Looking back at this semester, I see how much I grew, as a student and in many other aspects. I met many new people, adjusted to dorm life, and learned how difficult college courses can be.
For example, my classes this semester, such as chemistry and calculus have been very hard. Even after taking AP Chemistry and Pre-Calculus in high school, classes can be very different. In chemistry, I have a quiz to take every week, I have three midterms to prepare for, online homework to complete, and additional book work as well. It is a lot of work. For the first midterm, I was not as prepared as I believed I was. I studied more than I ever had for high school, but still got a bad grade. I was disappointed for a very long time, and as every chemistry student does at one point, considered changing their major to something that would never involve chemistry.
Now I realize that so much more has to go into a class such as General Chemistry in college.I learned that I had to stay on top of bookwork, go to tutoring hours, office hours, and do as many practice problems as possible. Personally, I now know not to get discouraged so easily. Hard work goes a long way, and sometimes changing study habits and doing different things can make a huge difference. Going through chemistry has also solidified by desire to become a doctor. It is a long journey to get through medical school and possible specializations to become a physician. One has to know that this is what they want to do for their entire life or it won’t be worth the effort.
Education and classes aside, college is a balancing act. Balancing school work, a social life, extracurriculars, sleep, and getting three meals a day if extremely difficult. I have slowly been adjusting to all the things I need to do in each day, and taking a semester to do it is normal. Scholars has also helped me in those respects. I learned about research, tutoring centers, and other resources on campus that could be of use to me. Furthermore, I got introduced to new clubs that would be of interest to me. For example, Global Brigades came in and talked about what their organization did and I thought it was the perfect fit for me. In the future, I want to help out in clinics across Latin America, which was is exactly what they do. Being in scholars and other organizations also helps with having a social life, as you meet so many other people.
All in all, I learned a lot about myself and my capabilities this semester. I hope that the second semester goes smoother, but I’m glad that I was able to learn so much this semester. College is difficult, but learning all the things one does, from courses to personal characteristics, it is definitely worth the challenge.