Tag Archives: freshman

Finding Good Things in the Strangest Places

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The CORE program is a unique sequence in Scripps College’s curriculum. In the first semester of the freshman year, the class incorporates different disciplines and many different professors who are experts in different areas. All freshman students share a universal experience when reading the same material and listening to the same lectures. But on discussion days, the class is broken into sections of fifteen people, led by one of the professors. Discussion classes vary greatly and are very dependent upon the professor and their style.

A freshman class lecture for the Core class.

A freshman class lecture for the Core class.

Over the summer, I checked the Scripps portal and was surprised that my discussion professor was a neuroscience professor. As I am on the science track, I was excited that I was going to have a scientific perspective in a humanities based class. I was also hopeful that he could act as another academic adviser or mentor for me.

My professor exceeded these hopeful wishes. I met with my professor several times after I submitted a less-than-satisfactory paper (it happens to the best of us). In these office hours and meetings, I not only improved my paper, I got to know my professor well. Because we are both fascinated and interested in exploring the natural world, our conversations ultimately turned to the subject of neuroscience.

In one of our meetings, he offered me a position in his lab at Scripps next semester. I was so flabbergasted and elated to hear the offer. I need all of the experience I can get so I eagerly agreed.

Ironically, A professor from my humanities class is allowing me to get experience in my intended career. Sometimes the best things are found in the strangest places. If you let your motives be known and seek advice and help from professionals with many connections, only good things are bound to happen. The kind teacher that helps with papers can also help you in life by offering you experience in many other fields. So, keep your options open! Seek help from many people and one of them will undoubtedly help along the way! If you are like me, you will not be disappointed–in fact you will be happy dancing.

A Call to Arms: Finals Edition

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As the daylight dwindles down and as the holiday season revs up, college students begin to understand the true meaning of panic.

Panic! I am a freshman! Panic! We are approaching the end of first semester! Panic! We have these things called finals! Panic! We need to write, write, write! Panic! We need to study, study, study! But most of the panic is centered around the fact that we need to remain sane through it all!

With the taste of home and turkey still in the mouths of college students back from Thanksgiving break, only three weeks remain in the semester. Thanksgiving, to me, seemed like a little teaser, coyly saying, “This is what you get to come home to IF you can get through these next three weeks” (See what Finals Week is truly like as told by Buddy in the movie Elf).

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful, warm home to come back to, but I think I can speak for all when saying breaks are a much needed rest–and Winter break is the quintessential, coveted break for college students. However, we all know that there are papers to write and finals to study for in the short amount of time until Winter Break. It is important to do the best you can and bear down on school.

Finals

I yell out a massive “call to arms” for studying. To equip ourselves with countless pens and paper, fully charged laptops, and coffee pulsing through our veins (Helloooooo Motley!). The short push will be worth it when checking finals grades when snuggled up with a mug of hot-coco and loved pet. It will be worth it when we are home.

So rush to the Writing Center! Go to the professor’s office hours! Lock yourself up in a study room! Don’t procrastinate (there’s an app for that)! Don’t panic…Just focus! Make yourself proud! Make your parents proud! Your aspirations, your future, your career will thank you for all of the effort you put in now. You can do it, I believe in you (and so does Ryan Gosling).

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FOMO–A College Phenomenon

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On New Student Orientation day, Scripps should have posted signs around campus reading “CAUTION: Upon entering college you will experience painful bouts of ‘fear-of-missing-out’ syndrome.” Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but the common desire to experience everything the 5Cs and surrounding area have to offer while juggling sleep, school work, health, family, friends, and extracurriculars is a real problem that college students face. The fear of missing out is commonly referred to by the acronym “FOMO.”

Across the Consortium there is a club for any interest. There are information sessions outlining careers and internships and study abroad opportunities. There are speakers giving lectures every day of the week. There are sanctioned parties Wednesday through Saturday. There is so much to do, but sometimes life puts on the breaks. My workload for AISS gets in the way. My TSL article sneaks up on me. My daily workout gets pushed back. More and more things build upon each other and going to the dining hall even becomes a task.

At the end of a hard week, sometimes an early bedtime with some much needed rest is just plain necessary. As I am laying in bed, I check social media and email. Every week I am inundated by Facebook events, Event’s Digest notifications, Ventfull posts, and emails giving me information on activities and events around campus. Events and activities that are going on while I lay in bed. Like most students, I am interested in activities and I want to go meet new people and have a good time. At the back of my head I am also thinking: I need to network. I need to get good grades. I need to have the freshman year experience. I need to go out and meet people. Most of all, I need to sleep, but I have this gut wrenching fear of missing out.

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College forces people to find a balance and FOMO skews this balance. So far in my Scripps experience I have experienced FOMO more times than I can count, however, I am now slowly developing my own schedule and making decisions on what is best for me. We as busy college students need to understand that not every party is going to be amazing and not every information session will shape our lives. Realizing that down-time is not only amazing, but necessary to remain balanced, reduces the FOMO.

Being at a college like Scripps that offers so many opportunities is both a blessing and a curse. Striking the balance between work, play, rest, and all other facets of life is necessary. The fear of missing out will always persist, but prioritizing can reduce the syndrome that is “FOMO” and allow an extra hour or two of well deserved rest.