I didn't change much, to be fair. I'm kind of developing a standard, collegiate agenda for my days at Columbia. I find myself eating at the standard dining hall hours (closer to opening than closing), spending at least two additional hours after second session in the library for my research paper, spending at least one hour in the gym and traveling from destination to destination, and spending an additional two hours doing assigned homework for my class. It's a lot to handle, especially considering the majority of my agenda occurs after 4:00 P.M., when the afternoon session is dismissed.
I believe what contributed to my overall exertion of energy yesterday was the initial execution of such a rigorous plan. It's day three in the classroom, but it's day two of my daily routine, and I'm finding my niche.
I'm pretty sure that the American Presidential Powers: At Home and Abroad course is one of the most difficult, rigorous courses available in the high school summer program, and that's mostly due to the comparison of classes and the opinion of my floor-mates. Three of them, in fact, do not receive any homework throughout their stay at Columbia this Summer. A class in computer programming provides that luxury. Many have homework, but also have a rather flexible schedule, fluid enough to mold against the grains of their own schedule, yet buoyant enough to allow them to float above the water.
However, at the end of my mental assessment of such comments and conclusions, I sincerely believe that I was put in the right course. I think about it more and more as I strain hour after hour, working to perfect only the rough outline of my research paper. I am learning the study, time management, and success skills to achieve in high school, college, and life in general. My preparation for the real world, though begun years back, is definitely excelling here. And, the behavior in which I have adopted in terms of academic and social responsibility is being tested. I plan to ace it.
Of course, this combination of a once-in-a-life-time experience, reality check, and time-of-my-life experience has been the genuine product of those who have donated so graciously to both the Ivy League Connection and the West Contra Costa Unified School District (W.C.C.U.S.D.). This is my thanks to you, the investor. Thank you for investing in my personal future, the future of our students, and the future of our district as a whole. I hope to return the favor if and when I can snatch success when I am presented with the opportunity.
On another note, exploring the city and "getting out" is becoming extremely difficult, however, but such is to be expected from the given schedule I practice, I suppose. I still have my weekends, and that's what counts! I definitely won't leave New York without distraction myself on Main Street and Wall Street for a while, but I definitely won't leave the university without setting myself on the proper path for prosperity and success in life.
It's all about doing your homework--your high school teachers were not lying.
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