William Dixon's "Expectations vs. Reality" Reflection Essay

I have had a very fun time discovering what college and being an adult is really like. Much of my introduction to college gave me plenty of insight into how different college was going to be, contrary to what I had originally thought. My classes are surprisingly lenient in their grading and due dates, with many classes having extremely flexible due dates such as COMM. This is very different to what I expected, that being very harsh deadlines and having my life basically consumed by school. On top of that, the structure of the classes was very defined unlike in previous school years, with almost all assignments having their due date set from the start of classes. My classes are also unexpectedly fun, and I find myself actually enjoying learning rather than wanting nothing more than to leave class as soon as possible. However, certain classes are definitely more taxing than others because of the people that teach them, such as Math140. In this class I pretty much always find myself doing assignments on time and then they end up having their due date pushed back, or vice versa, and I relax because nothing should be due that day but he ends up moving the assignment to a day earlier. It is just very inconsistent and not what I expected from a college professor. Some teachers actually enhanced the learning experience, such as my AOSC teacher, Tim Canty, who is very very passionate about his work and job, and doesn't see teaching as a job but more of a hobby, and as someone majoring in that field that got me very excited for the future of my college path, something i was not expecting to be the case. We covered many things I didn't expect in this class. Going into it, I really just expected to learn about the effects of climate change on the world, but the class was much more in depth than that. Something interesting that we covered that I didn't expect was the argument fallacies, the way in which an argument is flawed or intentionally misleading to convey a higher level of competency than the argument really has. This actually helped me think about some of the opinions and thoughts I hold and if they are really based in fact or more because, say, a person of power told me that it was fact. Another interesting thing that we discussed was the scientific toolkit, a process in which we can eliminate theories that are far fetched or likely untrue. This also lets me form more sound opinions from the media I am consuming, allowing me to determine if arguments and theories really can hold up when scrutinized carefully. Especially in this age of information, and thus misinformation, both of these tools are handy in avoiding holding incorrect opinions or beliefs. We explored a lot, but there were still some things that I would've liked to cover more extensively, one being the technology being used to combat climate change. I am aspiring to become a meteorological engineer, and this information would have been extremely interesting to get a head start in. Going into CPSG, i didn't even know we were going to go on trips and excursions, but the ones i went on were extremely engaging and fun, like the service day which was super relevant to me as an environmental science major, which showed me what some relevant internships i could hold could look like. University life is very different from what I was expecting before I started attending this college. I always thought college was a place of seriousness and hard, constant work, but I've learned now that only one of those things is true. I have made so many more good friends in just the first semester here than I thought I was ever going to make. I also thought that classes would be a lot stricter and harder, but that just isn't the case, as you are free to attend classes as you please and self study, which is really helpful sometimes. The only issue I have, though, is the size of the dorms we are given at Bel Air. They are very small and can barely fit two people, and I have even heard of three people living in the same dorm room here which must be unimaginably cramped. Lastly, some tips for incoming students. Personally, I would suggest that you join as many clubs and organizations as you are interested in, as making connections and meeting people is the main way that you are going to get situated on campus. You need to make this place feel like home before you can truly enjoy living here. Studying frequently and often, as waiting until the last second for exams in college is never a good idea because of the weight each individual exam holds. Make friends with your TAs and teachers, as getting to know them will allow you to better understand how they teach and what to expect on exams and such. My college experience is already so much better than what I was expecting, and its only just begun. I hope it is only up from here.

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Last modified: 7 December 2023