The Power of Struggle (Veteran Voices)
The Power of Struggle (Veteran Voices)
Transcript
My first semester at Columbia, I decided that I was going to do everything. I was a Poli-Sci and Econ major, and economics for whatever reasons didn't dawn on me at the moment, that was going to require a lot of math. When I took my placement testing I needed to take what was considered a remedial math. It was a calculus class, and I had not had any math in the eight years that I'd had as a break from the university, and probably more than ten years since I'd had any in high school. It was a very difficult class for me. The professor that I had was actually a grad student.
For him this was his major and it was very easy, and I think there was a little disconnect on what was easy for him was clearly not easy for me. I watched the Cs come across my desk horrified every moment that I was going to fail this class. There was also the feeling of failure. This was my first semester. I was carrying all this great responsibility of the pride of my family, my community college. Oh my goodness I'm going to wash out my first semester if I fail this one course. It was very difficult for me to figure out how to get through it. I ended up finding resources on campus for tutoring.
They have this place called Milbank Hall here. That was really effective, that helped me. I was able to get in touch with other students that I'd come in with in my class. A friend of mine named Dan who said, "Hey I actually grade all those homework assignments, "and so I'm super good at math, "and I can absolutely help you behind the scenes "to try and help get you ready for this." It was a course that I scrabbled through until the very end.
Talking to my advisor, oh my gosh, can I drop it? What's going to happen? It was the best C that I ever got. I was so proud of myself because I think it was a testament of whether or not I was going to stick it out at university because it was the first time in a long time that I'd actually struggled with something, and it didn't come easy for me.
I'm so grateful now that I didn't hide at the first sign of trouble, and that I did have the resources and supports that let me know that it was a class, and it was a moment, and it wasn't going to define the rest of my time at my university because I recently graduated. I had a really wise advisor once who when I said, "Oh my goodness I'm really struggling with this," and I had just got a C, he told me, "Well a C, that's just a point, "and so I'm not concerned because it's a point." And he said, "But if you have two Cs I might get a little concerned "because now we have a line, "but I'm still not concerned yet "because it's just two points, "but when we get three points that's a pattern, "and that's when I'll get concerned." I just never let it become a pattern.
That would be my advice when you struggle with something. Understand that it's a moment, but just don't let it become a pattern and you'll be fine.
For him this was his major and it was very easy, and I think there was a little disconnect on what was easy for him was clearly not easy for me. I watched the Cs come across my desk horrified every moment that I was going to fail this class. There was also the feeling of failure. This was my first semester. I was carrying all this great responsibility of the pride of my family, my community college. Oh my goodness I'm going to wash out my first semester if I fail this one course. It was very difficult for me to figure out how to get through it. I ended up finding resources on campus for tutoring.
They have this place called Milbank Hall here. That was really effective, that helped me. I was able to get in touch with other students that I'd come in with in my class. A friend of mine named Dan who said, "Hey I actually grade all those homework assignments, "and so I'm super good at math, "and I can absolutely help you behind the scenes "to try and help get you ready for this." It was a course that I scrabbled through until the very end.
Talking to my advisor, oh my gosh, can I drop it? What's going to happen? It was the best C that I ever got. I was so proud of myself because I think it was a testament of whether or not I was going to stick it out at university because it was the first time in a long time that I'd actually struggled with something, and it didn't come easy for me.
I'm so grateful now that I didn't hide at the first sign of trouble, and that I did have the resources and supports that let me know that it was a class, and it was a moment, and it wasn't going to define the rest of my time at my university because I recently graduated. I had a really wise advisor once who when I said, "Oh my goodness I'm really struggling with this," and I had just got a C, he told me, "Well a C, that's just a point, "and so I'm not concerned because it's a point." And he said, "But if you have two Cs I might get a little concerned "because now we have a line, "but I'm still not concerned yet "because it's just two points, "but when we get three points that's a pattern, "and that's when I'll get concerned." I just never let it become a pattern.
That would be my advice when you struggle with something. Understand that it's a moment, but just don't let it become a pattern and you'll be fine.