Next Steps:

  • I think the obvious, but perhaps overlooked first step is to decide the option that you ultimately want to pursue for this project
  • For me it was between the creative writing and the podcast options
  • I think a podcast would be fun, but I have little to no experience in editing that sort of thing
  • This could have been a good thing, to sort of get a better understanding of that for anything I may encounter in the future
  • In the end, I chose the creative writing because it’s something I enjoyed in highschool, to have a free range to right about pretty much anything
  • It’s also something I haven’t been able to do yet in college, so that’s why I’m choosing the creative writing option
  • I’ve started my piece but haven’t gotten too much done
  • I think the first 500 words will be the easiest to write, so I plan to get that done by the end of this week (not including weekend, so Friday)
  • I gave myself a little more time for this, but that’s because it’s during Thanksgiving break
  • To me, I think the next 500 will be the hardest to write, so I think I will have to focus the most on this section
  • I think finishing this draft by Monday is a reasonable goal
  • I think the last 250 words will come fairly easy to me too, because conclusions are vital to a good creative writing piece so I think I will enjoy writing this part
  • Finishing this part by Wednesday night, the 30th, is my goal for that 
  • Thursday morning, because I don’t have class, will be my time to read over my piece one last time and make sure it all looks good
  • Depending on when my presentation is, is how I will determine when I will practice reading my piece aloud 

Draft 1:

As Trip sat in the back seat of the rental car, crammed between the overpacked items, he looked out the window in his reflective thoughts. After graduating high school, Trip traveled the East Coast playing junior hockey for 3 years, having what hockey players often refer to as “the best years of their lives”. The thought of college always felt so distant to him; as his high school friends navigated and partied their way through college, he didn’t have a worry in his head. Well, what was a distant thought was now becoming a reality as he and his parents made their way towards campus for freshman orientation– a day he thought would never come. 

Trip felt many things on the seemingly endless car ride, like most incoming college freshmen do, but his were a little different. There were obvious levels of excitement, as he committed to play hockey and to further his education at UNE back in January, he’s been looking forward to stepping on campus in August ever since. He wanted to meet new people, create bonds with his new teammates, and most importantly couldn’t wait to be a part of the well respected UNE hockey program. The one glaring concern sitting in the back of his head all these years that was most prevalent now was how well he’d adapt back to the classroom. He had always taken his studies seriously, but wasn’t sure how he’d handle it 3 years removed from school. The smaller student body and small class sizes were major factors as to why Trip decided to come to UNE, so the enhanced learning classrooms and tight-knit community would make the academic transition as smooth as possible.

Draft #2:

As Trip sat in the back seat of the rental car, crammed between the overpacked items, he looked out the window in his reflective thoughts. After graduating high school, Trip traveled the East Coast playing junior hockey for 3 years, having what hockey players often refer to as “the best years of their lives”. The thought of college always felt so distant to him; as his high school friends navigated and partied their way through college, he didn’t have a worry in his head. Well, what was a distant thought was now becoming a reality as he and his parents made their way towards campus for freshman orientation– a day he thought would never come. 

Trip felt many things on the seemingly endless car ride, like most incoming college freshmen do, but his were a little different. There were obvious levels of excitement, as he committed to play hockey and to further his education at UNE back in January, he’s been looking forward to stepping on campus in August ever since. He wanted to meet new people, create bonds with his new teammates, and most importantly couldn’t wait to be a part of the well respected UNE hockey program. The one glaring concern sitting in the back of his head all these years that was most prevalent now was how well he’d adapt back to the classroom. He had always taken his studies seriously, but wasn’t sure how he’d handle it 3 years removed from school. The smaller student body and small class sizes were major factors as to why Trip decided to come to UNE, so the enhanced learning classrooms and tight-knit community would make the academic transition as smooth as possible.

To Trip’s surprise it took him longer than expected to feel comfortable in this new environment. He’s always been shy at first, but usually warms up fast. At orientation, he was separated from his crowd, the other hockey freshmen. They were going through the same thing he was, being a 21 year old freshman with the thought of isolation on their minds. The orientation process forced him to get out of his comfort zone, an idea he dreaded but one he knew would benefit him. He put his best foot forward, but still worried about fitting in.

Despite the early struggles, time began to fly. With each class he went to, he became seemingly more comfortable: with the workload, the people around him, and with the campus itself. Before he knew it, hockey started up– captain’s practices and team workouts. The next little hill was getting close to the older guys on the team. Every successful team has unbreakable bonds with each other. However, there was a slight concern for a segmented team, regardless of their prior pedigree, because 13 of the 30 guys on the team were freshmen. Trip thought that maybe the older guys would stick with each other, and same for the younger guys, but that may have been because of his “worst case scenario” thought process. That was nonsense. Like any good captains do, they made the freshmen feel right at home, welcoming them with open arms. This was good news for Trip. Hockey was his safe space– on the ice, in the locker room, and just being around his teammates, it was where nothing else mattered but the present moment. This newfound reassurance provided an aura of confidence that allowed him to happily proceed with his college experience. Right when he thought things were going suspiciously well, everything began to pile up. In the classroom, Trip was bombarded with major assignments in every class, all due the same week. On top of that, the hockey team was on the ice and in the gym every day of the week, gearing up for another championship season. This was the first time he really had to put his time management skills to the test at college. With that being said, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, a light that included a fun weekend with family. It was the first time his parents visited since initially dropping him off. Trip had lived away from home before, but never with this amount of stress. This visit from his parents felt like they brought a piece of home with them to school, and it was a much needed visit that filled him with joy to top off his most hectic week of school thus far.

