Semester Reflections

Semester 1

I arrived at UMD equally excited and nervous for the adventure ahead of me. I knew there would be a lot of difficult changes in my life. Luckily, the transition has gone well for me. I have enjoyed the freedom in my schedule and the opportunity to study some of my favorite subjects. I have adjusted well to university life because of my independent and self-motivated demeanor. I have also met some great people so far. The coursework is more challenging than I expected, but I have enjoyed the learning. The skills I have developed by managing this first college workload- such as planning devoted study-time, getting my assignments done early, and attending all lectures- will be helpful in my college journey moving forward.

Arts Scholars has been a welcome addition to my college experience. Before attending UMD, I was looking forward to the community-building that the program offered. I knew I would have the oppourtunity to meet many people with similar ideals, and that has been true. I enjoy living with other students who are passionate about art, because it gives me inspiration for my own art. The best "surprise" in Scholars has been the "Craft & Chats", which have been great for relaxing and learning new artistic mediums. The class session that stands out to me the most still has to be one of the first ones: "What is Art?". The discussion in our TA groups from this class has stuck with me because I had never considered exploring the definition of art before. It brought up interesting points such as that the definition of art is different for everyone, and there is not one definite answer. I learned that the beauty of art is how fluid and wide-reaching it is. Trying to answer the question "What is Art?" strengthened my ability to see many perspectives. This is a significant piece of knowledge to take forward with me because it will help me learn the most from college and be the most helpful in group settings.

One of the biggest challenges I have faced this year is managing my stress levels. I have always been a naturally anxious person, so being independent in college with difficult coursework has been stressful. However, I have learned to lessen my stress through my routine, and always ensuring that I take time for myself. By organizing my schedule and planning ahead each day, I have made sure that no one day has too much of a workload. I get my assignments done early so I do not have to worry about them. I leave time for me to enjoy nature, play games, and do art, all of which help my brain relax after a stressful day. It does also help that I love learning, so I continue to remind myself that if I get overwhelmed with the information. I have learned to be resilient in the face of this stress and step out of my comfort zone in class discussions. I have been open to speaking in classes, which is new to me. I have also been open to many new perspectives in my learning, which has been difficult, but fulfilling. The discomfort I usually experience when discussing open-ended questions (such as "What is Art?") has lessened as I have practiced.

I had high expectations for myself coming into UMD, as well as for the experience itself. I wanted this part of my life to be something that I look back on fondly. I have grappled with my own performance in classes, but I am proud of myself for the work I have put in and the As I have in all of my courses. I am used to school being relatively easy for me, and that expectation has changed, but I have been able to work through it and still perform well. I am grateful for Arts Scholars, as it was given me a strong community and challenged me to branch out with my art and learning. Moving forward, I will have high goals for myself in order to stay motivated, but I also know that set-backs are inevitable, so I will be ready to move strongly through those as well.