Next Semester(blog post 8)

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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The end of a college semester is kind of weird if you ask me, in high school it was no big deal I mean its just the half way point for most of your classes, but here at college it is the end of your current set of classes. It feels like no time at all has passed since I graduated and I am going into my 4th semester. In my experience it is a bit hectic with exams and final projects and what not, additionally there are a quite a few students at this school with a lot majors, so there’s a good chance that the people you have been talking to in class, unless you talk outside of class, wont see each other all that often, maybe you’ll see them in passing or if depending on your luck they may be in another class again. With the end of this semester the people start to think about next semester, We picked classes just last week so for the most part people are done figuring out how their SCHOOL schedule will go but what about other activities? To be honest I have not given much thought to next semester, I have been more concerned with up coming assignments and the upcoming breaks, I’m actively debating staying for thanksgiving, then I still need to get Christmas gifts for my family, on top of all that I’m trying to juggle 3 projects, there has been little time set aside to think about the next semester. But in the end I’m confident in my ability to handle anything college decides to through my way, there is not much I am expecting to be a curve ball, I think i am starting to get this whole college thing down, so all in all I’m excited for this next semester.

 
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Blog 8: What Does the Next Semester Look Like for You?

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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We have now completed Freshman Year by Sarah Mai. Unlike you, she has completed her first full semester while you are quickly approaching completion of your first semester. As you look forward to spring semester, how do you see your experiences possibly lining up with Sarah’s? What challenges do you think you’ll face in the upcoming semester? Will spring break be on your radar from day one? Do you already have plans for spring break? Do you have plans for your summer already: traveling, working, internship, vegging?

Think through how you think your upcoming semester will reflect of differ from Sarah’s.

 
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Breaks and Bonds

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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While reading Freshman Year Sarah seemed so unaware of the time she had to choose classes and totally missed her assigned date for registration.I however have been feeling a mix of anxiety and eagerness for choosing my upcoming classes. Although the day to register for classes is November first I have already been browsing through Degreeworks looking for the classes that seem interesting, satisfy requirements for my degree, are Civitae classes, and have good reviews. Even after finding such classes, there is still always the possibility they fill up before I even get the chance to register. Upon meeting with her advisor Sarah is confused as she was expecting someone else. Unlike Sarah I am very aware of who my advisor is. He one of my Professors and I have a fairly strong bond with him and go to him often for help.

I have come to form bonds with my peers here at Longwood as-well. Upon returning from break, I also hung out with a few of my friends, much like Sarah had. My friends and I had dinner at D-hall on the day we came back. Although our break was much shorter than Sarah’s I was still glad to see my friends and be back at college. As I become better friends with the people I’ve met at Longwood I have become more distant with the friends I had made in my earlier years. I feel I have made genuine friendships here at Longwood and am grateful for them, so I am not to saddened my losing old ones.

    Another thing I am grateful for is the upcoming Thanksgiving and fall breaks. I am very excited to get a longer time to be home and spend time with family. This winter break I am going on a trip to New York for Christmas so I am very excited and can’t wait. Going back for fall break made me realize just how much I really love my family and what I’m missing when I’m away at college. I am also worried being on break for a month might knock me out of the flow of college and I will have to reacclimate after the breaks. It should be easier than getting used to college when first arriving so I’m sure I can handle it.



 
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I DO know when I register!

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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In the book Freshman Year, Sarah returned from Thanksgiving break and is now finishing her last couple weeks of school. Although it was not Thanksgiving break, we just returned from a break here as well. For me, it feels quite the same to be back with a roommate after being home. I have a big family and share a room with my younger sister, so I technically was still living with one over fall break. 

Upon returning from fall break, we are preparing for registration for the spring semester, which will take place on November 1st. Similarly, Sarah also had to register for classes. However, she was not aware of her enrollment date and missed her registration. As this date is approaching for me, I am feeling a little stressed on whether I will get be able to create my desired schedule. One of the classes I am really hoping to get into is Spanish, as I was supposed to take it this semester and was not able to get into it due to both sections being full. 

It is really crazy to think that we are already halfway through the semester. At this point we have two breaks approaching: Thanksgiving and Winter Intercession. I am interested to see how it will feel to be away from Longwood for an extended amount of time. As much as I love it here, I really do enjoy being at home, so I am excited to be able to stay there for a longer time. However, I feel like it will start to feel quite odd being at home for more than a couple days. I know I will definitely start to miss the friends I have made here, but I am also really excited to see my friends from home, as I have not seen them since we said goodbye before leaving for college. 

Fortunately, I do not find myself drifting further from these friends back at home. On the other hand, for Sarah, I feel as if she is worried about drifting from her friends at home. During Thanksgiving break she hung out with them, but it did not appear that she did over winter break. The book also shows her thinking about her friends and saying that she’s sure they will find some time to hang out soon. I think it is easier for me to not feel this way because I experienced it during high school when I transferred schools. Although I definitely did not keep in touch with every single person I was once friends with, the ones who I did keep in touch with are still my friends today. I am grateful for those friends because I am always able to reach out to them to talk and it’s as if no time has passed; we are still just as close even without talking every day. Having experienced that, I do not believe that I will ever drift from them throughout my college years.

 

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.

 

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.