Semester Reflections

Semester 2

In Art Scholars this semester, I took a playlisting workshop. I really enjoyed going each week and talking to my peers about how music can change our lives. I only recognized a few faces the first week, but after a semester in a small learning environment, I have become close friends with my peers. I also have noticed more Art Scholars freshman in my engineering classes. These connections have made it easier to create acquaintances, and turn a big school into a small community. I wish I was less afraid in my first semester to reach out to other students in my classes, because in this semester I had a lot of repeat faces that I finally reached out to. It turns out a lot of people are afraid to reach out their first semester, even though everyone is in the same boat. 

Connecting with professors takes a few extra steps than with peers, which can be really intimidating sometimes. It is easier to form connections with professors in a smaller seminar or project based class than a large lecture. I am still scared of going to some professors' office hours, so I can’t speak on how easy it is to become friends with them, but discussion sections for those classes are where you can find great connections via TA’s and other students. What I’ve taken from this semester is: the more people I know in a class, the easier it is to tackle challenging concepts.

Living in Bel Air was definitely an amazing freshman experience. It is a small dorm, so it is easy to get to know everyone on your floor and in the building. My roommate is in Art Scholars as well, so I had an immediate connection coming into college, and someone to talk to about assignments. For better or for worse, my generation bonds best when we can dislike things. This has made being in a living learning community fun, because everyone has the same deadline that we can complain about (it’s never that bad, we are all just dramatic). That being said, we can celebrate our victories and defeats with people who understand the challenges we have faced. The craft and chats were also great places to meet people in Art Scholars and listen to stories from TA’s and sophomores.

The many different craft and chats have taught me about the community of art. I liked the creative crafting chats that involved making airplanes out of clothes pins, or creating chocolate hearts for Valentine's Day. It doesn't matter how many people show up to the craft and chat, because as long as you have supplies and a creative mind, you can have fun and even learn something about yourself along the way. I went to a lot of craft and chats alone this semester because my schedule didn't line up with any of my friends and I ended up meeting a lot of new people and talking to the TAs who came up with them. It was fun to hear from so many different people about the different majors at UMD. I hope to become more involved with the Arts Advisory Board next semester so I can also put on these amazing events.

The best way to get the most out of your experience in the program is to go to any and all events. I felt that I belonged at all of the community events and it gave me an opportunity to talk to other people in the program. My other piece of advice is to make the most out of the Arts and Crafts closet. I've made a lot of different art pieces that I probably wouldn't have at home in the lounge of my own dorm with  top-notch art supplies. I think it is also helpful to have a list of classes that you need to take in order to actually graduate the program. I lost the pink sheet that I got at orientation, but luckily I had a spreadsheet with all of the classes that I need to take. That is also where the advisor meetings come in handy. The Art Scholars advisors will usually point out if you're missing anything. Which is incredibly helpful in your first year at college.  Jumping from a high school level to college level can be intimidating, but I feel like I had all the supplies necessary to succeed. There were a few assignments that felt like busy work but overall  I'm glad that I chose to join Art Scholars.