How hard do people really work in college? Is the college experience truly the classic studying and grinding out homework during the week and then partying and having fun on the weekends? I go to UC Merced, where there is literally nothing to do and last semester what me and my roommate did for fun was play mini golf around our dorm building. The people you meet here are hardworking, but for me coming from a more densely populated area to Merced was a big culture shock.
Growing up I was always slightly introverted. I never really went out to seek social interaction and only had a few good friends that I sometimes talked to. This started to change during high school, as I learned how to socialize and make more friends. I would not consider myself as popular, but I was “cool” with many different types of people. Graduating from high school and going to college really put my socialization skills to the test, since nobody that I knew came to UC Merced with me. I made a few friends quick, becoming part of a small friend group. I had a blank slate; nobody knew anything about me except for the few things that I had on my Instagram that gave them some insight on my hobbies and what I like. When my new classmates saw me for the first time, they probably thought that I was your typical Asian student that was just smart for no apparent reason except for genetics.
The first semester of my college career I proudly lived up to the typical Asian student expectations. A girl at a party even asked me if I was FOB or “Fresh off the Boat”, a derogatory term for international students or people who had just immigrated to the United States. I got a 4.00 GPA and set the curve for most of my midterms and finals. Truthfully, I did not study all that much as my classes were easy for me and I watched a lot of YouTube and Netflix to pass the time. The bulk of the time I would consider as studying was helping my classmates understand material, kind of reteaching topics or tutoring them. In a sense, tutoring others was very beneficial for me and boosted my understanding of the material, but it was not like I was working very hard. Yes, I made sure to always turned in my projects and homework on time, but that was pretty much it! If the professor was looking at my work, they probably expected this hard-working young man, studying for at least four to five hours a day, going through all the resources that I have access to. To the people in my classes I was most likely seen as just another smart Asian kid just there to have fun doing derivatives and integrals.
Currently I am in my second semester at UC Merced. Compared to my first semester, my classes this semester are a lot harder. My first midterm is next week, and I feel under prepared. I understand the material, but doing exam problems is another type of animal I need to tame. I feel as if I don’t know how to study like I never studied for an exam in my life. People say, “fake it until you make it”, and I can say that I have been trying to do that. So far, I have just been faking it and hoping that I would make it. I questioned at the start of this blog if college was the classic grind during the week and party on the weekends and hard college really is. For me, reality is setting in, and I am beginning to realize how much work college really is.
The culture shock from coming to UC Merced had created a clean slate for me, and I was able to use this opportunity to obtain some good stats and give people an impression of who I am. But now my classes are getting harder, and I am starting to realize the amount of effort I need to put into my education, as my reputation is on the line. College is making me realize faking it will not help you make it.
Sean's Journal 
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