I thought I had mastered my studying routine and time management skills in high school but I was wrong. I could not balance my social life, sleep schedule, and academics when I came to college. There were no assignments given daily to boost up my GPA.

There were no professors who would hold my hand to write an essay. I no longer had my parents to wake me up for class. I was all alone and in an attempt to adjust to this new life, I saw myself falling quickly behind.

When I woke up one morning flooded with a gut-wrenching realization that I was a "failure", I knew it was too late. I felt lost and unable to make up all of the work I had missed. I felt self-hatred for letting it go for so long. I knew my actions were all I could blame for the falling short in my academics.

With great emotional distress eating me up, I started to pull away from my best friends and family to deal with this problem that I caused for myself. Unable to stand back up, I kept falling.

Finals week was quickly approaching and I had a sudden determination to stop this never-ending, self-destructive cycle. After hours and hours of studying, I made it through finals week. Just because I that bump in the road, my life wasn't over. I was drowning in my failure instead of pushing myself to try harder to fix the issue. Fixated on my problems, I did not search for the solution.

As my friend would say, "a storm doesn't last forever." Everything will pass and everyone makes mistakes. We are human and if we don't have moments in our life when we question our actions and mistakes, we cannot grow as individuals.

I learned a lot about myself after my first year at Syracuse University.

When hit with a problem, I shut down. So I saw a need to improve my way of coping with situations and looking at the bigger picture. Now, I turn to family and friends for support to help guide me in any situation.

If you feel like all the work in college is swallowing you whole -- you are not alone.

Take a deep breath and a step back from the situation. Clear you head and realize that you have friends, family and other school resources to help you.

Don't be afraid to admit your mistakes because it's all in the process of growing into a better you.