School will always come first for me and I'm not ashamed of that. I realize the importance of balancing social and educational activities, but in the end, academics and learning will always be a priority. Even after I graduate from college and am a working journalist (hopefully), I will still hold learning and knowledge over other mundane things. For me, always staying sharp, learning new information and participating in activities that will benefit my intelligence and openness for being aware of the world around me will remain to be a priority and a very important one at that.

I enjoy doing homework and I enjoy having a schedule of going to classes, learning new modules, listening to teachers and being engaged in a setting that is open to growth and personal benefit through scholarship. At least until I am done with my college career, learning and growing will be my number one priority, whether it be from life lessons, contemplating who I am as a person or finishing the fifty pages of reading I have due the next day. Homework and lessons may seem repetitive, but at the end of the day, we need to realize that we are paying to receive a plethora of knowledge and data that can be used and applied to the real world once we are full-fledged adults and on our complete own. Missing out on a few parties or events won't be the end of the world and prioritizing your homework over your "friend with benefits" doesn't make you boring or no fun or rude because school is extremely important and learning through engaging is the one of the greatest ways to become a well-rounded individual.

Whether it is through open discussion in a classroom, personal reflection through an essay or just reading assigned chapters, you are gaining something from this and you will see that down the road this knowledge will come out through pure circumstance and chance. You will be able to hold a discussion about the world and the different influences that shape it like mass media and chemistry and astronomy and biology and how writing influences someone's character and learning process. Learning and being open to learning can open so many doors and can lead to a life full of an abundance of prior knowledge, as well as activating this prior knowledge and incorporating it into everyday life and the making of decisions that can change and shape you as an individual and as a student.

Being aware of culture and the arts and the importance of academia can only continue to help you in your journey. Being able to realize the fact that it is okay to make school your number one or number two or even number three concern only shows that you are aware of what is truly important and that is personal growth and having an open mind to receive and expand upon your intelligence. Finding out new information about the world and the people and things around you will continue to help you and your knowledge grow and change as you apply these changes to what you have already learned and what you will be able to change for the better in the world someday.