"Finding Your Flock"

Hello Little Red Devils class of 2017!!

            The whole transition into college was a surprise to me. I never imagined it would feel so different than it actually did. It was not a bad experience at all; it was just completely new to me. Before I started school, I felt like I knew exactly what college was going to be like and what I was going to have to do to succeed as a college student. I quickly realized that I was wrong and was not as prepared as I thought. Something that surprised me was the fact that I was pretty much on my own. Of course you have friends and professors to help you, but you have to study, practice your instrument, get up on time, and do everything else on your own. You no longer have your parents telling you to do those things. Also, the freedom of being in college was a little bit of a surprise to me. I was not really sheltered in high school but my parents did keep track of what I did and where I was. In college, you are the only person keeping track of what you are doing, so please make wise choices. Another surprise was how the whole music school is one big family. If you are struggling in a class or just having trouble, there will always be someone there to help you. I love the closeness of the Petrie School of Music.

            The biggest challenge I had to overcome was managing my time. The first year of college I struggled to try and keep up with school, practice, get involved on campus, and have a social life. It may seem like you have no time, but the key is to just make time. I found it extremely helpful to write out a schedule and to stick to it. I am a list maker, so every day I would make a “to do” list for that day. It helped me feel more organized. Another challenge was making myself practice. Everyone knows that practicing is sometimes boring and not fun but I realized that if you just do it in small increments and set daily goals for yourself the finished product comes a lot sooner. I always hate practicing but when I actually finish a piece it makes everything worth it. I love the feeling of finishing a piece when I know that I practiced and made the most of my practice time.

            In my first two years of college I learned that life is not always easy. You are going to get overwhelmed, you are going to get sick, you are going to get in arguments with your roommate, and you are not going to want to practice, but everything will be fine! You just have to push through because it will get better! Bad times usually come in waves. I also learned how to be a better musician myself. I have learned how to make the best of my practice times and I have become a better pianist because of it. Also, I have realized that I absolutely love music theory and sight singing and I hope to one day teach theory! J

            Enjoy your time as a freshman because it goes by way too fast. My advice to you is to find your groove now. Figure out how you operate and take off from there. Make a schedule for yourself and try to get into a routine of sticking to that schedule now because when things get overwhelming you will still have somewhat of a sense of organization in your life. Also, just do it! Don’t complain about having to study or practice, just do it and get it over with and then go out and have some fun once your school work is done! Remember to manage your time wisely. As music major your time is very precious, make sure you are making good use of it!

Time Management

My life is filled with many challenges. The biggest challenge in my life would be time management. I spend way too much time on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. I always get distracted on Facebook when I am trying to do my homework. I know a simple solution to my problem would be to just not get on Facebook, but it is easier said than done. Even if I say that I am going to just “check” my Facebook, I still end up spending too much time on the social network. It is the same way with Twitter and my phone. My cell phone is a huge problem when it comes to time management. I know that when I am texting, I cannot give my piano or my homework the attention that it needs. My senior year in high school was a rude awakening for me when it came to texting. I had the opportunity to perform my own senior recital which meant that I had to practice numerous hours a day. I had to learn that if I turned my cell phone and computer off, I would get a lot more accomplished than if I had them on. Since I started college, I have fallen back into the habit of texting and getting on Facebook when I should be studying. I really need to buckle down, focus, and know that once I get my homework finished, then I can get on Facebook.

 Another time management issue for me is trying to juggle family responsibilities and a social life. College is all about finding where you belong and making new friends which is hard to do when you have tons of homework to get done. College is so different from high school. When I was in high school, I had every day organized and planned out. I pretty much did the same thing every day so it was easy to make a schedule. College is still so new and unknown that I am not sure how to organize my day yet. Unlike high school, most things are done over email which is still confusing to me because I feel unorganized when I get homework assignments at different times.

I have recently learned that if I make a list of goals then I am more likely to focus on achieving those goals rather than getting on Facebook or Twitter. I also think it is helpful if I actually plan out when I am going to practice and when I am going to do my homework. I have found that making lists really help me focus on what needs to get accomplished. My advice to others would be to not let social media be a distraction. Get everything finished that you need to get done first, and then use social media. It will be worth it in the end!

The Chocolate Factory (SSS)

                Not going to college was never an option for me. I always dreamt of going to college because I knew that in order to do anything in life I would need a college degree in my hand. I really want to make something of my life, so not getting a degree was out of the question. My parents are also the ones that have always pushed me to go to college. I was raised with the mind-set that college must come first before I will ever be able to have the job of my dreams.

                It might sound a little cliché, but not only did I choose Converse, it is more like Converse College chose me. My junior year in high school I began looking at different colleges. I always knew I wanted to study music, so my search was focused more on the school of the arts. I had heard that Converse had an excellent school of music, so I was eager to look more into the college.  As I was checking out the website, I learned that I could come and stay overnight and really get the full college experience. I was a little nervous to come and visit but I really wanted to see the school. The Converse overnight absolutely changed my life. From the moment I stepped foot on the campus, I fell in love with Converse! I really got to know the school that night. I met some amazing friends that are students here and I spent most of my time in Blackman! I knew that Converse was the place for me. Also, I later found out that my piano teacher of 10 years recently married Dr. Foy’s son. After the overnight, I visited Converse many more times and every time I set foot on the campus I just knew that I would soon be going to school here. It was a really great feeling! I am really lucky to be here! Besides, I didn’t apply anywhere else.

                I have been playing the piano and studying music for ten years. I took piano and music theory at Furman University for eight of those years and I never imagined doing anything else but music. I love every aspect of music. I love the feeling I get when I am performing and I can just express the music and think about nothing else but the music. I even love music theory! This past year in high school, I had the opportunity to assistant teach the piano I and II class and I also got to student teach 5^th grade music for a semester. That is when I knew that I really wanted to teach music. I absolutely love teaching music to others and expressing my passion with students.

                The piece of advice that I can take away from the video is that I need to enter college with an open mind. I need to explore all of the fascination and new adventures! I just always need to remember that I am going to go through some rough times but I just have to keep my head up. I need to keep my focus on my goals and try not to get side tracked. I have to remember that all of my hard work will pay off!