It's Not Easy

My mom has always said, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” In other words, anything that is worth accomplishing in life will not be easy to obtain. I have made this saying my motto in life. I have done my best to do everything to the best of my ability and be content with the outcome. Through my first semester at East Carolina University, this motto has been put to the test. Some days, some assignments, and some classes have pushed me to my limits. I was in the middle of my first semester of college and all I wanted to do was give up and go home; however, in the back of my mind I had to remind myself that if getting a college degree were easy, then everyone would have one.

I was homeschooled from Kindergarten to graduation. I was used to always being with my family, knowing exactly what was expected of me, and was completely comfortable in my surroundings. As the aspect of college continued to come closer, I started to worry. I didn’t want to leave my family, my house, my friends, and my familiarity. I knew that going to college had to be my decision and that it wasn’t going to be easy; however, I remembered my life motto.

I got on campus and came to the realization that college was a good fit for me. I still didn’t like being away from my home and family, but I was becoming content with where I was in life. I enjoyed my classes, my professors, and the things I was learning. As the semester progressed, classes got harder, tests got longer, and my stress level got higher. To put it simply, I was tired. I called home already knowing what I would be told, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

I made it through the semester and was looking forward to getting a break. The only thing standing between me and my much-anticipated break were finals. If I thought the middle of the semester was stressful, I was in for a big surprise. Finals were the most stressful things I had ever been through in my entire life. I studied as hard as I could. I took each test to the best of my ability. Some grades were not as satisfactory as I had hoped and some grades were more than satisfactory. Throughout the entire week, I had to remind myself, “If college were easy, everyone would be here.”

I had my ups and downs last semester; however, I learned many important things. I learned that college is not as scary has it seems. It is definitely different and takes time and effort to get used to. I learned that finals are a part of getting a college degree. They are not easy, they are not fun, and they are very stressful, but with the proper mental, physical, and emotional preparation finals can be successfully accomplished. Of all the things I learned, the most important things are that gaining a college degree isn’t easy, it can be very stressful, and it can be a challenge; however, if it were easy, everyone would have one.