Before and After

Well it's been four months that I've been a student here at Georgia Tech and it seems like a mere week, but in that time I've learned a lot, some of my views have changed being from small issues such as fraternity or large ones such as politics. I've gained a girlfriend, a hundred friendships, a brotherhood, and experience in life in general, be it time management or money management. Coming into college, people don't expect everything, how could anyone? We are taken from our high school settings and thrust head forward into a world governed by a strict honor code that some don't take seriously until they are called upon to answer for it. But that's part of the experience, that's part of the learning curve here at tech. People aren't supposed to work together on lab reports: lesson learned. I do believe that this school has a negative effect though, the stress inherent in becoming a Georgia Tech student is unheard of, and I ran into a friend that I have't seen in two years about a week ago and from his once jet black hair you can see hundreds of gray ones popping up. The guy is only 20, doesn't seem right, but I guess sometimes you've just got to push things back, don't be afraid to just drop everything for a few minutes and breathe, or watch a movie with friends or play a game, just to relax because if you do absolutely everything asked of you on time without pause, you might find yourself with some gray hairs or worse.
When coming to this school I never expected the stress I would be under, my drive to succeed and persevere through this college without stop was unheard of and I was sure I would have no problem in any class. My complete and utter dislike for chemistry has made it a difficult class for me however, and I find myself struggling to keep any kind of respectable grade in that class. A lot rides on the final which means that dead week might be just as it is named, and I might be taking on a few gray hairs myself. One other thing you don't expect to run into going to this college, the desire to look at successful people and wonder if they ever had to go what students at GT have to go through, how so many of the celebrities and world renowned billionaires aren't billionaires because of a doctorate degree but just because of luck or a good idea at the right time. This is sometimes disheartening, but I suppose at the worst a GT degree will help us when we have those ideas. I still want to be a co-op this summer and while I didn't expect to even rush in the fall I now find myself a brother of Theta Chi fraternity. I have grown not as a student, but as a man, realizing more and more every day the importance of things and how to better myself and those around me. My goals are the same though, as when I first entered the school: succeed here, succeed at Georgia Tech and don't let it drive me into utter despair. I have added a couple however, live by the creed of Theta Chi, be the absolute best person and best brother I can be, Live by the Honor Code, and be the best boyfriend I can be.