Freshman Kaitlyn Jackson

The big day has finally arrived. I am experiencing all kinds of mixed emotions. I am excited, nervous, scared, anxious and most of all, worried about the fear of the unknown. Today is the day that I leave my comfort zone and move to college. University of Montevallo… here I come. Hello I am Kaitlyn Jackson. I am a graduate of Jemison High School 2007 and now a freshman here at the University of Montevallo.  I have the opportunity to share with you the transition from high school to college and the excitement of my very first college semester.

Moving into the dorm was a huge task. For me it was exciting…not so much for the family. My Dad decided I had way too many shoes and he didn’t understand how “all those” clothes fit into the trunk of my Honda. The dorm life was a completely different world than what I was used to at home. I enjoy living on campus. It is very convenient, and I have a sense of feeling connected or included in some way.

Ok, so what in the world am I supposed to expect for my very first college class? I was very nervous and almost intimidated by the thought of a huge classroom and a scary professor. Well let’s just say my first class was like a breath of fresh air compared to the nightmare I had made up. It was an 8 o’clock finite math class and it was not scary or intimidating at all. My largest class has about 35 students, and for me this is great because I needed and still wanted that one-on-one relationship with my professor. In this classroom setting, I feel motivated to be there and comfortable enough to speak up and ask questions. Unfortunately academic life isn’t always a peach. My speech class gave me a run for my money, and I know what you’re thinking…speech…of all classes. Well, the professor did not lecture on the text, so when it came to test time you were on your own. It took a lot of hard work and studying for me to learn how to study and outline correctly. College is very different when it comes to “homework”. You have to be dedicated to yourself and to the books. Needless to say I survived the class and it taught me a lot more than just “speech”.

I pledged to a sorority, so most of my free time is spent with the girls in Phi Mu. There is always something going on, from intramural games to date parties, to keep any girl busy. I enjoy having the girls to bond with, and now I have friendships forever. Even though I am a Phi Mu, I still have a large group of friends outside those boundaries. Since Montevallo’s is just 20 minutes away from shopping centers such as the Summit and the Galleria Mall, as well as several nice eating restaurants, I try to plan one night a week to have an “outing” with my friends!  Because our classes are a comfortable number, I have made many friends. It really has worked out well for me because we have gotten together several times to study. Some of my classes actually required for me to get with my group and meet outside of class; which is fun because classes aren’t just lectures, they can be activities or projects. The social life here… is of course my favorite part about the “college” experience.

Looking back now, I would have to say my largest challenge wasn’t surviving the cafeteria food, walking on the bricks with heels, or even wearing shower shoes every day, it was my Elementary Education Music class. Registering for this class, I thought it would be fun learning to teach songs to kids. Boy was I proved wrong. The class was very demanding because I had to learn how to play the guitar and recorder; not to mention it also was a challenge to learn how the professor worked. Her expectations and activities varied week from week, one week I had to teach a music lesson to our entire class. I know I am an elementary education major so I better get used to teaching, but it was my very first time and I was scared to death. Overall the class was a blast and I have learned so much, the class also taught me to always strive for excellence even when the expectations are unclear.

April 2008 - Spring Semester

The more I am here at UM, the more I fall in love with this place. The spring semester has been a blast. I have really enjoyed having a whole new set of classes. I have met all kinds of people and made friends with several.

            So, just like before, it took a few weeks to get in the routine of things, but since I already had a semester of practice, it was a lot easier. My classes are more intense, but I am enjoying them. Although I do have to say that my Biology class threw me for a loop. I have a wonderful professor who knows his stuff, but when it came test time… I wasn’t so sure how much I liked him anymore. The material was so thorough and detailed it made it difficult to understand. Let’s just say I didn’t do so hot on my first exam. So I had to do something about it. I looked over the test and my notes and realized the differences. Then I literally had to re-teach myself how to study for this class. After my hard work, I made a ninety-two percent on the next exam. So the class taught me that sometimes you have to make arrangements in order to succeed