My First Year at Lewis

My First Year at Lewis

My college experience started about two years ago. I knew it was not going to be easy, but I was unsure of what was ahead of me. The one word that describes the feelings I first had during my first year at Lewis is responsibility, which I experienced academically, socially and even economically. My college experience was not like any other college student would describe it. Most college students say that you have a lot of time on your hands because classes are so spread out, but things did not go this way for me. Aviation Maintenance at Lewis University has a different way of doing things.

everybody knows that college is academically a step higher than high school. I grew more responsible academically because my classes where very straight to the point, and the teachers spoke with great knowledge. Aviation Maintenance has a different schedule here at Lewis University. For me that meant 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. classes with one hour break. I had to keep up with tests and homework in very short periods. It took a lot of responsibility for me to accomplish this. I felt I had to change many things in my life. I had to get more sleep, finish homework fast, and make time to study for tests. Everybody in my class felt the same pressure.

I also grew more responsible socially as I met more friends and became more acquainted with them. My classmates felt the same tough schedule for Aviation Maintenance as well. Everyday we had "shop" class from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. This meant we had to get along in order to get work done. Shop classes where very interesting and involved a lot of hands on and group work. Responsibility becomes a big roll in helping each other and accomplishing our tasks especially when it comes to these classes.

Finally, I became more responsible economically as I commuted to school every morning and felt the pressure of keeping a close budget. My first class was at 8:00 a.m., which meant getting up at 6:00 a.m. and leaving at 6:30 a.m. Sleep became a necessity, while at the same time getting studies done was also necessary. Time was an issue that had to be controlled well and this became hard for me because time was never an issue before. Driving from school and back meant money for gas, and with no time to work, I had to start taking my own lunch so I could save enough money to pay for gas.

Many would say that this is not the normal college experience. However, all those who major in Aviation Maintenance know that this is our normal college routine. College has made me more responsible in many areas such as in my academic, social, and economic life. My college experience was a tough one but in the end it made me stronger in life.