My First Year Experience at UC: A Reflection
I always knew I loved to learn and my first year of college only made me fall more in love with learning. My classes, both semesters, were fantastic and I had excellent teachers. After the first weeks of school, I found that by taking notes, asking questions, and working on projects and papers early, I was able to keep up with my classes and enjoy being in them. I learned so much about teaching by being able to ask former and current teachers about their experiences. I definitely feel I was a much more productive student in my first year of college than I was for my four years of high school.
My learning experiences all connected in that they all took me out of my comfort zone. I do not like to go places alone, yet I had to so that I could get observation hours for some of my classes. I do not like presenting in front of my class, but I learn to get better at presenting and became more confident in my work. I do not like introducing myself to people because I am nervous they will not like me; yet, to make friends, I had to talk to people and feel comfortable around them. By going out of my comfort zone, I learned many things about teaching and presenting and made some very close friends.
After my first year, I more assured that I am in the right major. I love working with children and find learning about their development fascinating. I also enjoy learning about teaching techniques, lesson plans, and working with students. I also found myself drawn to learn more about my environmental science after taking a class on geology that had a whole section on the environment. I hope to take more classes on the subject, but I do not believe I have enough room in my schedule to minor in the science.
Going into next year, I hope to get more involved on campus through organizations such as Hall Opening Team and Racial Awareness Program. I want to be an ambassador for my scholarship (Darwin T. Turner) and help the new first year students become comfortable at UC. Overall, I hope to meet more people, learn more things, and have an even better year than my first year.
My learning experiences all connected in that they all took me out of my comfort zone. I do not like to go places alone, yet I had to so that I could get observation hours for some of my classes. I do not like presenting in front of my class, but I learn to get better at presenting and became more confident in my work. I do not like introducing myself to people because I am nervous they will not like me; yet, to make friends, I had to talk to people and feel comfortable around them. By going out of my comfort zone, I learned many things about teaching and presenting and made some very close friends.
After my first year, I more assured that I am in the right major. I love working with children and find learning about their development fascinating. I also enjoy learning about teaching techniques, lesson plans, and working with students. I also found myself drawn to learn more about my environmental science after taking a class on geology that had a whole section on the environment. I hope to take more classes on the subject, but I do not believe I have enough room in my schedule to minor in the science.
Going into next year, I hope to get more involved on campus through organizations such as Hall Opening Team and Racial Awareness Program. I want to be an ambassador for my scholarship (Darwin T. Turner) and help the new first year students become comfortable at UC. Overall, I hope to meet more people, learn more things, and have an even better year than my first year.
