Going to school has never been something that I have enjoyed. I loathed the pointless assignments, group collaboration, lack of freedom, etc. Matter of fact, I had so much disdain for middle school and high school that I wasn’t the least bit excited about college. However, I still decided to enroll at a community college. Even though I wasn’t thrilled about it, I still thought it was going to be better than high school. Turns out it is just high school 2.0 with more responsibilities and stress. In the beginning, I didn’t take college seriously. I would do assignments last minute, skip class, not read the textbook, and didn’t study. Finally having the freedom to do what I wanted was more important to me than any of that. That is until I flunked a very important exam. Flunking that exam would change the course of my college career for the better. Here are four things that helped me get through my program and graduate on time. 

1. Realizing that I am now paying for an education

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s wasting money. Especially my own hard-earned money. As soon as I got the results back for that exam my mind immediately went to how much money I was putting out for that degree. The price of education in America is not cheap, and I wasn’t going to keep spending money on classes to flunk out of them. Knowing that I was the one that was financially in charge of my education motivated me to be a better student. Wasting $46 per unit did not sit right with me. I realized that I was paying way too much for education to not take it seriously. This realization fueled me to start studying, take effective notes, build a relationship with my professors, and always do the extra credit work. I now wanted the most out of my education for the price I was paying. Even when I didn’t need to use the library I would still go, because I was paying for that service too. 

2. Leaving home and growing/changing

After I completed community college, I transferred to UNLV. That was the hardest transition I had ever had to face in my life so far. I was homesick for the first two months of the semester and wanted nothing more than to go back home. I was going through an uncomfortable shift in my life. My “friends” back home didn’t check up on me or listen to me when I would tell them about my sorrows. They would say things such as “You chose to leave” or “You should be grateful for the position that you’re in.” Weirdly I thank them for being inconsiderate towards my struggle because that made me find solace in knowing me moving away for higher education was going to change me for the better. Their lack of compassion for me motivated me to get rid of the things in life that no longer served me. My mind was becoming sharper and stronger, and I was ready to come out on top. I was ready to fight my loneliness, self-doubt, anxiety, etc. I was mentally maturing and learning how to navigate life on my own.

3. Wanting to be done with Undergrad as soon as possible

Completing my first semester at UNLV was a huge victory for me. Even though I was a transfer student, I still couldn’t believe that I was 3 semesters away from graduating. All of a sudden, I could see the finish line getting closer and closer. That motivated me to start working even harder on completing my assignments early. I didn’t go to any parties or hang out that often with people. I spent most of my time in the library completing assignments or having study sessions. I think realizing that I was so close to being done made me proud of myself. I reflected and thought of how I went from slacking off to taking my education seriously. I had come a long way maturity-wise, and I wanted nothing more than to finish undergrad and start working in my field. I was excited to be done, that way I could start making money and a name for myself. 

4. Wanting to come home

During my last semester, the feeling of being homesick was getting to me again. I had felt as if I was robbed of my college experience. Between the political climate of the country and the pandemic, it seemed as if the world was doomed. It was becoming too much for me to process all at once. I was scared out of my mind at how the election was going to turn out, everything was so uncertain, and my anxiety was through the roof. The friends that I had made didn’t come back to school due to the pandemic, and there wasn’t much happening on campus. Ironically, in the beginning, I was happy about not having to physically be in class, but that didn’t last long. Going to college during the pandemic was mentally taxing for me. I lost motivation to complete assignments, I missed my family, and I was overall unhappy with everything going on around me. I had started feeling uncomfortable again because I was scared that I was going to end up sick. Wanting to go back home was now my only motivator to get my assignments done, and it was a strong motivator. I would constantly check on flights that were available to get back home. That’s how bad I wanted to go home. I was more determined than ever to have everything completed.  

Author Chazz Lakey