Emmanuel Tafa
"Expectations vs. Reality" Reflection Essay
Coming into the semester, I thought orientation would give me a pretty good idea of how my courses were going to go. Since CPSG100 is a scholars class, I expected an academically rigorous environment. To my surprise, the scholars course exceeded my expectations. Colloquiums were a lot more inclusive and interactive than I initially thought. Particularly the questions we were tasked with formulating before every class, I found it was a great way to make the class more engaging, while also giving us a different method of learning. I especially liked how colloquiums weren't repetitive. Some days there would be a lecture, other days assigned group work, which created a nice balance. Randomizing groups for each group assignment was a great way to become acquainted with different people. I initially thought University courses, in general were very lecture-heavy, but this course disproved that quickly. Having two professors, professor Holtz and Merck, created an interesting dynamic that was different from the rest of the courses. You could really tell that they were immensely passionate about the material they were teaching which translates well as a student because it makes me that much more eager to learn. University courses are much less uniform than I initially believed. It all depends on the specific course and the professor. This also makes learning different things more interesting.
Argumentation and Logical Fallacies was a topic that I did not expect to learn. I expected the SGC course to be heavily focused on the global climate change aspect and other topics that correlate to that. Despite the topic of logical fallacies being out of my expectations, it was one of my favorite lessons because you can apply it outside of class to help improve your arguments. We didn't explore much of the long-term effects of human-induced changes to our environment. I hope to explore much of this topic in the upcoming semesters. The metro scavenger hunt activity was one I thoroughly enjoyed and it exceeded my expectations. This was such a fun activity because I've never ridden the metro before, so it was cool to be exposed to new things. Attending different museums and significant areas was also super cool to see. I initially believed the scavenger hunt activity was going to simply be supplemental material to what is taught in colloquium. Instead, it was an opportunity for us to not only get used to using the metro but to familiarize ourselves with downtown D.C. and meet other people in SGC.
Being a commuter student, University life was very different from my high-school vision of college life. Going into college, I had an idea that I was going to commute for the first year, mainly because I thought it would be an easier transition to college life. However, the transition was not easy. Driving to and from school was a little more taxing than I initially believed. A 30-minute drive to and from school every day ends up taking up a bunch of time, time that can be used for studying, doing homework, etc. Commuting also puts a bit of a constraint on social life on campus. Most of the clubs and organization meetings are held during the night, which are times that I'm at home. This can also have an effect on making new friends. So in a way, it deglamorized college life in that aspect. Being a commuter student meant I had to adjust and just tailor my schedule to fit my current situation, which thankfully all worked out in the end. Courses are a lot more difficult than I initially believed. I went from barely having to study in highschool, to studying basically every day for upcoming exams, which seem to be happening practically every week. I also didn't expect how difficult it would be to maintain a proper work-life balance. Getting enough sleep every day, maintaining a good social life, while also staying on top of your work is not an easy task, to say the least.
My expectations coming into college were not at all accurate. This isn't to say that it was impossible to make adjustments, it just takes time. I've also come to realize that procrastination has a lot heavier consequences in college than it does in high school. So my best advice would be to complete your assignments sooner rather than later, which I know is a lot easier said than done. But when finals week comes around, you would want your main priority to be studying rather than doing last-minute homework and/or projects. At the beginning of the semester, I've also had the issue of not keeping good track of all things I need to do. It's easy to forget to do an assignment, especially when you're taking a lot of credits, so the best thing to do would be to make a planner. Once you make a habit of it, you'll be well adjusted in the event your schedule gets more hectic. Lastly, you should also establish a routine. Making your days more consistent will help combat the days where you may oversleep during your first class of the day. This will also help you become a more organized student.