My name is Anna Fritschi, and I am a junior majoring in human development and family studies. I came in my freshman year as a nursing major and thought I had everything planned out perfectly. God quickly showed me that was not the plan He had for my life. In high school it was my dream to be in the Colorguard. At the end of senior year, I tried out, made the team, and I was so excited. We began practice in the fall and within a few days I was injured. That was my first major setback. During fall semester I spent a lot of time practicing, going to physical therapy, and doctors’ appointments. I was involved in a Journey Group at the BCM but that was all I really had time for. On top of all that, I was still a college student. I quickly had to learn how to best manage my time and ensure everything got done.
That fall, I often studied at Gorgas Library or one of the many coffee shops off campus. (Some of my favorite ones are Heritage House and Monarch, but there are so many!) I became more involved in the BCM during spring semester and that became my new favorite place to study. I spent a lot of time at the BCM hanging out with people and studying. I had to learn that it was okay to say no to hanging out with people and that I needed to prioritize studying.
When studying it is important to take breaks because your brain can only retain information for so long. It is very easy to procrastinate and put it off, but you often need to begin studying early. When I study and prepare for exams, I often get everything together the week before my exam so the week of I can focus on studying. I also try to plan ahead and get work done that is due that week so I can only focus on studying on exams.
To help students UA offers many different learning groups and free tutors. You can find out all the information about these by looking up UA learning commons.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
In this verse the Corinthians were placing their worth in earthly things rather than that of eternal value. College can be hard and stressful, but remember that you are worth so much more than your grades and your worth is not found in your grades. I hope and pray that this verse encourages and comforts you in the same way that it does me.
Anna Fritschi
Junior
Birmingham, AL
Human Development and Family Studies