I recently got enrolled at North-West North West University into the humanities faculty to study Bachelor of Social Sciences majoring in Psychology. After the gap year, I had to take the time to fully decide on the path that I want to take to lead me to the future I desire. I always had a deep interest in Psychology, and after receiving a few acceptance letters I decided to venture into the path of Psychology at the Potchefstroom campus. I saw this as an opportunity to broaden my knowledge of it and use it as leverage to help me achieve my goals. This was the beginning new journey for me as it would be my first year in the university and a change of environment considering that it was also the first time I have ever been in Potchefstroom.
The first few days and weeks of University were overwhelming for me. The atmosphere was energetic and over the roof and it got me a bit excited to go out and explore the place. I was fortunate enough to live in a private residence with a social area and many social events. As an introvert, this was a good thing because I would not have to think or do too much just to put myself out there and meet new people. I was allocated to a bachelor room in which I had a housemate with whom I only shared a kitchen. I met him on my first day there, we got to know each other and he got to show me around and introduce me to a few of his friends. I attended my first social event after a week, and it was not hard for me to adjust to this new environment. Two days after, the academic year officially started.
The first semester was not that busy for me because most of my classes were online and some were hybrid because the covid-19 regulations were a bit eased but not entirely taken away. It made it a little easier for me to do my work and kind of get into the rhythm of the university workload. I was given more time to complete my work, write my test and submit my work online. I did not get to go on campus quite often because of all the pre-screening and measures to be taken, so I spent most of my time in my room. I made new friends that I could socialise with. And due to me having a lot of time because everything was online, I could frankly say we went out quite a few times. I enjoyed it but it was not my favourite thing to do. I am a disciplined person, so I did not let freedom get to me. I started going to the gym and playing football and went to look for a team I could play for. With all that said and done, I managed to pass my modules and get good grades for all my modules. I reached a new physical peak and broadened my knowledge of Philosophy and Economics as they were my favourite modules.
When I came back from recess the second semester started with all the covid-19 regulations taken away. I started attending all my classes on campus and was afforded the privilege of exploring the campus. This is when I started making more friends and started meeting like-minded people. The workload increased but I started socialising and working out more. I started being more inclined toward the lifestyle and was able to navigate myself around the whole city. I met a group of friends with which I started attending on-campus events. That was a whole different experience for me because this is when I enjoyed my University life more. I started encountering more challenges with my schoolwork, so I started attending facilitation classes and getting study buddies. As well as problems with my relationships so I started isolating myself. I decided to start working on my mind body and soul. And things just started changing for me and I evolved into a different kind of human being. With all, that academic and financial stress I faced, I ended the semester on a high note.
I think 2022 was simply a lesson for me and I am going to utilise those lessons in 2023 to make better decisions, to ultimately become a better version of myself. Especially since I am studying Psychology, I think this course helped me think about life in a different light and understand life better. I think that anyone who's thinking of studying Psychology should be ready for the extreme workload and the ultimate knowledge you are going to obtain studying it. This is the beginning of a new journey, so I still have a lot to learn and I would be looking forward to it. And I would be more than happy to share it.