Three Years

    As much as I love Northern, I am planning to cut my time here short. I am planning on graduating in three years. However, this means overloading my schedule every semester, taking J-Term and summer classes and fast tracking everything. Currently, my schedule is full with 19 credit hours of classes. Three days of the week I have class from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with no breaks for lunch. I can't complain too much because I am the one who put myself in this position. 

    You might be wondering why I want to graduate early if I love Northern so much. Well, as mentioned in one of my previous blogs, my boyfriend is a year older than me, and we currently spend majority of the year thousands of miles apart. I want that to end as soon as possible. So, why would I delay our future when I know I can graduate in three years if I push myself. 

    This semester is kicking my butt though. Not only am I pushing myself with my involvements, but my classes are a lot more work than I anticipated. Specifically, business analytics is proving to be a challenge. My whole class pretty much failed the first exam, and I was disappointed in my 70%. I truthfully am doing fine, but I am a perfectionist so anything other than an "A" bothers me. Which is what makes my classes so challenging. If I was happy with any grade and just completing assignments then I would be telling you that taking all of these classes is actually not that bad, but when I want to be perfect all of the time it makes assignments more difficult. Dedicating time to work is easy for me, but I usually do not block out enough time because I end up working on an assignment until I feel there is no possible errors or major complications. 

    Being this busy also creates highs and lows throughout my week. Somehow, I end up with a ton of work on some days and none on others. I don't know how professors do it, but they always assign work at the same time. At least I am someone who loves to be busy. I hate being alone in my dorm room with nothing to do. I would much rather be working on homework, projects, attending meetings, joining organizations or hanging out with friends. 

    I am looking forward to being done with freshman year. Right now, it is awkward for me to fill out what year I am on paperwork or answer when people ask, because I am a freshman, but next year I will be a junior. Traditionally, for people who graduate in three years, they "skip" sophomore year. I am excited to technically become an upperclassman next year and to not have to explain my situation to people. I am very glad my peer mentor, Emma Smith, also graduated in three years and has been able to help explain that to me and guide me on how to tackle the question of "What year are you?"