Diaw Hane Tacko Diop

A First-Year's Fall: Biggest Lessons Learned

To begin with, my biggest lesson from this term was to actually acknowledge that there were lessons learned and certain aspects of this term that were avoidable and still need continued improvement. 

1. A fixed schedule is needed. Many times during the the term, I was inclined to "freestyle" with my schedule and "go with the flow". As I'm looking back, it wasn't really working out for me. The periods in which I had kept a fixed schedule and took note of events or socials beforehand, I was also able to include more time for when I'm going to do work, study, etc. When I tried "freestyling", I noticed that I wasn't getting the amount of sleep I wanted and I wasn't really getting in as much work as I wanted to. 
2. The resources are there, but were you REALLY using them? I know sometimes there are so many resources such as office hours, the Academic Skills Center and the writing center to the point where we overlook them. This was the case with me and honestly, it was because I chose not to make so much use of them because I think my work is "fine", but that's not the most ideal. You DO have the ability to hand in the best work. So, take advantage of the resources that are there to ensure that you get the best grades. 

To conclude, acknowledging that there was room for improvement was an important step for me in terms of doing better. Then, applying these lessons and disciplining myself was next. Knowing this, I will continue to try and work on all of these things.