A Dean’s Lister is defined as a student of a college or university who achieves high grades during the academic year or in some, every semester. Others call these students the high achievers or even the nerds. In every college or university, they have their own standards for students to meet to be in the Dean’s List – in the standards of Southville, you have to reach a grade point average or GPA of 3.0 with no grade lower than 2.0. For some, this sounds ridiculous and even vaguely important since the mad college life is taking its course and yes, trust me when I say I get this, I have been there.
I am made up of experiences
I am twenty-four years old and a single mother of a beautiful three-year old daughter. Southville is my fourth college after DLS-CSB, DLSU-M, and Enderun Colleges. I have not gained any degree in the colleges and university, fore mentioned – and took up different program from each of them. I transferred to Southville, second semester of academic year 2013-2014. I stopped for three years to take care of my daughter and to gain back the trust that I lost from my parents. Them taking a huge leap of faith to send me back to school again was actually their 23rd birthday present for me. As soon as I went to school on the first day of classes, you can just imagine how I breathe stress and pressure; it was just overwhelming in all ways possible. I had a few mishaps in the past that I may not always be proud of but they taught me well enough to bring me where I am now. And last semester, I was included in the Dean’s List and ranked 7th among the Psychology students. Of course, being included in the Dean’s List is no easy price to pay, sacrifices are expected and ought to be done. Some of you can and might say that being in the Dean’s List is not really difficult for me since I have already been in different schools but I am made up of experiences and not my schools.
From one university to another
When I was still in La Salle, I remember how much we laughed at the term “DL”, instead of the ‘Dean’s List’, we regard it as ‘Drop Lagi’ – and that, I was. I stopped going to my classes to hangout with my friends and my boyfriend then, I would go home at seven in the morning after dusk ‘till dawn of drinking and partying, knowing that my class would start at eight-forty in the morning. I would get to class still intoxicated – well, if I went to class at all. My grades start to hit the bottom real hard and I did not even care, I was having the time of my life. I had everything I wanted and needed that time: friends, a boyfriend, a car, a condominium usually to myself, three plastics in my wallet that are paid by my dear parents, not to mention my stashed cash – name it, I had it. I have always thought to myself, this is my time, the best time of my life. And it really was, not until I got to this state that I realized, there is way more to life than so-called-life.
Back to School
When my parents finally decided to send me back to school, I prayed hard – to thank Him and ask for superior guidance. I started by setting a goal for myself that I will not just attend my classes for attendance but to really learn. I felt a bit older than my classmates too so I decided to befriend my professors – not to get a biased grade but so I can learn in a much deeper level since I have just got back from my three years of being a bum, I needed some extra assistance to fully adjust and give way to the transition. Instead of hanging out with the few people that I knew, I would go home during my breaks and immediately after class. I made sure that I pass my requirements on time, scan my notes during examinations – I did all these to make sure I would not get derailed again. As alumna of a Benedictine school, I believe in prayer and work. But it cannot be just that or else I would easily get burnt out so I still go to parties, I still spend time with my friends and eventually, I learned how to balance everything. This is not easy, temptations, they come and go, and I have to stay strong to resist and maintain my focus. I understand the infamous principle of “YOLO” or You Only Live Once, for I have lived this. Believe it or not, this is still my mantra in life but I just took it in a different perspective. It used to mean being in the party scene all the time where you think that is where the cool scene is and you belong to the cool roster. I still live by this but with great discipline learned from experience and motivations from the people I continue to surround myself with. I taught myself how to say no, that not all parties should be attended, not all people should be welcomed as friends for some can just really pull you down, not hours should on your computers and smartphones doing what-not’s, and laziness is an illness that can be cured. Through all of these, I gave birth to my own term for “DL”, forgetting the ‘Drop Lagi’ but instead. ‘Discipline Lang’ because this is all it takes; I am sure my fellow students who are in the Dean’s List would agree to this.
I am on my way to success!
Striking balance in this stage of our lives is not easy. There are twenty-four hours in a day and seven days in a week. I made the most out of these; I attend my classes five times a week, two days to spare for whatever I feel is appropriate, I have a daughter to look after to, friends to hang with, and some recreational activities to do, and so on. I never knew I could make it to this but I did. You do not need to bear a child, your parents’ teeth at your throat, plaster of zeros in your transcript, a person to impress, a fat reward from your parents – to push yourself and achieve not necessarily a certificate and announcement of your name at the end of each semester but a grade that you will be proud of. And man, it feels good! Doing yourself proud that all these are because of your efforts and sacrifices and knowing that you are no longer wasting anyone’s time and your parents’ hard-earned money; I took the hard way of learning, yes – but I did not let it stagnate me.
