Friday, March 4, 2011

I have how many semesters left of College?! Be prepared... Its a long one!

So I am meeting with my advisor today we are going to discuss my last 3... yes THREE... let me say it again THREE SEMESTERS of college. I have NO idea where the time has gone! It seems like just yesterday I was walking in to my first day of High School and then graduating... and then starting my freshman year! Now I am in my last semester of my junior year. It is insane. 
This past year has been a whirl wind! I have finally picked a major and did it on a total gut feeling… Here is my story of getting to where I am today in my college degree! (Be prepared… ITS LONG) all my posts will not be like this!

Freshman year I was pre vet and determined on becoming a vet. Well... that was changed once I started taking chemistry. (YUCK) Then in December 2008 I changed my major to Food Science. That is where basically you develop foods... well the main problem with that major is it is ALL chemistry. What the heck was I thinking of picking a major that is all chemistry when I can barely pass my Chemistry 1 class. That was quickly changed to Nutrition. 


Let’s fast forward to my sophomore year. Being nutrition major I thought that was it... I thought I could change the world (or my world) and get everyone to eat healthy. Well... there was still a voice in the back of my head saying "you can't do this, you don't want to do this" I always put it behind me because my daddy always said "You can't say can't" or "Can't can't be in your vocabulary" so I never told my parents that I was having doubts (for the third time) about my major. All this time, my grades were... well... let’s just go out and say it... they sucked. To this day I have no idea how I have not failed any of my classes. So sophomore year was all about nutrition and taking science classes and I was pretty much miserable. But I kept telling myself "I can do this"  "I am not going to quit" "I will finish this" 

Let’s press the fast forward button again... to Spring semester of my sophomore year about April. 

Since I am a lifeguard I have to get re certified every 3 years (this is relevant... I promise) and last April I found out I can get re certified on the OSU campus... But I found out that I would be missing my first Race for the Cure… EVER! I actually cried... I was really upset! But to keep my summer job I had to get re certified so I sucked it up and didn't go. :( So that weekend in April came around and it was a SUPER busy 2 weeks. I was getting certified for lifeguard and those class times were Thursday- Friday 5pm- midnight and Saturday and Sunday 8am-8pm. Pretty much a super busy weekend! Then the next weekend consisted of my Water Safety Instructor training and that was Wednesday- Friday 5pm- midnight and Saturday and Sunday 8am- 8pm. So remind you that is 2 weekends in a row!

Now to explain why that last paragraph is important…. If I did not miss Race for the Cure, if I didn’t commit to getting recertified on that specific weekend my life would not be what it is today.
Be ready to be amazed… well not really but just humor me and say you are going to be amazed.  J
My professor who was teaching both of the lifeguard and WSI classes was an awesome woman who was full of energy, crazy, wild, just fun. Her name is Dr. L. She kept talking about the “Leisure Major” I kept going up to her saying… So what is this? Could I minor in it and still do Nutrition? Give me info on this. (this was Friday of lifeguard training… the first class I took) I was so interested in this major that I literally called my parents up and said “here is the deal. I hate my major, I found this major THIS is what I am supposed to do!” I didn’t want to stay with Nutrition, I wanted to do Leisure! My parents decided to come up to Stillwater that Monday morning (after my lifeguard class was over) and said they will support me in whatever career path I choose, even if it takes me 4 more years to get out of college. They don’t care. They just want me happy. So I changed my major! Only 3 days of finding out about Leisure Studies. Total God thing right there!
So lets fast forward through last summer…
Last Semester, the start of my Junior year (AHHH!) I took the basic classes of a Leisure Major and decided that I wanted to be a Therapeutic Recreation Major. Basically that is what physical therapists do… but we do is a lot more fun J

Now, last semester grades were pretty dang incredible. That semester before was a semester where I was literally lying on my bathroom floor crying my eyes out and begging my mom and dad to come home for the rest of the semester (I was on the phone with my dad and he was trying to calm me down because I was so worked up- I was literally crying so hard that I was hugging the toilet cause I thought I was going to throw up!) and by a miracle passing my classes (again, TOTAL God thing!) That was the reason they came up… because they were so worried about me! I just couldn’t get a grip on school because I was not happy with my major.  But once I found out I would change my major, something inside me clicked! I passed all my classes!!  I buckled down and studied like crazy, no more melt downs, several pep talks from my amazing daddy… when May hit.. I was DONE with nutrition and I was Leisure Studies and Therapeutic Recreation major! I could not have been happier!!!!

So let me show you how this has completely changed my life…  (I am almost done I PROMISE!) Last semester, it was a fresh start. I was single for the first time in 2.5 years, I was determined to make new friends, I was making a positive change in my life! Now, for the first few weeks I wasn’t really making friends, I was talking to people but not much of “friend material” I wanted in my life. Then Tamara Smith and Heather Ashley kept talking to me. I kept avoiding them when they asked me to hang out because girls sometimes have a way of going behind my back and I just didn’t want to deal with it. So… finally after about the 10th time of them asking me to go to lunch... I caved. And let me tell you... these girls are amazing!! So much fun to be with and around! Completely helped me turn my life around, they probably don’t know it though… although they might read this and realize it now haha
But without them I would not of met the amazing man I am dating now, I would not be going to Church again (ok ok everybody goes through a rough patch now and then), I would not have workout buddies, and basically I would not be this happy and wanting to live life to the fullest! They have completely restored my faith in girlfriends! Haha

So all of this summed up… If I did not change my major on that day to Leisure, I would not be as happy as I am today!

Ok, I have rambled for LONG enough. So far on Word this is 2.5 pages! Thanks for listening or well reading my insane story of how my life has changed in the past 3 years in College. It is time for my advisor meeting! Wish me luck! These next three semesters will go by super fast.. I better not blink!

… so are you amazed? Cause I am! Haha!



Peace, Love and Cowboys! GO POKES!!
Katelyn Elizabeth

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