I came to the United States to attend college, and in addition to the anticipated issues adjusting to life and school in a new country, I faced a health problem that distracted me from my studies during my first three semesters of college. Instead of my regular cycle, I was bleeding for almost three weeks every month. Due to this, I was unable to attend classes regularly and wasn’t able to give 100% focus on my studies. I sought medical attention but the hospital said my blood tests were normal despite the fact that I felt very weak and fainted a few times. In the fall of 2008, I was sent to the emergency room for the second time, and the doctor informed me that I had to be admitted immediately as my hemoglobin count was half what it should have been. He said that I had to get three packs of blood through a transfusion in order to survive. I was admitted in the hospital for two days and it was determined that the main reason for my excessive bleeding was that I had been malnourished and that I had a hormonal imbalance due to the change in foods I was eating since coming to the U.S. I was prescribed medication and I have not had any problems since.
I believe that having a hard time adapting to college in the U.S. and being anemic contributed to a continual decline of my GPA for the first three semesters of my college. My GPA for the following four semesters is more representative of my actual ability. I made the Dean’s List twice and my GPA during my last two years was 3.7. I was also able to graduate in 3.5 years despite my rough start.
