I began writing my how-to on staying motivated as a student but I realized that you all need to know about my story before you start taking any advice from me. I don’t know if a lot of people would blog about their academic career but I don’t feel ashamed of it, maybe disappointed of my first year though. Here it goes:

I’m two years behind in school because of two things: I wasn’t prepared for the college life and I made the decision to get married and have a family early in my life.

I don’t regret the second reason and I certainly can’t change the first. All my teachers told me college would be easy because of how emotionally-mature and intelligent I was, but there are some things every person going into college should know. College is not a cake walk but you can certainly turn it into one with the right work ethics and attitude. Here is the story of how I went from a failing at my old school to being a top student at my current one.

Going to a good private school never occurred to me because being new to college, the tuition cost was a big thing for me and I wasn’t aware of all the need-based financial aid offered to students. I decided to go to a local, public institution known as Georgia State University in 2009. I’d heard good things about it and I thought a big school would’ve been a good fit.

I never partied, joined a sorority, or spent much time socializing with others during my first year in college and despite having a surplus in scholarship funds, I got a part-time job that required me to work from 4 PM to 2 AM right after school. Stupid move, of course and especially since I didn’t need the job.

I was still a full-time student however and my lack of sleep slowly affected my grades, my class attendance, and being just another blurry face during a three-hour lecture of over 200 students, I felt detached and not a part of my school. There was only one professor I could’ve actually talked to. The others just seemed to rush off as soon as class was over, speeding away to their next lecture.

I eventually quit my job because of a continuously pinched nerve in my right knee from the amount of required standing at work. My knee recovered eventually but the damage to my schoolwork and reputation as a college student had been done. I lost my scholarships and grants and I ended up scouring for money to pay completely out-of-pocket. After a decade and a half of free education from elementary school to college, I finally learned the value and cost of an education.

There was a discrepancy at my school pertaining to an F I received for a class that I never took. Being on academic probation with my low grades already, I was academically expelled from school although I could return after a year or two. Despite the appeal I submitted and all the evidence I brought to the table, Georgia State University had lost their file proving that I had not taken the class and they decided that I must have taken the class then. That one F had me kicked out and I took a break from school. And throughout this roadblock, Georgia State University placed a hold on my transcripts for almost a year, causing my transfer to be stalled.

After I got married and had my son in 2011, I made the decision to apply to Georgia Perimeter College to raise my GPA, start over, and transfer to another school. After my year at GSU, I knew I preferred a smaller school with a smaller student to instructor ratio. I think it is important to be able to learn and bond with your teachers and classmates. I was accepted a day before my birthday this year in spring (all thanks to GSU’s hold) and I took two classes in the summer. I just finished five this fall and although I have a 3.84 GPA right now, I know I have to keep trying. I’m going to be taking six in spring and I know with the experiences and methods I’ve learned along the way, I know I will do well.

Even though I’m a full-time mom and a full-time student, I would not trade what I have now for the world. My husband is incredibly supportive and is updated on my schoolwork (he and I share a Google calendar that updates us both on my schoolwork).

I am thankful for a wonderful spouse who brings me Godiva chocolate truffles on the days of my quizzes and tests and who watches our toddler at night so I can study more. I work on schoolwork nine hours a day for five days a week and I stay ahead of my class by a whole week. I’m off on the two days my husband is off but I can work up to seven days at times.

With my dedication, I will be completing two years of college in one and a half and I hope to graduate with honors before moving onto to Oglethorpe University. People ask me how I’m going to pay for it, but at this point, I think the higher possibility of a good education trumps any amount of tuition cost.

At the end of this post, I don’t feel like I am “behind” anymore. I shouldn’t be comparing myself to my classmates who started school right after high school and didn’t have as many roadblocks as I did. I know people who are working part-time jobs and taking two or three classes and are receiving failing grades. I have a marriage to preserve, a son to love and care for, finances to manage, and even though I am a full-time student, I can pull off all A’s for both my final exams and my final grades. I am very proud of myself and as long as I am working towards something and “going somewhere,” I’m not behind at all.

I hope you all have enjoyed this entry and I hope you know that you’re doing good as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing.

Be sure to check out my how-to on being a successful college student following this post!