A STUDENT PLT; LNDG A C152 AT ATW; MADE A SERIES OF SERIOUS MISTAKES; WORST OF WHICH WAS A RWY INCURSION.

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MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY; WITH ENTRY INTO CTLED AIRSPACE; BEGAN AT WATERTOWN (RYV) TO MANITOWOC (MTW) TO APPLETON (ATW) TO OSHKOSH (OSH) TO JUNEAU (UNU) AND RETURNING TO RYV. I RPTED MY POS TO APPLETON (CLASS D) AT 10 MI E AND WAS CLRED BY THE TWR TO LAND ON RWY 29. I DID NOT RPT THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE FIELD IN SIGHT. I HAD BEEN FOLLOWING RADIAL 287 DEGS FROM MANITOWOC AND; AT THAT TIME; BELIEVED MY ACFT WAS SLIGHTLY NE OF THE FIELD. I DIDN'T THINK I COULD TURN L TO RWY 29 WITHOUT GOING OVER THE TWR OR TERMINAL AND I CONTINUED ON A COURSE THAT WOULD TAKE ME IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE TURN AROUND THE FIELD. I DID NOT RPT THIS TO THE TWR AND DID NOT GET CLRNC FOR THIS MOVE. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY AROUND THE FIELD; THE TWR ASKED ME 'WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING.' I RESPONDED THAT I WAS GOING TO RWY 29. MY CONFIDENCE WAS BEGINNING TO DECLINE. SHORTLY AFTERWARD THE TWR SAID 'YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE.' I FELT LIKE CRAWLING UNDER A ROCK BUT I MANAGED TO LAND THE ACFT ON RWY 29 WITHOUT INCIDENT. CONFUSED; EMBARRASSED AND HUMILIATED WITH MY DECISION TO CIRCLE THE FIELD - ONCE IT WAS IN SIGHT; RATHER THAN LETTING THE TWR TELL ME HOW TO GET TO THE RWY. IF I HAD TOLD THE TWR; ON MY FIRST XMISSION; THAT I WAS A STUDENT PLT FLYING VFR; HE MIGHT NOT HAVE HELD ME TO THE SAME STANDARDS AS A PVT PLT WITH 5 OR 6 YRS EXPERIENCE. AT LEAST HE WOULD HAVE HAD MORE INFO THAN I WAS GIVING. I EXITED THE RWY AT TXWY A4; WENT PAST THE FIRST R AND TURNED RIGHT INTO A DEAD-END TXWY. THE TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO DO A 180 DEG AND DIRECTED ME TO THE CORRECT TXWY THAT WOULD LEAD ME TO THE APCH TO RWY 29. AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE; I THOUGHT I HEARD THE TWR CLR ME FOR TKOF. I LOOKED FOR TFC; READ BACK THE CLRNC FOR TKOF AND; AT THE SAME TIME; ADVANCED THE THROTTLE GOING ONTO RWY 29. THE TWR STOPPED ME; INSTRUCTED ME TO RETURN TO THE TXWY; AND WAIT FOR TFC. I WAS THEN CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 29 AND TURN S ON A HEADING TO OSHKOSH. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO CALL THE TWR WHEN I RETURNED TO MY BASE.