My Freshman Year: Counting Down and Looking Ahead

December 9, 2009 1:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Marisa - Wesleyan University g+ page

Yes, it’s true: it’s the final countdown (and I don’t mean the annoying song by Europe, because I won’t do that to you right now). The semester is drawing to a close, final exams are rapidly approaching, and we are all awaiting the commencement of winter break with bated breath.


By Marisa

Finally. Sometimes I thought it would never come.

But, you see, here’s the thing. Although I’m glad that the work is almost over and I’ll be going home to four weeks of zero academic responsibilities, at the same time, I don’t want it to end. My first semester of college has been very good to me – albeit stressful much of the time – and I wish it could last just a little bit longer. I don’t know what the future holds (a lot of work, I imagine), so I’d rather stick with what I have now – great classes, some semblance of a social life, and experiences that I’ll never forget with people whom I’ll always cherish. Though I would like to skip those final exams, if you don’t mind.

Of course, time waits for no woman. This semester won’t last forever, which I suppose is a good thing for some. It’s time to start looking ahead to January and my second semester of college. Armed with three months’ worth of knowledge on how to handle the college life, I should be able to breeze through the spring without too much trouble. Right?

Well, the more I think about it, the more I start to believe it might not be that much of a cakewalk. There’s the second (and infinitely more difficult) introductory film analysis course I’m taking next semester in which I must get a B+ or better to even apply for the film studies major…yikes. And the English class I’m taking is rumored to be unusually heavy on the reading; while I do love to read and the syllabus looks incredible, I don’t want Thomas Hardy and Oscar Wilde to completely consume my life. Then there are the two science classes I’m obliged to take in order to get my distribution requirements out of the way. Me + science/math = a very sorry equation.

Okay, so the academics are still going to be tough. But, hey, what else can you expect from an institution of higher education? Classes aside, at least, the next semester should be easier to deal with. I’ve already adjusted nicely to life on campus, I’ve made a fantastic group of friends, and I’m involved in some extra-curricular activities that I enjoy. If I could survive the fall, I’ll be able to survive the spring.

I hope.

Maybe looking ahead this intently isn’t such a bright idea right now, when I have finals to worry about. But all my worries aside, I’m positive that the spring semester is going to bring with it some of the best experiences of my life. And warm weather…thank God.

What are you looking forward to most about starting a new semester of school?

2 Comments on "My Freshman Year: Counting Down and Looking Ahead"

  1. sol says:
    Sat, 14th Jul 201212:00 am 

    make corrections and put in the acutal tax information. For example, my daughter was attending Fall 2010. On Jan 1 we did the FAFSA as an estimate using our 2008 taxes, then as soon as we got or W2s and did our taxes for 2009 we made the corrections on the FAFSA. Why file an estimate: Because colleges are all given so much grant money and its given to students first come, first serve, even if you qualify if you file later, it may be gone. So file early!How much do you get: Federal aid is offered given to students based on their financial need. Your financial need is determined based on the questions you are asked on the FAFSA which will be about income, amount in banks, property owned, stocks and the like, as well as questions about your current home situation, how many, how many in college at the same time etc. These questions will determine your financial need. They use all the info to determine your EFC, estimated family contribution which is the amount of money your family is expected to pay for your college because they can afford that based on your financial picture. This EFC amount is subtracted from the cost of the attendance (also called school budget) and the result of this is your financial need. COA/student budget is tuition, books, travel personal expenses, housing, fees. You can get an estimate here: . fafsa4caster. ed. gov/F4CApp/index/index. jsf Even if you do not qualify for federal grants or work study you may qualify for federal loans which most all students have. This EFC and recap of your FAFSA will be put in a report called SAR, student aid report. You get an email this is ready in a week or two if you did it online and it can be viewed on the FAFSA home page #3. Keep in mind the student budget or cost of attendance is an estimate. My school had used out of state tuition and included travel expenses where as we live in state and live close buy so I had accidentally took out 4000 too much in loans and the financial aid office notified me of this and helped me cancel my loan. So its best to look at your school website, current tuition, estimate 1000 a year for books, see the acutal cost of the exact housing and meal plan you want and estimate like 300 in fees so you get a more acutal cost of attendance. You can add travel and personal expenses so you take out enough loans to cover everything. Just something to keep in mind and look out for. The only way you will know what federal aid you qualify for is the colleges you listed on the FAFSA will be sent your SAR and a financial aid award created for you based on your financial need. Each college award will be different, as the cost of attendance is different, colleges have their own aid to offer, and when you apply makes a difference in what aid they have available to offer. You need to look at all the offers. If your federal aid grants, work study and federal loans do not cover your cost of attendance you will need to get a private loan to cover the rest like from a bank, so it may be smarter to pick a cheaper college where you need the least loansHow do you get your aid once you accept it: It gets deposited into your college account, usually by semester not all at once on certain disbursement dates your school has where everyone will get their money disbursed on a certain day. We applied Jan 1 2010, school started 9-1, our semester federal aid was disbursed 8-25. We did have money left over and if you do you get a refund either a check or card system depending on the school, and we got that a week after school started by card system. Helpful sites:All questions FAFSA, financial aid: . finaid. org/. gocollege. com/financial-aid/student-loans/benefits-of-loans. htmlClick BEGIN THE PRESENTATION: . nextstudent. com/financial-aid-tutorial/financial-aid-tutorial. asp#. knowhow2go. org/Does your state/program participate in out of state tuition for instate cost: . sreb. org/page/1304/academic_common_market. html. ed. gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/timeline. jsp?tab=applying. ed. gov/students/publications/student_guide/2009-2010/english/typesofFSA_grants. htm

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