Shelby's triumphant return to college

Last year was Shelby's Freshman year at Oklahoma State University. I don't think anybody is really prepared to begin the university experience and, even though Shelby is a smart kid and an excellent student, she was no exception. By the time she finished the year she was exhausted and discouraged. Her GPA was acceptable, but not what my straight "A" student was used to. Plus, like most college students, she hated never having any extra spending money.

"I had no idea that college was this hard! It is really HARD!!"

I think a lot of it is, not only are the kids not prepared for how difficult the classes are, they also are not prepared for all the freedom that comes with living on campus. There are no parents to set curfews or make them eat healthy, so they end up burning the candle at both ends and burning out! Shelby eventually confessed that she had spent many a night hanging out with her friends as late as 3 AM. When she came home for the summer, she literally slept for three days straight before she even thought about what she wanted to do during the summer.

What she ended up doing made my head spin! When my daughter decides to make changes, she never does anything half-way.

She was hired at The Home Depot to work between 30-40 hours a week. On top of that, she signed up to take two courses at the community college so she could bring her GPA back up to the level she wanted. But even with all that, she managed to get a lot of rest and have a lot of fun! By the end of the summer she had passed her courses with a 4.0, and had enough cash to completely redo her college dorm room.

"I'm going for a more sophisticated look this year," she explained as she picked out a chic multicolor comforter, matching room accessories, and black and white photo posters.

Then, something exciting happened that she had not anticipated. At the end of the school year, Shelby had applied to be an "RA" (Residence Assistant) for the dorms. Originally, she was told that she did not get it. But three weeks ago the college called and offered her the position! What this means is she will have extra spending money after all, because an RA gets free room and board on campus!!!

I am very proud of my daughter! Not only is she living on the top floor of the dorm this year, she is on top of the world. :)