2021-2022
I was challenged this year academically, in a way I have never been before. The year of 2021-2022 was my first year fully in-person at college and the classes I took were also beyond the scope of the AP classes I had taken in highschool. Throughout my freshman year, I was able to more or less guide through my classes as chemistry and biology were subjects I had been accustomed to and had been learning since 9th grade. Sophomore year pushed me out of my bubble of academics and exposed me to more advanced subjects like organic chemistry and physics. As you would expect, I faltered strongly in the beginning and it was a wake up call to my studying methods and my approach to education. Despite the turmoil my course load caused me, it also showed me that I am a lot more resilient and knowledgeable than I realized. While there is always more to learn, I learned that if I truly put my mind to something, the only thing keeping me from success is myself.
Despite all the hard science classes I was taking, I was also ecstatic to be able to take courses which were not in line with my main course of study and allowed me to expand my knowledge in a field I couldn’t otherwise. Philosophy is a field that has piqued my interest recently and I decided I should take a few classes in the department to see if I wanted to pursue a minor. I’ve taken 3 classes thus far: Intro to Ethics, Intro to Logic, and How Science Works. These classes have all been incredibly interesting and were a nice speedbreak for the other classes that were intensive in other respects.
I believe this variety in my classes was needed to allow my mind to be stimulated in a different way opposed to how a core science class would operate. I picked up journaling throughout this year to make it easier for me to process my emotions and feelings as sometimes it felt like I was fast-forwarding through the semester due to the amount of work that was always impending on my to-do list. As much as I can rely on friends and family for their words of comfort, I realized that my motivation needed to stem from my own merit. To avoid burn-out, keeping a strong why and recognizing my interest was vital.
Moving forward, I now want to mindfully carry over these lessons I have learned as I enter into my third year. As challenging as my second year was, I believe my 3rd year will challenge me just the same if not more, so it is important that I don’t leave my growth behind. My 3 main goals for junior year is to:
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Set aside time to take part in hobbies I enjoy every week so I don’t settle into burn-out as I inevitably do every year.
Learn to stick to my plans that I put together and get into a routine that I can follow daily so I feel less scattered.
Lean in to my interest in philosophy and put in effort outside of class to read books and watch media that allows me to grow my understanding of the field.
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This year was my first taste of true independence as I was away from home for long periods of time and was tasked to take care of myself. While I definitely ran into obstacles I hadn’t encountered before, I made new friendships, goals, and am excited for what next year has in store for me!