Fall 2011
Honors 101
Biology 1
Chemistry 1
Video Production
Biology 1
Chemistry 1
Video Production
Fall 2011 Semester Reflection
Ross Bergsten
HN 101
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Fall 2011 Semester Reflection
The first semester of college (I assume) is always the most difficult, just as the first exam of a class is usually the worst. I was not entirely prepared for college. I was too used to high school, and was expecting something similar and my grades suffered at the beginning of the year for this reason. However after the first few weeks, I was settled in relatively well, and things gained a sense of repetition. Most of my classes came fairly easily for me, I had enough of a background in science to understand what was going on, and I didn’t have to stretch myself too much. The one class that I really had problems with was Honors. I was not at all prepared for the raw time it took to complete the readings and write response papers with any amount of thought or reasoning behind them. After the midterm however, I decided that I needed to put a lot more effort into the class in order to get a decent grade, and gain something from the teachings. I found that after I began to apply myself, It became much easier to complete the assignments and therefore it actually took less to time to finish them than it had before. Overall I think the academic aspects of my first semester were a success.
Because I spent so much time on my academic work, however, I had very little time for any extracurricular activities at all. There were other reasons for my lack of enthusiasm about the on campus activities as well. It seems to me that most of the academic groups are merely fronts for groups wanting to raise money and take trips over break. There is nothing wrong with that in my opinion, but I don’t think it’s the right kind of group for me. I do somewhat regret my decision to remain out of the on campus groups, but there is always next semester or next year to join, if I decide to change my mind.
I had things outside of college keeping me busy as well. During my trips home, I spent most of my time working on a shop project that has run over from my senior year of high school. Besides that, there are always the numerous chores of the farm that keep me occupied while I'm away from my ‘home away from home’. While I was on campus, I spent much of my time working an up and coming webcomic that a friend from high school and I are working on. It was an interesting experience being able to take snippets from my life on campus, at home, and in class and parody them in a way that (hopefully) will be humorous to others.
All in all, my first experience in a college setting was an enjoyable one. There are not many things that I would change if I had to do it all over again, and I look forward to doing it again next semester.
HN 101
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Fall 2011 Semester Reflection
The first semester of college (I assume) is always the most difficult, just as the first exam of a class is usually the worst. I was not entirely prepared for college. I was too used to high school, and was expecting something similar and my grades suffered at the beginning of the year for this reason. However after the first few weeks, I was settled in relatively well, and things gained a sense of repetition. Most of my classes came fairly easily for me, I had enough of a background in science to understand what was going on, and I didn’t have to stretch myself too much. The one class that I really had problems with was Honors. I was not at all prepared for the raw time it took to complete the readings and write response papers with any amount of thought or reasoning behind them. After the midterm however, I decided that I needed to put a lot more effort into the class in order to get a decent grade, and gain something from the teachings. I found that after I began to apply myself, It became much easier to complete the assignments and therefore it actually took less to time to finish them than it had before. Overall I think the academic aspects of my first semester were a success.
Because I spent so much time on my academic work, however, I had very little time for any extracurricular activities at all. There were other reasons for my lack of enthusiasm about the on campus activities as well. It seems to me that most of the academic groups are merely fronts for groups wanting to raise money and take trips over break. There is nothing wrong with that in my opinion, but I don’t think it’s the right kind of group for me. I do somewhat regret my decision to remain out of the on campus groups, but there is always next semester or next year to join, if I decide to change my mind.
I had things outside of college keeping me busy as well. During my trips home, I spent most of my time working on a shop project that has run over from my senior year of high school. Besides that, there are always the numerous chores of the farm that keep me occupied while I'm away from my ‘home away from home’. While I was on campus, I spent much of my time working an up and coming webcomic that a friend from high school and I are working on. It was an interesting experience being able to take snippets from my life on campus, at home, and in class and parody them in a way that (hopefully) will be humorous to others.
All in all, my first experience in a college setting was an enjoyable one. There are not many things that I would change if I had to do it all over again, and I look forward to doing it again next semester.