Academically, the last two semesters were pretty challenging. In the fall I took organic chemistry and physics, and this semester I took another organic chemistry class. Due to how rigorous my classes were, I have been slowly figuring out what study strategies and spaces work best for me. It did not come without setbacks, but I am more confident in my abilities and I know that I can keep up my good grades as long as I set my mind to it and keep focus. My schedule has been quite science-heavy and is projected to be the same in the future as well, so I am starting to think about what classes outside of science I might be interested in taking alongside my major and minor courses.

I was glad that in-person activities were being brought back, although I was intimidated at first going to club meetings where I initially did not know anyone. Pushing myself to attend events was outside of my comfort zone after such a long time being behind a screen, but I am happy that I challenged myself because as a result I met a lot of new people and got some amazing opportunities such as going on my spring break trip with Zoology Club.

My next academic year will definitely not be easy and it’s slightly stressful to think about how much closer I am to starting the application process for veterinary schools, but I am still excited for all that will come. I want to take it one step at a time and absorb as much as I can in both knowledge and memories.

Despite the circumstances that we are living in and the changes it brought to learning, I think I was able to get through this semester quite successfully. I expect to be ending the semester with a good GPA, which is a relief because I had heard scary things about Chem 1220. The last hurdle is finals, since I have never taken any cumulative exams in high school, but I think I am on the right track and will be ready for them. I liked the classes that I chose to take and the content that I have learned from them, especially in Psychology 1100, which is the first time I have taken a psychology course. It has gotten me to think about minoring in psychology, but honestly I am still very indecisive on whether I want to add a major and/or declare any minors. With my survey classes completed, I look forward to the classes that I have enrolled in for spring semester.

Socially, I did not meet as many people as I would have liked to, but in these times maybe having a smaller group is a more favorable situation. I would still consider this a success, though, as an out-of-state person who knew zero students prior to coming here. I was initially worried about joining student organizations, but as the semester went by I have been able to narrow down my interests and start to focus on a few groups I would really like to stick with.

I will always look back fondly on this semester, and I am excited to move forward (on campus, hopefully).