Hi, everyone!

Well first of all, let me introduce myself! My name is Minh and I am a freshman here at the University of Oklahoma! I’m originally from Oklahoma City (a mere thirty minutes from Norman), but am currently living in the dorms on campus. I am a  Microbiology/Pre-Med major and am planning to work on a History minor.

Now that formalities are over with, I’m going to start writing about my time thus far at OU.

WOW.

That’s one word to describe my experience to date. But first, I’m going to take you back to my senior year of high school. Ah…senior year. I do get a bit nostalgic sometimes just thinking about the class t-shirts, the homecoming games, and senior week. Yes, the first semester of senior year did go by quick. And as second semester started rolling around, it seemed like the word “college” was on practically everyone’s mind. Literally, I could see the word just hovering over most of the seniors’ heads as we ate lunch or did other projects together.

Fortunately, I didn’t have “college” hovering over my head. I was already admitted to OU before my first semester ended. I had been admitted to other colleges as well, but I am 100 percent happy with my decision to become a Sooner. So as high school came to a close and summer melted away, I packed my bags and looked forward to my first semester in college.

My first week in college…oh wow. I was a new freshman, let out into the big, big world of university life. My first day of classes I, of course, walked into a wrong classroom…or three. I went into my dorm and realized this wasn’t “home.” I ate lunch and realized this wasn’t “cafeteria food.” Well, that last discovery I was quite happy with. All in all, I was completely getting freshman-itis, or “fresh-itis” as some of my friends call it. But, not to worry! These symptoms go away within a week, and I am living proof of this fact.

After I got over “freshman-itis,” I slowly started to acclimate and adapt to my new environment. I joined organizations and met new people. Since I’m in the Honors College, I’m also in the Honors Student Assocation. I also joined up with Circle K, a service organization (that’s right, guys, it’s NOT a club devoted to the gas station), and the March of Dimes Collegiate Council. Did I mention meeting new people? Oh my, when you are at OU it is not possible to not meet someone new who you can just strike up a conversation with. May I just say that the Starbucks in the Union is a great place to meet new friends? Not to mention the students in your classes. Now those are guaranteed potential friends. Especially if you’re going to work in study groups like I do for my Organic Chemistry class.

Talking about classes leads me to academics in college. “College is not high school, students!”  Isn’t this what all high school teachers tell their seniors? Well, students, it’s absolutely true! The work load in college is not impossible, but it definitely requires a lot of hard work and balancing. I was so happy to find that I aced my first Organic Chemistry exam, but I knew deep down that I would do well. Why? Because I had studied the content my professor lectured on and covered in class through and through…and through and through…and through and through.

Getting good grades in college is not like getting good grades in high school where you could just cram the night before and still miraculously pull off a snazzy “A.” Nope, you’ve got to work hard and prioritize your time here at OU, as you would at any other college. But when you do put in effort and study, that awesome, well-deserved “A” on your exam will make you feel so WONDERFUL. I practically wanted to hug my Organic Chemistry exam when I saw that “A.”

Overall, my first month here at OU has been AWESOME. I am so happy that I have decided to get my education here! I’m excited for the future events my organizations are going to work on, meeting more new people, and for my future assignments.

“You’re excited for your future assignments, Minh? Seriously?”

Why, yes, my friend! I am very excited to learn new things in my classes, especially my Organic Chemistry class. That’s the thing with college. You actually do love what you’re learning. I’m simply excited for the future and will definitely share my experiences with you all as they come along!

BOOMER SOONER!