Semester 1 Reflection

I am a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate who lives off campus. Though it is not a long trip, I often feel disconnected from the UMD community because of my situation. In high school, I thought I would have more freedom during university to attend events or spend time with friends. While that happens, it is not as frequent as I would like. I envisioned my time at clubs or events, but university life has eaten my time. The content I am learning is much more complex and accelerated than I expected in high school, and though I knew I might stay up late at night, I had never predicted the consistent effort I'd need to stay on track. Due to my living situation, I’ve had to adjust my schedule to connect with my peers. There were many compromises I needed to make with transportation arrangements and days I had the opportunity to stay in the area. Thankfully, technology is how I connect with everyone. Through calls, social media, and email, I can communicate through one button. In-person meetings are difficult to arrange, but technology is convenient and allows me to feel like I am present. With this commuter experience, I hope to live on campus next semester or live closer.

Every lecture in college feels independent as everyone has their own spread of classes. I didn’t get a chance to connect with any of my peers due to the sheer size of every class. It is more self-learning and application on our own time, which is hard to adjust to. In high school, I enjoyed having personal connections with the teachers, delving deeper into the work, and having time to be with my friends. Especially having to condense the content in one semester in college, there are many things to learn and remember. It now feels normal for students to perform worse on exams, and for professors to have diverse teaching styles, with expectations and deadlines. However, I enjoy the freedoms we have as university students on campus, for example, the many resources and buildings we have access to.

In the Arts Scholars Colloquium, I didn’t expect to explore why art is important. Though it is a complex question, it felt as if it were a question already answered. I did not have words to articulate why, however, the answer was intrinsic and agreeable. I’m glad we did delve into this because it allowed me to learn about different art forms and see the many different impacts art has. I thought during our classes they would have the students try a new art form instead of our weekly discussions, and I didn’t expect to be split into smaller groups. The field trips we had the opportunity to attend were wonderful. I enjoyed exploring campus and viewing performances I would have never gone to alone. The Arts Advisory Board events were also great because of the supplies provided, allowing anyone to create their own artwork with no barriers. It allowed me to try new things as well as talk to new people.

The most thought-provoking thing I learned in Art Scholars had to do with the definition of Art. There have been many times when this question was posed in my life, but delving into different categories, I always felt there was a set definition. When Heather went through examples and asked questions about, “Is this art?” and then provided conflicting scenarios, I was puzzled on how to answer this question. What constitutes art? How do we define something as “good” art? For example, a replica of a piece, is that plagiarism or considered art? I think art is in everything, but some pieces of art forms are more easily categorized as art because of their visual appeal. One of the classes we attended that had the most impact on me was Vogue Dancing. I didn’t expect to be comfortable with my movements, but as the class progressed, it was easier for everyone to express and enjoy themselves. This type of dancing was invigorating and showed me that it was an art form I could pursue on my own time. I never thought of myself as a good dancer, but as the class progressed and we slowly improved, there were moves that made me feel radiant.

I want to keep the habits I had in high school with my time management, teamwork, and communication skills. The most difficult part of my experience this semester was being surrounded by such talented and diverse people. Comparison is the thief of joy, as they say, and that has influenced my mental health negatively. There are incredible people out there, but being in classes with them makes me put high expectations on myself. I wanted college to be the place where I learn, but in some classes, it feels as if I am expected to have certain skills I did not have the opportunity to learn in high school. When I am not understanding concepts, I am glad I have a myriad of resources to get help. Next semester I want to reach out to more people to make stronger connections and have study groups to better succeed in my classes. Thankfully I do not procrastinate, alleviating that stress, and I know to put my physical health over academics. In the future, I need to take better notes and focus more as to not fall behind. 

Overall this semester has taught me valuable lessons, not only in Art Scholars, but in my independent, school, and social life. I am prioritizing academics over myself, and I noticed I have lost my passion for my artistic hobbies; I am very grateful to Art Scholars for giving me a place to see the things I love and connect me to my personal goals.