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Katie Kear

Professor Mullis

GOA I: Transition to Xavier

1 October 2023

Reflection: Core Values

Throughout my first month and a half at Xavier University, I have experienced a wide range

of emotions. Upon moving into my dorm, I initially felt an overwhelming amount of excitement.

I was finally going to be independent, a self-starter who had everything under control. However,

it turned out I was completely wrong. My initial burst of confidence and freedom turned into

feelings of homesickness, insecurity, and fear. I had finally come to the realization that the home

I lived in for eighteen years was no longer my home - it was just a former place I lived in. Even

though Liberty Township, Ohio is only twenty minutes away, I still felt so distant from what I

was accustomed to. In consequence, I began to reflect on my experience at Xavier so far. Who

was I in this new environment, and how was I going to fit in with everyone else?

Although these questions still aren’t fully answered a month and a half into my university

experience, I can definitely say that I have a better grasp on how I relate to the environment

around me. For one, I am here at Xavier University because I want to learn. I have attainable

goals that I hope to reach in four years: to become a teacher in the fields of Spanish or Music.

Without the proper education at college, reaching a milestone of becoming a teacher would be

impossible.

So, that brings me to my next answer. How did I come to Xavier, and how did I know that it

was the perfect fit for me? Well, for starters, I applied to over 30 colleges. Unsure of what I

wanted to be and where I wanted to go, I thought broadening my horizon of schools would be
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more beneficial for me. But in the end, my final five schools were in Ohio - where I live and

grew up. By selecting Xavier, I was able to fulfill my dream: a relatively small campus with

great amenities, picturesque scenery, and a great disability service program for my mental health

disorders. Through the process of selecting Xavier, I learned a lot about myself as a prospective

college student… but I still have a lot to learn about myself as a college student.

From what I can say at this moment, I have found out a lot about my study habits- especially

in terms of being productive. Since college requires more rigorous work, I have found that

studying in longer sessions (with frequent, periodic breaks in between) helps me get assignments

done faster. In my future at Xavier, I hope to achieve all of the goals I set at Manresa: to have all

A’s and B’s in my classes, have a healthy and balanced social life, and attend every class unless

there is an extenuating circumstance. However, I have realized that the majority of these goals

might be unattainable, especially for the first semester of college. By modifying these goals to

just “get good grades in classes” and “attend the majority of my classes”, I have found that

sticking with a less demanding schedule has been beneficial for my mental health.

Overall, some aspects of CORE 101 that I found helpful are being able to understand which

parts of my health I need to work on (in accordance with the coloring wheel). Being able to map

out which areas I may be struggling with was especially helpful to bring them to my attention. In

return, I will be able to better focus on what I struggle with: my physical health and mental

health. However, I also learned that it is important to keep the healthy aspects of the wheel

strong. Without my academics being my first priority, I would lose sight of who I am.

Discovering who I am is not only important to me, but it reminds me that we all have a purpose

in this world. No matter how long it takes, we will all find our true sense of meaning - college or

not. In return, I believe my sense of meaning is completing college and receiving a bachelors and
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masters degree. And, to start that process, I plan to register for Spanish 303 and Philosophy 100

next semester.