In an effort to avoid studying for my inevitable encounter with an exam later this week, along with a paper, I want to share my perceptions on the type of student I am.

First off, I am going to make this completely clear- I am the worst type of student. I am an extreme procrastinator. In college alone, I have written an essay the night before it was due, gone traveling and gotten home 24 hours before an exam, and have chosen to postpone homework at 2am to go get Taco Bell with friends.  That being said, I do not think I am a bad student either. Sooner or later I always get my work done. Although I procrastinate in my school work, I always strive for greatness (even if that means digging deep for inspiration at 5am). One thing that I have learned since being abroad is that there are tons of smart people out there in the world. Even though you get the grades, it doesn’t mean anything if you do not have the knowledge or experience to back them up.

For example, I could memorize the anatomy of a cell along with how the adenyl cyclase system works in one night (shoutout to BIO101 with Kevin). That doesn’t mean that I understand it. Book smarts are valuable, but if you can’t move your knowledge beyond the books, it isn’t worth more than an empty wallet. This semester I have really tried to understand my major and find the value in the courses I am taking. I came to the realization that every course I am taking towards my major right now is what is going to give me the tools to go our into the world one day and do something that will take up a good portion of my life. I became more motivated this semester to actually understand the material and go beyond what was required of me. For the first time I am not as concerned with my letter grade. When I mention GPA and grades in some of my classes, people don’t stress as much- in fact, people don’t even care. It is not as big of a thing as it is in the states. It is beautiful.

FAST FORWARD A MONTH BECAUSE I FORGOT TO FINISH THIS

As I sit in a coffee shop trying to get my life in order, I just got my results back. A combination of As and Bs. I am so very happy because not only did I get the grades, I learned so much in the classroom and on my own this semester.