Dear Frisco A&M Club Scholarship Committee,
What an amazing feeling it is to be an Aggie! I have had an amazing first semester and I’d like to share some of my experiences with you.
It all started with Fish Camp! I attended session F which returned the night before move in day, which was perfect timing to get me even more excited for my A&M experiences to begin. Fish Camp was absolutely unbelievable-a little awkward at first as I’d heard it was, but by the end of those 4 days I already felt I was even more a part of the Aggie family. I met so many people during Fish Camp that as I was walking around campus, I was constantly running into many people I actually knew already.
Gig ’em week was another awesome experience-1 had the opportunity to meet even more people and to see what college life at A&M was really like before all the schoolwork kicked in.
This semester’s classes were very tough; I took Calculus for Biology and Medicine, Honors Chemistry, Biology, and Health & Fitness-Yoga. Studying for the first round of tests was nerve-wracking because I had no idea about what to expect out of a college test. However, after the first round of tests, I figured out how to study for each professor’s different test styles.
I also attended the MSC Open House and looked at all of the student-led organizations that fit my interests, and I quickly discovered there were a lot to choose from! During my first semester I’ve become involved with Future Aggie Physician Assistants (FAPA), American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Ags of OAK (Open Acts of Kindness), and Residence Hall Association (RHA). Through FAPA and AMSA, I’ve learned from representatives from different medical programs across Texas, what it takes to successfully enter and complete a medical program. In RHA, I am the recycling chairperson organizing the recycling efforts in my dorm. My favorite organization however is Ags of OAK. We are each assigned a shift time with 4 other members and our group meets once a week somewhere on campus where we do various things to make the campus a happier place. Some of our activities included holding doors open for people, giving free “high fives” or hugs, and passing out candy. The campus favorite was when we gave out pieces of bubble wrap. It sounds silly, but the students really appreciated the stress relief it provided and it brought a smile to everyone” face. I love this organization because I feel, in some small way; I’m contributing to making Texas A&M a happier place.
Along with joining these organizations, I’ve also become involved with the A&M United Methodist Church. It’s been a great way to connect with other students on a more spiritual level and help make the community a better place. Before the second semester begins, I am participating in a mission trip in Dallas where our group is repairing homes and working at the North Texas Food Bank.
As happy as I was being at Texas A&M, meeting all of these amazing people and becoming really involved in my organizations, I was still struggling with my classes. I soon found out Honors Chemistry was a bit too advanced for me, but I was determined to stick with it. Our professor had told us the class was so difficult that if you had a C average, it would be curved to an A average for your final grade. My midterm grade was a B, so I decided to continue with the class. The material, however, continued to get more difficult and I ended my semester with a C in the class. Biology was another struggle. I attended tutoring as often as they had sessions, and I managed to make solid B’s on all of my tests, increasing about 4 points each round. However, the final was extremely difficult, and I ended the class with a 78.86, so I got a C in the class. It was devastating to be so close to the border Fine between a B and a C, but I learned the hard way how the college grading system can be brutal. Calculus was my best class, and I had kept an A average until the final exam. My final exam grade brought my grade down to a B. So, with a C in Honors Chemistry, a B in Honors Chemistry Lab, a C in Biology, a B in Calculus, and an A in Yoga, my final GPA was a 2.538.
I was very upset that all of my hard work this semester only accomplished a 2.538, but my grades have only motivated me to completely change my study habits this next semester. I have scheduled my classes to be in a block of time from 9-2 so I can be more efficient with my study time. I’m scheduling specific study hours for myself everyday, even if I don’t have something due for a while. I’ve come to the conclusion that your first semester of college is a huge learning experience, where you find out how to take effective notes, study properly, balance your activities and use your time effectively. I feel like that learning experience combined with my difficult classes is what was so tough about this last semester. However, learning from these experiences will be a blessing as I continue into my future semesters. I recently met with my mentor from the Independent Study and Mentorship program I was in last year. When 1 told her how school: was going, she told me the same thing had happened to her. She had gone from being valedictorian of her high school to making C’s and D’s her first year of college. She said she made some serious changes in her study habits, and saw major improvements with her grades because of that. She said she has no doubt I can do the same.
This first semester was absolutely wonderful. I have loved every minute of it (except for finals, of course). I am so blessed to be at the school of my dreams! Thank you so much for the scholarship for first semester. I know my second semester at A&M will hold many new learning experiences and successes.
Sincerely,
Julie Bunyard ‘14
