[treffk]

I do not recall if I've posted in this thread before but I'm going to put my experiences out there. I graduated high school and went to a state school about 2.5 hours away from home. I had set up my schedule so I did not have Friday classes during build season. My freshman year of college I still had a lot to learn about time management. I spent almost every weekend of build season back home (which with it being a census year it caused issues as my time was evenly divided between the dorm and my parents). After my freshman year I was asked to reevaluate my priorities and reapply in a year. This was by no means related to mentoring a FIRST team or volunteering with FIRST. This was due to me being on my own for the first time and experiencing new things.

I ended up moving back home and transferred my credits to a program that was set up more for non-traditional students. This meant I had night classes and still no classes on Fridays. For me working part time and volunteering/mentoring with FIRST this was the best place for me to be. It allowed me to effectively balance my schedule and set myself up for success.

For me it wasn't my time commitment to FIRST that caused me issues my freshman year it was my immaturity, my being on my own for the first time, the opportunities for new experiences and trying new things both good and bad. Each person who will be graduating and going off into the "real world" needs to take time and look inward on what they want and what time they could realistically dedicate to a team.