What’s up doc? My name is Adrianne. I’m pretty socially awkward and tend to be scatterbrained at times. Apologies for both in advance.
Hailing from Placentia, as a commuter I had quite a few initial concerns about UCI. Being such a shy person and not living on campus, I was not sure if I would be able to establish a core group of friends. As a relatively new driver that only began to drive on the freeway for four months, I was not sure if my prayers of making it to campus in one piece would be answered. Having a bad habit of massive procrastination, I was not sure if I would be able to keep up with UCI’s quarter system.
Overall, my first few weeks were pretty rough. I only took 12 units to wet my feet and test the waters. With only three classes, I should not be one to complain. But the amount of work and stress in the first two weeks alone made me feel like I jumped off the deep end and ended up cracking my head at the bottom of the pool.
Taking Biology 93, Chemistry, and Math combined with poor time management has put some heavy strain on my committed relationship with my bed. Also, being a commuter that takes their sibling to and from school and their extracurriculars, I found my options for the clubs I could join severely limited. Unless I was feeling petty enough to let her walk home at night from her swim practices, there were few clubs whose meetings I could attend.
Though in the beginnings the waters were choppy, with a bit more time I was able to find a routine to keep myself afloat.
Luckily I have been getting to UCI and back home in one piece. The occasional impatient driver will cut me off on the freeway… But I drive so slow there is usually a small window to slam the brakes to avoid rear-ending them. The three days I am on campus are the mornings my grandma or uncle will drop off my sister to school. If I run fast enough across Aldrich Park, I can hit the freeway early enough to be able to pick her up.
Additionally, besides ZotBlog, I was very fortunate enough to find a Christian club that has members meet with others whose schedules do not permit them to attend their meetings or Bible studies on a regular basis. I see them every Wednesday around three after my Biology lecture. I am very grateful for how flexible they are and the knowledge they imparted to me that I do not drive to Newport Beach to see them but walk to the Newport Beach room in the student center.
As for improving my time management and combatting procrastination… Well, it is still a process. After the first few times a ten-minute homework break turned into an unhealthy amount of Supergirl, Arrow, and the Flash being binged on Netflix, I leave my phone in a corner while I study. I promised myself that one day I will find the strength to delete Netflix and Instagram off my phone. But I can always do it tomorrow. Today I have time to watch one more episode or stare at a picture of Jared Goff or Noah Centineo on Instagram for another couple of minutes.