Graduation is shortly approaching for me. I started online at Full Sail University back in September of 2014. I was part of the hybrid program, which means that I could do a maximum of four months online and then I had to move to campus to pursue the rest of my degree. This wasn't my plan before I'd heard about this program; however, I knew that attending Full Sail would require me to step way outside of my boundaries. Moving across the country to live on my own and attend the college I'd dreamed of attending for years was inevitable, and my family supported me 100%. It caught me off guard, and I hadn't mentally prepared myself to move away so soon, but I knew that I had to do it. I'm glad that I did. It's been one of the best decisions I've ever made!
"If you're serious about your dream, we'll take your dream seriously." "Your journey starts here." These quotes are quotes that I see around campus every so often. When I first came to the campus in July of 2014, that's one of the first quotes I saw, and it was very reassuring. I'd done my research on Full Sail and knew what to expect. However, I wasn't 100% sure that they would be able to live up to my dreams. I've always been a creative, non-stop thinker and I have high standards in most aspects of my life, but seeing these quotes plastered all over campus and in the videos we watched while on the tour of the school was very reassuring. I went in skeptical, as I do with most things. You can read 100 books, watch hours and hours of video, and even get reviews from other people, but experiencing everything for yourself is the most rewarding and beneficial for you, especially mentally. For me, it sealed the deal. At the end of that tour, I knew that Full Sail was where I needed to be.
When I started online in September of 2014, I jumped in head first, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. I took full advantage of the discussion posts we had to do each week to network with our classmates. (They were there for a reason!) I also took advantage of group projects. Although I'm normally not a fan of group projects because I usually end up doing a bulk of the work, I was ecstatic to swim a little deeper into networking. After all, Full Sail does push networking pretty heavily, and I'm glad that I caught on from the beginning. I met some pretty talented people and had some pretty interesting conversations. It's always interesting to get to know somebody, their story, and what their dreams and aspirations are. The world is full of amazing people!
I moved to Florida to attend Full Sail on campus in January of 2015. I was nervous as all hell to get started and do this thing called "adulting." I had a pretty good understanding of what needed to be done, but it was still scary and nerve-wracking. The week prior to me moving, my laundry was being done for me, I had no bills, and I had dinner being cooked for me every night. (I do miss Mom's delicious cooking!) Now I had to do all of that myself. It was a little tough at first, but I caught on pretty quickly. I had amazing support from my family and knew they would always be there to help me when I needed it. They knew I could do whatever I set my mind to, and I did, too. When all of the hustle and bustle boiled down, I realized that this was good for me. I would rather learn these simple things early on rather than later. Now I can focus on the things that are more important being that a majority of these "adulting" things are somewhat figured out.
As classes progressed, assignments got more time-consuming, and I started getting involved with various events around campus I realized something about myself. I realized something that I thought about but never really paid attention to: I have anxiety. Bad. I'm a creative thinker and I overthink a lot of things, even things that are petty. When it would get really bad, I would notice myself breathing weirdly and feeling like I'm not getting enough oxygen. I would also get small chest pains. And I'd even lose sleep at night because I don't know how to shut my mind down. Then I would begin to worry about my chest pains, thinking they were something more than anxiety, and about losing sleep. I was an anxious mess. Thankfully I went to the doctor and am being medicated for it, which has helped immensely and changed my life. I no longer have any of the aforementioned symptoms. In fact, I may even be a little too relaxed...
Aside from learning a lot about myself, I've learned a lot about society. (If you can't tell by now, I'm a very analytical person.) Growing up in a small town had me set in the small town mindset, which isn't a bad thing. I had just never really been exposed to the world before coming to Full Sail. Much like love, talent has no boundaries or borders, and I've accepted that and really, really appreciated and embraced it. Art has this amazing power to bring people together to speak one unified language. Creative-thinkers like myself are free to be themselves and can connect on a level that really is another language, even if there is a language barrier. After I accepted and embraced that, I truly learned the definition of art and talent. And it has revolutionized the way that I think and view the world.
After I embraced and accepted the meaning of art, I was able to push myself even further out of my comfort zone. I was able to network and really start digging into various activities that Full Sail was providing us with. I started meeting people who speak the "art" language and are willing to work as hard, if not harder, as me to achieve their dreams. I sifted through those who thought that Full Sail was just going to hand them all of the opportunities and found those who had done their research and are working their asses off to leave their mark here at Full Sail and even in the industry.
This is when I met up with my career development advisor, Jeff (who happens to be a 4x Grammy-winning recording and mixing engineer). He gave me some good advice and told me about the SPARK group. This was the turning point in my Full Sail journey: joining SPARK. I've made some of the best friends while I've been in the SPARK program--friendships that will carry past graduation and into the industry. Not only have I made amazing friends, but I've had some pretty amazing opportunities come my way, which definitely helps with the resume! The people that I've met and opportunities that have come my way in the SPARK program have changed my life and me as a person. Hard work does pay off!
Full Sail University isn't for everyone, and that's okay. Some people come in thinking it's going to be really easy because it's an accelerated program, but they get a rude awakening. If you're not willing to put forth that extra 150% to go above and beyond what is expected on your assignments, during meetings, and networking, then don't expect to be handed a good job. Yes, you can press your luck, but it's not recommended, especially when you're spending so much to soak up all of the information and opportunities that Full Sail throws at you. You will learn the hard way, but sometimes that's best. If you're like me, you hit the ground running and learn the small stuff first. Then, when you get to the bigger stuff, the small stuff will just come naturally. The opportunities and the connections are most definitely here, but you have to be willing to sacrifice yourself, time, friendships, and sleep in order to make the most of them! Like I said, I've had some amazing opportunities come my way all because of how hard I work in class and in outside projects. I've made a name for myself and know that being successful from here on out is absolutely inevitable, regardless of which path I choose to take.
Bottom line: Learn the language of art; embrace change; step out of your comfort zone, and challenge yourself each and every day. By doing these things, you'll wake up every morning saying, "Hard work does pay off."
Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production
