Sarah’s summer and start of semester

Academic Writing, Freshman

Even in the starting few pages there is already a parallel between myself and the main character Sarah. She is at her graduation ceremony waiting to graduate one panel and the next she has graduated. This is very similar to how I felt at my graduation, my whole high school career had built up to this moment when I graduated. Once I got on the stage it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye. Sarah and I both had a summer job but unlike her I worked at a grocery store near my house. I enjoyed it.However Sarah went to a camp with her friends, I didn’t do anything like this and I regret it. I wish I had done more fun things with my friends before going off to college. In the weeks leading up to her school starting Sarah’s school sent out an informational course on the dangers of drugs and alcohol and her friend says you’ve been doing that forever. Longwood also sent out a module with the same topics for us to do which was quite long and it didn’t help that I accidentally closed out of the tab multiple times and had to rewatch videos. In Sarah’s story she moved in after her roommate so she didn’t have much say in how the dorm would look because her roommate had already decorated. For me I moved in a day before any of my suitemates so I was able to pick which side of the room I got. After the first night Sarah and her roommate attend presentations about activities at school and school safety. These are similar to the new lacer days we had at longwood. I felt these days were fun and not too repetitive. I met my peer mentor and got to make a few friends in my group. Sarah doesn’t take it well as she feels as if she’s turning skeleton listening to all of the presentations but she makes it through them. On the first day of classes she sits in a big lecture hall which is much different than the lecture experience I’ve had as the lectures I have are no more than 25 people. Although Sarah and I are two totally different people we have shared many of the same college experiences. So maybe college isn’t as scary and unpredictable as it might seem.

 
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How Does Your Experience Compare to Sarah’s Now that She Is in Classes–Blog Post 4 (Original)

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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This blog post should focus on how your experiences compare to those of Sarah and her friends now that they are in the thick of the semester. We witness Sarah going to classes, attending social events, dealing with roommate struggles, and eventually completing her first semester in college and returning home, as well as returning to college. What about her situation mirrors your own? Are you looking forward to the holidays or does the thought of returning home make you feel uneasy? How do you think you’ll feel about returning to college after the break?

What else about your experiences are completely different than what Sarah has gone through? How do you think a larger university compares to your experience here at Longwood?

You are NOT required to answer all of these questions, but choose what works best for you.

 
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The College Experience So Far (Blog Post #3)

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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While reading the first part of the graphic novel Freshman Year, I learned about the activities which occupied Sarah’s summer before starting college, her move-in experience, and her first week of college. In doing so, I was able to connect some of her experiences to mine, while also seeing how they differed. Some of these activities included having a summer job, hanging out with friends and family, and shopping for dorm essentials. Although we did similar things over the summer, I think the specifics of them are where our experiences vary greatly. For instance, Sarah’s summer job included mowing lawns, gardening, and walking dogs, etc. On the other hand, I worked at a gym as a swim instructor, teaching young children how to swim. In the later part of the reading, I was also able to connect Sarah’s experiences of moving in and her first week to my own. In regard to moving in, I had my family with me just like Sarah. However, she only had her parents helping her, while I had all three of my siblings in addition to my parents. Similar to Sarah, my first week here at Longwood was spent attending required events to get us settled into campus. These events included navigating the campus, attending presentations full of important information, and taking part in small activities, such as icebreaker games to get to know each other. I was genuinely surprised to find all of these similarities with Sarah from my summer and very first college experiences. Despite all of these similarities there are still of course big differences. Some of these would be the university which we are attending, as well as what we are studying; Sarah is undecided, but leaning towards studying English, and I am studying Nursing. Overall, regardless of any differences in my experience compared to Sarah’s, I was able to connect with the story and her as a freshman in college.
Reflecting on my summer and my time at Longwood so far, I am left feeling slightly regretful. I am filled with many different emotions and feelings, but for some reason that is the first one that comes to mind. It is not regret for anything I have done, but for things that I have not done. For example, I regret not spending more time with my friends and family before I left. After this summer I began to realize just how fast time can go by and this understanding only increased since I have been here at Longwood. I am overjoyed at the positive experiences I have had and the incredible friends I have made thus far, but there is so much going on all the time, making it difficult to slow down and enjoy these things. Despite this feeling of regret, I am hopeful that I will soon find a better balance and be able to truly enjoy the wonderful experiences college has to offer.
 
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How Does Your Experience Compare to Sarah’s–Blog Post 3 (Original)

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

Now that you’ve read the first 68 pages of the graphic novel Freshman Year, reflect on how the experiences of Sarah reflect your own. What was your summer like before starting college this fall? Where do your experiences vary greatly? If you’ve read ahead, do NOT reflect on anything other than the first 68 pages. Remember, this is a comparative reflection. Compare your experiences to those of Sarah and then reflect on your own experiences.