Draft #3:

As Trip sat in the back seat of the rental car, crammed between the overpacked items, he looked out the window in his reflective thoughts. After graduating high school, Trip traveled the East Coast playing junior hockey for 3 years, having what hockey players often refer to as “the best years of their lives”. The thought of college always felt so distant to him; as his high school friends navigated and partied their way through college, he didn’t have a worry in his head. Well, what was a distant thought was now becoming a reality as he and his parents made their way towards campus for freshman orientation– a day he thought would never come. 

Trip felt many things on the seemingly endless car ride, like most incoming college freshmen do, but his were a little different. There were obvious levels of excitement, as he committed to play hockey and to further his education at UNE back in January, he’s been looking forward to stepping on campus in August ever since. He wanted to meet new people, create bonds with his new teammates, and most importantly couldn’t wait to be a part of the well respected UNE hockey program. The one glaring concern sitting in the back of his head all these years that was most prevalent now was how well he’d adapt back to the classroom. He had always taken his studies seriously, but wasn’t sure how he’d handle it 3 years removed from school. The smaller student body and small class sizes were major factors as to why Trip decided to come to UNE, so the enhanced learning classrooms and tight-knit community would make the academic transition as smooth as possible.

To Trip’s surprise it took him longer than expected to feel comfortable in this new environment. He’s always been shy at first, but usually warms up fast. At orientation, he was separated from his crowd, the other hockey freshmen. They were going through the same thing he was, being a 21 year old freshman with the thought of isolation on their minds. The orientation process forced him to get out of his comfort zone, an idea he dreaded but one he knew would benefit him. He put his best foot forward, but still worried about fitting in.

Despite the early struggles, time began to fly. With each class he went to, he became seemingly more comfortable: with the workload, the people around him, and with the campus itself. Before he knew it, hockey started up– captain’s practices and team workouts. The next little hill was getting close to the older guys on the team. Every successful team has unbreakable bonds with each other. However, there was a slight concern for a segmented team, regardless of their prior pedigree, because 13 of the 30 guys on the team were freshmen. Trip thought that maybe the older guys would stick with each other, and same for the younger guys, but that may have been because of his “worst case scenario” thought process. That was nonsense. Like any good captains do, they made the freshmen feel right at home, welcoming them with open arms. This was good news for Trip. Hockey was his safe space– on the ice, in the locker room, and just being around his teammates, it was where nothing else mattered but the present moment. This newfound reassurance provided an aura of confidence that allowed him to happily proceed with his college experience.

Right when he thought things were going suspiciously well, everything began to pile up. In the classroom, Trip was bombarded with major assignments in every class, all due the same week. On top of that, the hockey team was on the ice and in the gym every day of the week, gearing up for another championship season. This was the first time he really had to put his time management skills to the test at college. With that being said, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, a light that included a fun weekend with family. It was the first time his parents visited since initially dropping him off. Trip had lived away from home before, but never with this amount of stress. This visit from his parents felt like they brought a piece of home with them to school, and it was a much needed visit that filled him with joy to top off his most hectic week of school thus far.

Trip blinked, and all of a sudden hockey season was officially underway. This was what he was waiting for all along, and the time had finally come. To no disappointment, the home opener was nothing but electric. You could feel the energy in the air, and it fueled the team to a 10-0 victory. He knew hockey was big on campus, but this game really opened his eyes to the amount of support the team really has, and it emphasized the school’s tight-knit community. That exceptional feeling of his peers getting behind the team and propelling the team to victory was a feeling he wanted to repay, so he and his teammates started making their rounds. 

First, the women’s soccer conference semifinal game. The playoff stretch is the most important part of any season, and home field advantage is crucial. The hockey team wanted to be a part of the spark that the crowd created, because they valued the importance of a home crowd, in playoffs especially. They also tried their best to make it to every women’s hockey home game, because they were always at their games. The guys wanted to reciprocate that support and create friendships with the women’s team. Lastly, they made it a point to be at the men’s basketball home opener, because of how encouraging everyone was at theirs.

As his first finals week became prevalent on the horizon, he found himself caught in another snowball effect. He scrambled to do work as heavy projects and exams crept up on him. He procrastinated again, to no one’s surprise. You’d think at this point in his academic career he would’ve learned, but clearly not. The hockey team was going through a rough patch too, losing to teams they should’ve beaten. There was a sense of entitlement throughout the locker room, stemming from the team’s Final Four run from the prior year. But this was good for them, it was a necessary reality check. It’s much better to experience hardships early in the season and learn from them, than to go through a late season collapse. It was not long before the team was back to playing at their usual championship caliber.

Trip found himself in the inevitable peaks and valleys of being a first year college student, just like everyone told him he would. He had his laid back, easy weeks, just to be masked by the restless ones. He and his teammates went through some disappointing losses, just for the thrill of victory to make up for it. He learned his lessons through the hard times, by taking advantage of the moment. New environments always seemed to intimidate him, but he worked his way and gained the confidence and happiness to look forward to the next 3 plus years at college, and he was proud of himself. His friends from home always referred to it as “the best 4 years of your life”, and he was now finally living it.