for the first time in a long time. But like all good things they did not last, as one day mike told me he was a semester away from graduating. I on the other hand was about a year and a half because I was so lazy my first couple of years in Kean, while Mike was taking way more credits a semester. That semester went by so fast that I hardly remember much about it except the end where Mike and I had a blow up. He invited me to his graduation party and I blew it off, after wards we got into a fight and almost came to blows. We never made up and never seen each other again, and I fell back into my rut.
Senior year I actually had another cousin come to Kean, she is five years younger but still pretty close for such a significant age gap. She noticed the mood swings herself and believed that having family there at school with me would help me, and it did. This is the only year we'll be in school together as I'm a senior and she is a freshman, but its been the best year so far. No amount of friends can replace family. I've become so much more comfortable in my remaining year and hope to continue to be when I leave Kean.
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