Honestly, my classes are a lot easier than I expected. During high school, I completed the IBDP program, which had classes that were two years long within an equivalent to a final exam at the end to get the specific diploma. It felt very intimidating having two years’ worth of content stacked up on each other into a kind of mess, and those final exams felt very intimidating. Outside of each class, a final project had to be made for each subject, and that also felt very intimidating. College in comparison feels alot more reasonable.
Coming to college, so far I have felt a greater respect for my time here. There isn't nearly as much of an emphasis on homework or similar busy work as there was in high school. In high school, there is a lot of work required for every class almost to forcefully engage students in the learning process. Here at college, I feel like there's a greater level of dignity, as classes are taught with lectures without the direct expectation that we have to complete some sort of class length deliverable to demonstrate that we engaged with the class. More responsibility is placed on us as individual students to make sure that we're learning and actively engaging in the class in order to make sure that that learning reflects on the finals.
One topic that was covered in class that I didn't expect was Agartha. It felt like such a surprise to me because it recently became sort of a meme, an internet joke, where people ironically referred to it to kind of criticize the ideas of conspiracies and white supremacy. After seeing references to Agartha online and hearing about it in class lectures, I had this moment where I realized that these conspiracies and phenomena have a cultural pervasiveness even if some are considered very silly now in the age of google and factchecking. I was genuinely expecting classes about cliche topics in environmental conservation, such as recycling and the responsibility of an individual to reduce their carbon consumption, as well as deforestation.
The out of classroom activities were exactly what I imagined. I imagined a lot of hands-on activities as a form of team building, as well as building character to become more environmentally conscious. I've genuinely had a lot of fun with all the excursions and activities that I've done, both in my ability to get to know people and in trying new things that I haven't done. That being said, I think I've worn enough public waders for a lifetime.
As a commuter student, the college experience didn't shock me too much. It almost felt like a direct extension of high school, where I would commute from home with a packed lunch to get classes done during the day and return home. One thing that did surprise me though, was that as a commuter, it is very easy to make yourself invisible. What I mean by that is that it's very easy to get complacent and almost completely socially withdraw from the university itself. When that happens, I have to actively remind myself that most people here are very kind and that it's very easy to get involved in opportunities such as clubs or even Scholars.
With that mindset, I became a part of a lot of things that I didn't expect I would enjoy, such as the board gaming club or even college programs which have introduced me to a lot of cool things such as LSAMP Bridge or even Scholars. In high school, I had this image in my mind that college was a place where everything was perfect, everybody was happy, and everybody just bloomed into their own character, but I realized that that was a fantasy. While it is the best place in the world to grow, genuine growth doesn't come from the environment as much as it comes from people wanting to change and putting in the effort to change; so, I was partially right.
If I had to give advice to future SGC students, I would say, be honest with yourself. To some extent, we're all innocent in the actions of our lives. Things happen to us, sometimes there are unexpected circumstances, and sometimes we're hit with tragedies that we're unable to control, and that hurts or makes us vulnerable in a way that makes us fail. While it's important to have compassion for ourselves when things like that occur, it's also important to be able to recognize when you could have put more effort in, tried new strategies, or changed your mindset in order to complete a goal or task to the quality that you want. By being honest with yourself, you're able to have compassion for yourself while also constantly looking for ways to improve.
Another piece of advice that I would give to future SGC students is that college is a marathon. There are inevitably going to be some points when you are tired, but you have to push through. College isn't determined by your highest peaks or your very best performance as much as it is determined by you putting in a decent effort every day.