Classes and the weight of them hit me like a truck, not a huge truck, but a truck nonetheless. I’ll admit that might be my fault, I didn't take enough AP’s in high school however I did take classes at my community college so why was I not prepared. A college schedule is just so different and that took a while to adjust to, not to mention the actual class weight. I’d never experienced a workload like this before so it took me a few weeks and then some to learn how to juggle the 6 classes I had signed up for. However once I found my groove, it was smooth sailing, or so I thought. Midterms, another truck in the long but dwindling traffic jam by this point. However, like all things, I managed to make it through those and finally started to understand how things were gonna work around here. The plethora of graded assignments were in place to prepare me for midterm after midterm and look towards the bigger picture…finals. Just kidding, that's just another truck, the bigger picture is my major, my future, and opportunity to make a difference. So while this workload took quite the adjustment and wasn't quite what I was expecting, it’s worth making the adjustment to. Now onto things besides assignments, when I can get myself away from the work, I’m met with so many new opportunities. Freedom for one, but things as simple as coffee with new friends, the dining hall food that doesn't actually suck, and things that only scholars have given me so far like New York and scholars day. Opportunities like these are probably more valuable than most other things here because again, it's not quite what I expected. I didn't realize I’d be offered the chance to explore a city I’d never been to before, help a community garden and make friends along the way, along with more things to come. These things give experiences and knowledge to apply to life from then on and that's exactly what I’ve done and plan to continue to do.
Now, if you’d asked me a year ago if I was fine with living in a dorm, sharing communal bathrooms, walking everywhere, dining hall food, and more. I’d probably say I was more than fine, I’d say I was excited. Things like these are something you never quite experience in high school. In high school we drove places, saw the same people all the time, mostly shared bathrooms only with our family, and fortunately for me, I had food waiting at home and the access to make what I wanted. This all changed the second I moved in and while it was definitely an adjustment, it has also given me new experiences and I really wouldn’t want it any other way. When I was in high school I had a bit of a warped idea of college, my sister also goes here and throughout high school I would come and visit. I never had to worry about school work when I came, I only had to think about hanging out with her and her friends. Sure I got a feel for the dorm life but not to the extent as I’m feeling it now but still, I have no complaints or soiled expectations.
In terms of scholars, more specifically Science and Global Change. I couldn't be more intrigued by what we’ve learned in the past semester and are going to learn for the next 3. I can’t even pinpoint what I thought I was going to experience during this class but I’m happy to say I’ve enjoyed all of what we’ve done and learned so far. Obviously we’ve covered the basis of climate change and that is one thing I totally did expect. However we’ve learned about different fallacies, dinosaurs, the paleolithic past, and on top of that, we’ve designed and created our very own websites. Not quite from scratch but it was definitely a learning curve and experience and still is. In this program, objectively we’ve gotten the best housing, gotten to go to New York City, waded waist deep into ponds, and made friends along the way with people who share similar interests. Things I never expected and things I’ll never forget.
Dear future scholars, here are some tips from a “pro”. I think it’s important to not overthink which is something I still struggle with now but I’d say try to do that less. Find ways to alleviate your stress, things that work best for yourselves and that you can apply through your future college journey. Not only that, but take advantage of the resources around you in order to put your needs first. Sounding cliche, don't worry about dorm life or stress too much about the workload, don't stress over making new friends or taking advantage of new opportunities, and especially don’t stress about dining hall food. Consider all of that a rite of passage that will only help shape you as a person and give you experiences that you’ll use all throughout your life here and on. Soon the trucks will get smaller and smaller until there's absolutely nothing you can't handle.