Gary Crosby
Birmingham-Southern College (Alabama) Class of 2009

Gary Crosby is a member of the NSHSS Student Council, who shares an overview of his first semester of college. You can meet our council members on our student council page

Running from class to class, I realized that time management is vital in college. From the traditional high school setting, the leap into my first collegiate semester was huge. In high school, I was accustomed to hearing the loud sounds of bells ending and beginning classes; however, in college, the bells remain silent and individual responsibility is in full force. College is one step closer to the real world. My college transition taught me to value every minute.

Birmingham-Southern College is ranked as one of the best National Liberal Arts Colleges in "U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges 2006." It ranks #1 in Alabama and is among the nation's best in percentage of all graduates accepted to medical, dental, or health-career programs.  Also, it ranks high nationally in graduates accepted to law school. Academics are rigorous, and the social life is amazing. At Birmingham-Southern, studying every day, reading every night, researching from time to time, working with my peers on group projects--all play a part in the hectic schedule of a first-year college student. According to Loren Pope, Author of "Colleges That Change Lives," "What all of this says is that Birmingham-Southern is a high-quality, caring place where a person from any part of the country would not only be comfortable but would grow intellectually, morally, and personally." Similarly, 'Southern is a very demanding institution and my professors expected pure greatness from their students. Thankfully, I was persistent in my studies and achieved excellent grades my first semester.

During the semester, the thought of not regularly communicating with my parents made my stomach throb. Since my agenda was tight, and I was extremely busy with courses and extracurricular activities, time to call my parents was limited. I adjusted to college life and managed to communicate with my parents between classes and during the evenings. Disregarding time, before attending college I planned to get involved in organizations on campus. Shortly after move-in day, I campaigned and was elected to serve as freshman representative to the Student Government Association. Also, from my history within the Alabama Young Democrats, I joined the College Democrats. Several Greek organizations on campus were involved in the betterment of the College, and I pledged and joined Theta Chi Fraternity. As a member of the Black Student Union, Quest II, SGA, Theta Chi Fraternity, Multicultural Awareness Organization, I became active on campus. Although I was occupied with clubs, I had to make the time to participate and study.

Now, I am a freshman student and fraternity brother actively involved in various organizations on campus with time to maintain respectable grades. I can begin to look forward to my second semester remembering to value every minute in the day. In retrospect, I advise all college bound students to begin managing your time now in preparation for college.

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