Autumn Reflection

If I had to describe my autumn quarter in one word, it would be adaptation. My transition into college has been the most different and one of the most stressful experiences of my life. It’s been challenging, yet fun, and I am definitely still getting used to it. Academically, college has been a challenge; socially, it’s been challenging yet rewarding. Overall, I’m proud of myself for getting through my first quarter, and I’m decidedly ready for a break.

Academically, I expected college to be harder than high school, but I’ve been challenged to rapidly adjust my mindset in terms of grades and what academic success looks like. All throughout high school, I was a straight-A student, and while I didn’t expect that to continue in college, I’ve was still a little shocked by how difficult it is to excel. On my first chemistry test, I got a 58%. This was the class median, yet it was a knock to my confidence. Overall, my other grades have been better, but I’ve seen how challenging the STEM classes are, and how I cannot expect to do great every time. I certainly view a 75% differently now than I did 9 months ago. However, I’m still working to change my mindset and take some of the pressure off of my grades, which is difficult in a competitive environment like the STEM community. I hope to sustain this mindset reset throughout my first year and beyond, as well as improve my grades too, as I do want to strive to do my best, and I know I can do better. By the end of this first year, I hope to improve my grades a bit by focusing on being more intentional with time allotment and scheduling, as well as finding methods to improve my efficiency. I also hope to find ways to protect my mental health and decrease the stress that I’ve felt so prevalently throughout this quarter.

Socially, college has also been a big adjustment. I was lucky enough to have a few friends going to UW, and I’ve become so grateful for those already-formed relationships, as they’ve given me spaces to relax and “turn off,” as I’ve felt a lot, especially in the first few weeks, like I always had to be “on,” sharing a room with two other people. Adapting to living with two roommates has also been a challenge, especially in terms of solving conflicts. I’ve had to practice standing up for myself, which is sometimes very difficult as I’m more of a shy person. Positively, I’ve been able to make some really good friends whom I’ve greatly enjoyed getting to know. I’m excited to continue to develop these friendships in the future and grow closer to some good people.

I’ve also enjoyed being a part of the Honors Program this quarter. Honors 100 has been valuable for understanding the program, but I am still figuring out how to handle all the different requirements. I plan to meet with my advisor soon and I’m excited to take advantage of the resources the Honors Program offers, including the advising. I think having the very small sections with peer educators was really valuable for getting to know some people in the Honors Program and getting a student perspective on how to do college, but I do regret that I had to miss two section meetings. Having Honors 100 as a class on top of my other three demanding classes was definitely a challenge, and I’m excited to have only three classes next quarter, but I do feel like the class was valuable as an introduction to the Honors Program. Additionally, the class challenged me to do a lot of reflection, which was definitely helpful as I moved through a very tumultuous time. I hope in the future to get to know some more members of the Honors Program a bit better and become more involved in the Honors community, and I think the Honors class I’m taking next quarter will really help with that.

Overall, I feel that I’ve had a pretty standard and decent first quarter of college experience: not amazing, but not horrific. I’m incredibly grateful to have my family nearby, and I’ve relied on them and my ability to go home and unwind a lot. I feel like I’ve found a pretty good balance of independence and familial reliance for me right now. Moving forward, I’m nervous about my difficult classes next quarter, but I’m excited to start fresh. Though the classes are difficult, two of them are subjects I’m very interested in, so I hope they’ll be as rewarding as they are difficult. I’m also just excited to have time to rest and destress over break, and to be able to come with a clean slate into winter quarter, armed with much more knowledge than I had in autumn. I feel both proud and tired from my first quarter, but excited and hopeful looking forward to my next.