As the quarter is approaching the end, it was very interesting to reflect on how I have evolved in this relatively short period of time. The first quarter of college has proven to be a surprising and dynamic time period and I have seen myself become more independent and I have realized how much important effective time management is.
At the same time, I have grown more curious and am in awe of the love of learning all around campus. There are numerous opportunities waiting to be taken and I cannot wait to dive in. I have learned many crucial lessons this first quarter that I will no doubt still reference throughout my life. I have experienced joy, shock, disappointment, eagerness and so much more already; I wonder what future quarters here at the UW will have in store.
Below is a reflection I wrote at the end of my first quarter at UW:
When I first arrived at the University of Washington, I was unbelievably excited to start classes and start becoming acclimated to the college lifestyle. I was curious on what it would be like to be around my friends everyday and be away from my family everyday. As the end of Autumn quarter approaches, I can fortunately say that I am still extremely excited to continue to learn and I look forward to the opportunities that Winter Quarter may offer me. One view that has changed since the beginning of Autumn Quarter is that I have become a little more self forgiving when receiving test grades lower than what I usually score. I know that college is significantly harder than high school, however I was not as ready for the midterm difficulty as I thought I was. However, these slight setbacks have definitely taught me what study habits work well for me and what do not. Instead of dwelling too much on the score I received, I am trying to focus my attention on how to prevent it from happening again. I have learned the incredible importance of time management and how much effective use of time can impact stress levels. My goal for next quarter and beyond is to make better use of my time, know when to take a break from studying, and continuing to study with supportive individuals that make learning productive.
After arriving at the UW, my mind has been ecstatic from the numerous opportunities surrounding me. I have been blessed with advisors who genuinely want to help and who give honest and helpful information. I love being surrounded by people who want to keep learning and it’s amazing when someone else is as excited about calculus as you are. My Math 126 professor, Dr. Jayadev Athreya, introduced me to the Washington Experimental Mathematics Lab and it is no doubt one of the opportunities I cannot wait to hopefully be a part of. When I walked into the Math Lab I was so overjoyed about the love of math and the learning encompassing that room. You can tell people are really passionate about their work and this feeling is all across the UW. It is one of my favorite aspects of this campus; such an environment stimulates others to keep on learning and my curiousity has grown so much because of it. I am currently looking to find research on campus, particularly with a focus in bioengineering or computer science/data analysis. One of the resources that I was introduced to through Honors 100 was the Undergraduate Research Database. I found the assignment where we found experiential learning activities for each other to be extremely beneficial and I am still using the resources and knowledge presented to me through that assignment.
I am a member of the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium and have since joined the SPACE social committee. I want to become more involved and to take more initiative with this position. I am eager to organize more events for members to get to know each other and to encourage a supportive community to form. Another activity that I want to increase my participation in is the Honors Community Ambassadors. It presents the ambassadors with experiencing in planning, having more responsibility, and the chance to be apart of a program that’s new and help it become something great. I am also currently taking HONORS 220: Storytelling in the Sciences with Dr. Oliver Fraser and I am enjoying it so much. I am looking forward to taking more Honors classes in the future because of how interesting the topics are and how passionate the professors are about the subject they are teaching. The Honors classes also do a great job showcasing the importance of an interdisciplinary education and showing us the impact drawing from different disciplines can have on the quality of the education. Of course, to do all these activities, research, keep on top of school work, and not have some down time, I need to become proficient in time management. By the end of my first year, my main goals are to become more involved in the groups and clubs I am a part of rather than just having my name on the list. For Honors, I would want to keep on taking interesting and thought provoking classes as well as participating in more experiential learning activities. Interdisciplinary education has already made such a large impact on my educational experience and I want to continue to apply those principles in everything that I learn and do in the future. It has shown me how interconnected everything is or could be and this gives a really unique perspective when completing tasks or just learning in general. I want others not in the program to also see the value in interdisciplinary education; as we saw in the Global Challenges Event, an interdisciplinary approach to the same problem can create unity and a more thorough, inclusive and well thought out solution.