Semester Reflections

Semester 1

Throughout the semester, I have gone through a lot of ups and downs. Life living on campus has been very unique or different from what I'm used to. I live in Cambridge Community in Bel Air Hall and it has been enjoyable. At first I was extremely excited to live on campus as this would be a new experience. However, when I actually got there, I felt homesick. Nonetheless, I got comfortable and ended up losing my homesickness. Coming from an extremely competitive school and academic pressure, I am very used to this workload. At times, I did think a lot of assignments were time consuming as they could be challenging. However, I tend to pace myself when it does get hard so I can finish efficiently. The hardest class that I had was MATH113. I tend to do extremely well in math so this was a shocker. First coming into this program, I truly didn’t know what to expect. I never really have an expectation for class, I typically just wait to see how things go. However, I definitely expected it to be very designing and craft based. I learned a lot during this semester. 

I think the most thought-provoking or impactful thing that I have learned would be how people view art. I have taken many art history/theory classes in the past. As I take them, my perspective on how people view art changes every time. Also my definition of art changes drastically as well. One assignment in particular that has determined this would be the IOU reading on “What is Art?” This article definitely changed my perspective on what is art and what is considered art. I already had a broad yet specific understanding, however, this has altered my thought process completely. I will definitely apply this knowledge in the future as I can determine what is art and what isn’t while creating it. I think the biggest challenges that I have been through this semester would be pushing myself too much and also procrastinating. I tend to push myself a lot which results in less sleep and eating. I also tend to procrastinate a lot. If easy assignments pop up, I push it aside and then they all end up stacking up on me. I have been managing my time better with both of these factors so I don’t burn myself out next year. If I see an assignment, I try to do it before the weekend so that leaves room for studying and big projects.

While creating my wicked art, I went through a challenging process. I faced discomfort as I was in a group with people I did not know at all. However, I was able to learn how to get comfortable as they were great people to work with. The whole process allowed me to understand that you don’t have to know someone in order to work with them. My expectations have shifted or shaped my experiences this semester in many ways. I was expecting the course to be more hands on and self-working. However, it dealt with a lot of group conversation and getting to know people. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the class as I got to meet new people and make new friends.