Starting College Life ASAP

On May 27th, 2017 I graduated from Burris Laboratory School. The graduation ceremony was held at the Ball State University Ball Gym in the evening. I had so many people who came to the ceremony to support my graduation and it made me feel so incredibly loved and happy. It gave me such a large boost of confidence which was highly needed because I gave a speech (You can view a video of my speech that my friend, Dakota Gaither, recorded  at tinyurl.com/GraduationSpeechVideo). The amazing people in my life that came to support me at my graduation ceremony was my parents, Asher, my maternal grandparents from Texas, the Wolfe Family, Matthew, Dakota, my great-aunt, great-grandma, great-uncle, and one of my cousins.

On June 5th, 2017 I began my first semester in college, it’s only been 2 months and already on July 27th, I finished up my first semester in Ivy Tech Community College’s ASAP Program. I then had a 3 week summer break which ends today. The ASAP Program is a fast-paced learning program where students will receive their associate’s degree in 11 months instead of 2 years. Before classes even started the ASAP Program had a 2 day orientation where we played games, set goals, got familiarized with the school, and made friends. It was extremely helpful to be able to bond with the other students in the ASAP Program and be familiarized with the school so that when classes actually started I didn’t feel as nervous or alone.

​The classes that I took this past Summer Semester was Intro to Business, English Composition, Student Success University Transfer, Quantitative Reasoning, and Intro to Sociology. My favorite class was English Composition, I had the opportunity to write many papers about my favorite topic, FIRST Robotics, and I received amazing grades on those assignments.

I had a really good semester and ended with a better GPA than what I had ended high school with. I found several different ideas and tricks that helped me to succeed in my classes which you can read 5 of the tips that I learned near the bottom section of this post. I made several new friends that helped me to open up in our ASAP cohort and helped me when I had trouble with an assignment or forgot what assignments were in a class. I had a lot of fun in all of my classes and learned a lot from my teachers. One of my favorite things about my Sociology class was that after every class our teacher would tell the class that she loved us all.

The classes and workload was very intense, but not impossible to accomplish. I was able to finish all of my assignments, my biggest issue was adjusting to putting my best effort into so many different assignments all due around the same time. The transition from high school to a very fast-paced college was definitely really difficult, but that came as no surprise to me. Before I was accepted into the ASAP Program, I had to do an interview and in that interview I had even stated that I thought the most difficult aspect of the program would be the transition. I’ve been able to find some ideas and tricks to help me for future semesters though.

​The ASAP Program is definitely more intense than I originally thought it would be, and that was only my summer semester. While being on my break, after the first week I felt as though my 3 week break was already over and that I was supposed to go back to school. My break from college has went incredibly slowly, but in the best way. I went to the Indiana State Fair with my parents and Asher on $2 Tuesday and had fun playing the carnival games and riding some of the rides like the Blizzard. I went to the Fort Wayne Zoo with my mom, great-grandma, great-aunt, 2 cousins and Asher. We had a lot of fun that day seeing all the animals and petting the goats then afterwards eating at Sirloin Stockade.

A collage of different events and people that Ashley hung out with over her short summer break. Collage put together by Ashley Martin. Photos/Ashley Martin

​I’ve also gone on several cute dinner dates with Asher at Buffalo Wild Wings, Kings Buffet, Burger King, and Taco Bell. My parents, Asher, and I went to 2 movies in Alexandria at the Alexandria theatre (which by the way, that theatre is the coolest theatre I have ever been at). We watched the new Emoji movie as well at Nut Job 2 both times which was only $2.00 per person for each movie and we had brought a giant punch bowl that we were able to fill to the top for only $4.00! During this small summer break I’ve also gotten chances to hang out with a few friends at some really cool places. I went to the Hard Rock Cafe with Wanda, Shady Side Park with the Wolfe family and 2 cousins, and IHop with Atticus.

​​The classes that I will be taking in the first fall semester is Financial Accounting, Intro to Biology, Principles of Management, Personal Finance, Intro to Microcomputers, Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Creative Writing, and Intro to Psychology. I’m really excited for all of my classes, but nervous about the Accounting, Biology, and Public Speaking classes. I’m nervous about Accounting and Biology because Math and Science are some of my worst subjects. I’m nervous about Public Speaking because it’s one of my biggest fears. However I did overcome that fear at my high school graduation as well as many times throughout my years at PhyXTGears Robotics. I know that it is something I need to get a handle of and overcome for the type of career I want to go into. I really like the college choice that I decided and I’m excited for the new challenges ahead of me.

5 Tips I've Learned
Listed below are 5 tips that I’ve learned while in the Ivy Tech ASAP Program that have helped me succeed in this program and college in general.

1. Have different Google Chrome profiles, one for play, one for work, and one for school.

Ashley’s 5 different Google Chrome accounts. Screenshot taken from Ashley’s computer.

Having them as different profiles allows you to more consciously notice when you are switching because they show as different programs on your taskbar. It makes it take just the slightest bit more thought to goof off and that can help you to recognize how often you are playing vs. how often you are working on your schoolwork. Video on how to do that here: 
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QX5XCfqp9

2. If the above tip does not work, create an entirely new account on your computer for playing, work, and school. ​

It does the same for you as the above tip, but makes it take even more of a conscious decision to goof off. If this tip does not help, you may just need to have a trusted family member or friend have access to an administrator account on your computer and to put restrictions on your account to restrict you from getting on social media during certain hours and days.

Ashley’s 2 different computer accounts, 1 for fun and 1 for school. Screenshot taken from Ashley’s computer.

3. Keep all of your documents in a folder, binder or in an online format such as Google Drive.

It’s important to do this because sometimes teachers make mistakes too. Occasionally grades can get put in differently than what they wrote on your paper and keeping your paper or at least a copy of it can allow you to use it as proof of the original grade your teacher gave you. Also, some college classes will require a portfolio at the end of their class where you will not know which past assignments they want in the portfolio until it is assigned.

4. Wait until the first day or two to get your books or email your teacher about your class books.

I’ve found that even though the college and bookstore says that certain books are required for a class, that is not always true. Teachers don’t always use the book and normally will tell you on the first or second day. However, sometimes teachers will use the book the first day so it can be helpful to email your teachers / professors and ask them if the “required books” are going to be used in the class or not. It will save you a large load of money.

5. Try to make as many friends as you can, but be careful who you choose.

It’s important to have friends at the college that you’re attending and friends in the classes that you’re taking, but be careful who you choose as friends. It’s important for you have friends in your classes so that in case you are having trouble understanding something and need it phrased in a different way than how your teacher is explaining, you can ask them to help you understand. You can also have study sessions with your friends so that you can help each other understand things, study for exams, and have fun at the same time. However, while there are amazing students in college who will help you to exceed in class, there are also students in college who do not take their studies seriously and can drag you down with them. It is important to choose your friends very carefully.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” –Malcolm X