Source: grist.org

Just like any kid, teenager or young adult would, they are nervous about the first day of school. Whether you are in a school or institution of higher education for a while, this is your first time entering your new school, or you are transferring in, the first day jitters always settle in.

Going into my first year of grad school was (and still is) scary to me because there are things that you don’t expect or you do expect them, but the outcomes aren’t what you thought they would be.

I was used to living on campus in my undergrad that I was reliant on public transportation only on weekends when I went home (if I went home because of the many different leadership positions I held). But now the script flipped — I am a commuter, living an hour (on a really good day and if I catch my trains and bus on time).

How does this relate to student affairs? Adaptation and time management. With student affairs constantly changing (from policies to how campus culture changes), we must work to those changes. In order to do that, we need to delegate time to developing the changes made. If the changes are bad, how would we work to change for the next time around?

Also with time management, we must fix our schedules to accommodate for the changes. What if something good or bad happens in the middle of a change? Will we have enough time left over to fix the changes, or will we have to sacrifice things in our extremely hectic schedules?

I had to learn on my own how to travel to get to school on time. I even had to find alternatives if I missed the shuttle bus from the station (e.g. public transportation or asking a friend for a ride).

Now that I am entering my 4th session, I am getting used to my (exhausting) route from home to school. I have apps that help me catch my trains and busses on time and I work hard to give input into class discussions.

Thank you for reading!

This post was originally posted on the Elenna Geffrards’s personal blog.

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