I've
been in college for a little over a month now. It's amazing
how much a person can learn in such little time. I don't
just mean what I've learned in the classroom, such as
how to have a conversation in Italian, Piaget's child
development theory, or the law of counter-suffering in
Dante's Inferno. I'm talking about the little lessons
learned in how to manage my three lives. No, I don't have
multiple personality disorder·but I've learned that everyone
has three lives in college. My lives happen to be academics,
athletics, and social.
The Academic Life. Classes are going well right
now. They began very modestly, allowing me to adjust
accordingly. I enrolled in a first year Italian class
in order to study in Florence my junior year, a freshman
seminar focusing on cross-cultural perspectives on love,
and the required course for all freshman called Intro
to Humanities -- better known as IHUM.
I soon realized the seminar was overwhelming for me.
It was also then I realized the beauty of college academics
-- the ability to change classes. Rather than continue
with the seminar and do poorly, I opted to pick up a
developmental psychology class, since I want to major
in the field.
Currently, I am enjoying my classes. Italian is one
of the most entertaining and intriguing classes I've
ever taken. My professor is excellent, and we are a
small class, which makes interaction much more interesting.
IHUM is a good class, but can be quite boring at times.
There are two parts: a fifty minute lecture and later
in the day an hour-and-a-half discussion class. I was
so excited when I received an A- on my first IHUM paper!
Psychology is a different story. Since I added the
class late, I missed the first few important lectures.
By the time I figured out what was going on, we were
hit with a mid-term. I didn't do as well as I would
have liked to on my first college mid-term, but I promised
myself to make up for it next time (November 13).
One striking difference between high school academics
and college academics is the roller coaster-like tendencies
in college. What I mean is in college, I can go for
a week or two having a light workload. Then the following
week, I could have two exams and a paper due. I have
to be careful of not falling into the trap of leaving
everything for the last minute·procrastination is not
a virtue!
The Athletic Life. Training has been going
very well, as has getting to know my track and field
teammates. Managing my training time with classes was
finally finding a nice rhythm when things took an unfortunate
turn. Two weeks ago, in practice, I sprained my right
ankle and partially tore ligaments in the foot. I've
graduated from crutches, and I'm currently wearing a
walking boot until the appointment with my doctor.
I'm hoping for a speedy recovery because we've begun
throwing, and I'm very excited to pick up the discus
after not having thrown it since the end of my high
school season. My coach also would like me to try the
hammer throw. I'm definitely excited about that because
in California, the hammer throw is not allowed in high
school track meets, so a new event will be fun to learn.
The positive note on my injury has been the tremendous
support I've received from my coach, teammates, and
friends in my dorm. It's good to know I have such good
friends looking out for me.
The past few weekends have also been marked with recruits
coming in for official visits. My coach asked me to
host them during their stay. It's been a good experience
hosting these hopeful Stanford Track Athletes because
it gives me a chance to share with them my perspective
on being a student-athlete.
The Social Life. Parties, concerts, sports
games, going out to lunch, getting a Smoothie, talking
until three in the morning, drinking hot chocolate on
your floor with friends. There are so many aspects to
social life in college. They are all great things, but
the tough thing is when to engage in them and when to
jump into bed or open your book and study. So far I
think I've done a good job of making the right choices.
When the time is right and there is something fun going
on, then a group of friends and I will go and check
out the event. When it's time to study or write a paper,
then I've noticed myself being very disciplined about
staying in my dorm and working. The trick is to know
when to unwind and get away from the stress of studying.
I heard someone say recently, "There are three things
a student-athlete can be in college: a student, an athlete,
and social. You can be any two of three, but you can't
be all three at once." I'm trying to find the secret
of being all three because I don't believe I should
be limited to just two of them. If I was able to be
all three in high school, then I'm sure I can figure
out how to do it in college. Just give me some time.
And just think, your third life may be drama, music,
debate, or political activism; but wouldn't it be nice
to be able to balance all three? Of course it would.
Next time I'll let you know how my juggling act with
the three are going. Peace!
Charbel's
first entry
| BIOGRAPHY: |
Charbel Joseph Semaan |
| Age |
18 years old |
| High School |
Saint Mary's High School
(Stockton, CA) |
| College |
Stanford University |
| Major |
Psychology |
| HS GPA |
4.10 |
| Accomplishments
|
Student Body President in high school
Founded a website design company (Onbel Enterprises)
CIF Spirit of Sport Award
Track & Field Team Captain
My partner and I were the Gavel recipients of
the Santa Clara Valley Model United Nations Conference
in the UNDP committee.
|
Article
provided by iHigh.com
Login
Sign Up
I've
been in college for a little over a month now. It's amazing
how much a person can learn in such little time. I don't
just mean what I've learned in the classroom, such as
how to have a conversation in Italian, Piaget's child
development theory, or the law of counter-suffering in
Dante's Inferno. I'm talking about the little lessons
learned in how to manage my three lives. No, I don't have
multiple personality disorder·but I've learned that everyone
has three lives in college. My lives happen to be academics,
athletics, and social.
Advisor