SAYA Youth Guest Blog: Reflections on Joining a New Class

With the start of the academic year this past fall, a new class of SAYA College Success students embarked on their higher education careers. Two of these amazing individuals, Roy and Ruyi, shared their experiences, learnings, and highlights from their first semester at college.

Roy
I’m a Freshman at the New York Institute of Technology. As any college freshman would say, the college work ethic is a hard adjustment to make. From being a high school senior who was able to take it easy to now racing to turn in a paper on time is the difference of actually working towards your dream. Thus, here are the lessons I’ve learned from my first semester as a college student, and how they’ve helped me. 

Plan out your week! I’m guilty of saying I’ll remember to do something, and then when I don’t it becomes a back and forth cycle that could’ve been resolved through something as simple as a calendar. Now, I look back and see that my calendar saved me from being late to class, missing an assignment, and even chores - because a college student still has to help around the house or dorm. In addition to that, I set up study sessions, breaks, and lunch. (Lunch being the most important part of my day of course). My first semester not only taught me how to better organize myself, but also how maintaining good mental and physical health plays a huge part in allowing me to go about my day. 

Dreaming of a career isn’t the only type of dreaming you need - get enough sleep! College students, including myself, are usually told that either sleep, a social life, or work has to be removed to maintain the other two, but that is not true. I fell for that belief at the beginning of my semester, and I didn’t get enough sleep. I was awake completing assignments which I could have done earlier, but held off because of the impending stress of college. What I learned after sleepless nights is that they are caused by the stress of what could happen by not completing my work, or not submitting the best I can do. That put a strain on me mentally and physically, and I was exhausted, unable to learn to my best ability. Funnily enough, I reflected on my habits and decided to sleep in for a day. From that day on I encouraged myself to sleep a little more every night because then I had the energy to learn, and to push myself to complete all my assignments early so that I can take care of myself appropriately and continue to follow my schedule. 

Overall, during my first semester I wasn’t the best me I could be, and that’s okay! My peers, especially at SAYA, told me that I will change during college and that can mean improvement - whether in handling responsibilities or just getting enough sleep. This has been my first semester of many, and I know I will become who I need to be to achieve my dream and that idea is one I continue to work towards everyday.

Ruyi
My first semester of college has been busy, exciting, and so so fun! It was the quickest 5 months of my life. This was my first time being away from home for this amount of time, so I was nervous not knowing what to expect. It was also the first time I would be sharing my living space with someone other than my younger sister. Reflecting back on my first semester, I hope to share some resources and tips that helped me - as well as thinking on how I can improve next semester!

I came to Yale as undecided, and still am! We don’t need to declare our major until sophomore year - which feels so close yet so far away at the same time. For now, I try not to worry about what my major will be, exploring the huge pool of classes and different areas of study. Although this may be worrying for people like me who also need direction and some sort of a plan, I try to take a mixture of classes that are both career-oriented and fun. This past semester, I took “Intro to Python” because I am interested in working in tech in the future. I also took “Indigenous Food Sovereignty” because ethnic studies classes are so fun and fulfilling to learn in. This class was especially rewarding as our professor pushed us to interact with our curriculum outside of the classroom. Half of the classes were not in classrooms - instead, we took trips up to the Yale Farm and helped with picking vegetables, thrashing beans, and peeling beets.

Something I learned during Senior Cohort in SAYA that has been so helpful during college is to not be afraid to connect with new people and learn from their experiences. Despite how daunting that sounded to me, it has been really fun grabbing a meal in the dining hall with classmates and learning about their post-grad plans, internships, and just getting to know them! In College Transitions during the weeks before my first semester started, one of the biggest tips I received was to go to office hours - and I can not recommend it enough. I would not have survived my computer science course without office hours every week.

Going to a predominantly white institution as a woman of color and as a FGLI (first-generation, low-income) student, I had worries about finding people I connected with. I have been so lucky to have found friends that got me through the first semester. My extracurriculars have also been a source of comfort - I sought out cultural affinity groups and SAYA-like spaces that valued care, community, and wellness. In my first semester, I was involved in the Asian American Student Alliance and Chinese American Student Association, and attended events hosted by the Asian American Cultural Center. 

One of the defining things from my time at SAYA was the mentorship I received from College Success students and my Young Women’s Leadership facilitator. Yale offers small FGLI mentorship groups, and my mentor has helped me plan my semesters, find internship opportunities, and think about my life goals (it is as scary as it sounds). One thing that stuck with me from our conversations was her question: who and what am I doing everything for? This question helps guide me through times of doubt and uncertainty. 

I am grateful to SAYA for teaching me how to take care of myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. During my College Success meetings, Priya taught me how to stay active even while cooped up in my room. While I am still learning, I am proud of how I have prioritized intentional rest and wellness through busy times. Next semester, I hope to embark on the projects I have been thinking about through my extracurricular clubs and to continue growing!

We wish all of our college students the best of luck this year!