Ben Lambert

 

To be completely honest, it feels weird when I say that I already finished my first academic year at Longwood University.  It feels like it was only yesterday when I was awkwardly meandering  in the crowd during the first day of the Honors Retreat, desperately trying to find someone as awkward as I was to start a conversation with.  You see, my biggest fear going in to college was not the overwhelming papers or projects, but finding a friend group to hang out with and accept me for who I am.  It was definitely a struggle at first, but I managed to get out of my comfort zone and get involved in more groups and organizations. The first group that I became involved in was the campus Baptist Collegiate Ministry.  Within the first day of going to a worship night, I already met five or six people  that have become some of the closest friends I made at Longwood University.  I also became heavily involved in Global Leaders, a new organization on campus, and played a crucial role in recruiting and events.  My involvement in this group led me to make a few international friends, of which I had the pleasure of learning about their culture and teaching them about my own in the process.  I also found a way to become involved and make a few friends in my major through Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the academic criminal justice fraternity at Longwood.  Initially I was really hesitant about joining a fraternity, but I met a lot of cool people who share the same career choices and share the enthusiasm for our studies.  When everything was said and done, it was like my initial fear of being isolated and antisocial were all for nothing.

As far as academics go, my classes were challenging, especially in the first semester,  but they  pushed me to be the best I could be and realize my potential as a student.  One of the main problems that I struggled with was time management.  I realized that I had more free time on my hands compared to what I had back home, which was very exciting, but I had to find that balance between doing things with friends and studying for my classes.  After I managed to get this concept down, I noticed that my work ethic as well as my grades improve substantially, which can be seen from first semester’s 3.22 to a 3.9 GPA.

In closing, the year was tough, but not without its rewards.  There were several times where I had to choose studying over hanging out with friends, but the grades show for themselves that they were worth the time and effort put into them.  I also made several friendships that I will believe will last a lifetime, and experienced several awesome memories that  I will never forget.  I must admit that I had some doubts about Longwood, but this journey has made me realize that not only is it one of the best decisions I have ever made, but in that I found a second home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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