Moving On and Growing Up

                       I recently made the greatly anticipated move to college, which I have been waiting for since I walked across the stage at my graduation from high school in May. And who hasn’t been waiting for the day you’re finally able to grow up and become an independent citizen of society? I even had an app on my phone counting down the days, the hours, and even the seconds until I was on my own. As the days grew closer and closer to move in day, I began to feel a lot less prepared than I should be. I almost felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

                     Finally move-in day arrived, and everything I was used to became a thing of the past: free school, home made meals, and living in a house of eight. . Now I have to buy my own food and gas, pay for my schooling and books, and learn how to keep up in my academics and maintain a social life while also getting enough sleep. I wasn’t quite sure how I was supposed to handle all these new things at once all by myself. It seemed like it was going to be really complicated at first, but I quickly realized that I am not alone in this awkward time of transitioning from relying on parents to becoming an adult. I met a lot of new people, and in the end, it was mostly those new friends who helped me. To be honest, becoming a college student was a little bit unlike I thought it was going to be, but I’m really glad that I did it. :)

UT Tyler: A New Beginning

It’s official! The college experience has finally begun for me! For all of you out there, my name is R. Chandler Upchurch, and I’m a freshman here at The University of Texas at Tyler! I’m currently pursuing a major in business management, and I would love to become a movie producer or music manager one day. I am starting my first college semester with very high expectations.

 I was born and raised in Dallas Texas, which never ceased to keep growing up interesting. When I was in elementary and middle school, I attended a few vanguard/magnet schools in and surrounding the Downtown Dallas area. That was good while it lasted, then I decided to turn back to public school. Instead of going to one of the huge public schools inside of Dallas County, I went to high school in a small town just outside of Kaufman, called Scurry-Rosser High School. You’ve probably never heard about it.

One of the things I love to do most is listening to music. I have always had a passion for music, so I began to learn to play a variety of different instruments. Here is a list of all the musical instruments that I either have known how to play, or can still play to this day:

·         Piano

·         Violin

·         Guitar

·         Clarinet

·         Euphonium

·         Snare

·         Bass Drum

·         Quads

·         Xylophone/Marimba

I’m very honored to be a new member of the UT Tyler Student Communications Team, and I hope that this new part of my life ends up being everything I expect it to be and more! But I don’t know what the future holds for me and that alright with me! Sometimes not knowing what to expect next is what keeps life intersting! J

For The Next Batch Of International Students

First of all, Welcome to Tyler!

Second, I know exactly how you feel.

The week before and the week of move-in day was very stressful and scary and exciting all at the same time. Especially flying from Dubai to LA to Tyler. I don't know where you'd be flying in from but still, I know how you feel. The rush of knowing everything is new and you have a completely new slate.

Here are a few pointers that I could gather from my experience last year: