Congratulations on getting into the BUSP program! “You never know until you try.” I would tell myself this every time I faced the fears and anxieties of being a first-generation college student, living over 200 miles away from the safety of my home. College is not easy. I’ll be honest about that. But look at how far you have come to be standing at the place you are at right now. From elementary, middle, and high school, you faced obstacles left and right. You may still be staring at that tall wall that never seems to end. Davis doesn’t just accept any student. They didn’t accept you just because of your grades, your long list of extracurriculars, or your ability to pay off that hefty tuition bill. They accepted you for you. They saw the ability to have a bright and strong future, one where you will be successful and give back to the community.
Success is different in everyone’s eyes. Don’t let the fear of failure drag you down, because strong people like you can do it! Davis accepted you because they saw that. Grow into the mindset that doesn’t follow the expectations of the standard grind hard or go home student, but into a passionate, study smart, and do what makes you happy individual. During class, I took notes down on information that I looked back on for personal interest in research and study tips. I almost never studied in high school. I didn’t know how to study when I entered college, and it really impacted my grade and test scores for my STEM courses. I didn’t have the same educational background in high level courses that my peers did. The class felt like I was the only one behind in everything and didn’t understand the topics we were lectured on. It felt like I did not belong as I saw myself obtaining lower test scores than my friends and classmates. My wavering A’s went down to two C in two of my classes and I lost hope in being able to make it through the end of my first quarter.
I was working for the first time in my life and that itself took a toll on me midway into the quarter. I felt like I had no time to properly study and finish all my homework. I visited one of the events on campus called CCLASS during their Mental Menudo with some friends to eat pozole for the first time in a while. It was there that I listened to a speaker who talked about imposter syndrome, remembering about why students like me, of low income and minority backgrounds, were here in Davis in the first place, and how important the truth behind it’s okay to not be okay was. I recalled the obstacles I faced, the reason why I obtained the strengths I did to overcome them, and why I plan to continue to face hard times even if it means college isn’t going to be easy. Putting myself through the shoes of my past self helped me find the motivation to get up from letting my imposter syndrome take the good out of my college experience.
I put effort into taking less work hours and focused on how to turn around my fall behind. Completing my assignments and using extra time I had in between classes to catch up on work and studying. I updated my physical calendar and took down due date notes for my classes in order to remember what needs to be done in urgency and non-urgency. Creating flashcards and practicing study guides have helped me better understand the material in my classes as well. For Dr. Champagne’s class, learning new study methods were helpful as I didn’t have to worry as much about my time since I was able to make better use of study hours with effective active study techniques. Learning about a refresher on our future BIS courses was helpful in easing my worries about the incoming years as well. It was reassuring to see and hear about expectations on incoming classes because I can now figure out the resources I need to get and take part in for the future. Make sure to take your professors’ advice, especially when they are talking about their own classes! You never know how great their methods and tips are until you try them for yourself.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you are confused. Ask for help not only to your professors, but your peers as well. Davis is an amazing community, and everyone is there to help one another not compete against each other. Whenever Dr. Champagne or any other guest speaker gave advice on how to manage our time strongly and destress, putting those tips into actions made me feel confident about my classes and life felt a lot easier. I greatly appreciated all the resources BUSP gave to help everyone ease into college and the rigorous classwork. I learned how to be me and enjoy the things I liked in order to give myself a space of self care. With all the stuff I learned in BUSP, I plan to refine my new tips into habits in the quarters to come. I don’t have to be the best at things I enjoy such as drawing, running, and journaling. But if those things make me happy, I will keep them in my schedule as a must instead of “maybe if I have time this week” option. Enjoy college the best you can! You never know what you’ll hear, who you get to meet, and what you may end up liking in the end until you try new things out.
humansofbusp 