It was about 1:30 p.m., and class ended at 2 p.m. My head was pounding, and my professor’s loud voice and heavy Middle Eastern accent made it difficult to hear and comprehend what he was saying. All I wanted was for 2 p.m. to arrive. My head would hammer as the teacher dug further and deeper into a specific topic. My stomach growled around 1:45 because I hadn’t eaten anything since a banana for breakfast. I hadn’t eaten in about 5 hours. As 1:50 approached, my vision began to blur. When I looked around the room, all I saw were my classmates taking notes as the professor lectured, and I was resisting the impulse to rest my head on the desk. At 1:55, I imagined myself getting up from my desk, stepping out of the classroom, and getting a granola bar. “That’s all,” my professor exclaimed, and I shoved my notebook in my bag, grabbed it, and raced out of the room. As I walked out of the building and went to the corner store, I questioned my major choice and why I would ever put myself through that.

After returning home, eating, taking a shower, and resting, I understood that college is not like high school. It was all my fault that I didn’t get enough sleep or eat food, and now I’ve completely missed a crucial lesson that I have to catch up on. In high school, I would have simply told myself that it was a bad day, but I can’t do that anymore. I discovered that I must work twice as hard as before in order to accomplish my goals and dreams. The terrible experience I had in class opened my eyes to the reality of what lies ahead and the amount of effort I will need to put in to succeed. Even if that means finishing my schoolwork sooner rather than later, getting enough rest, rising early to avoid being late for class, or even EATING A SNACK PRIOR TO CLASS! My small actions will drive me in the correct direction and help me become a better version of myself ultimately.