Honors 100 and fall quarter
As my first quarter here at the UW comes to an end, I was asked to reflect upon my experiences and growth so far for an assignment in my Honors 100 class.
I feel like this entire quarter has gone by far too quickly and so many things have happened that it would actually take me 10 hours to explain it all. However, this will help me understand why I came here and is the starting point of my four year journey at the UW.
I feel like this entire quarter has gone by far too quickly and so many things have happened that it would actually take me 10 hours to explain it all. However, this will help me understand why I came here and is the starting point of my four year journey at the UW.
Coming into the University of Washington, I really had no idea what to expect. I’m from out of state and knew only my roommate and another girl, Andrea, who I had become friends with through our honors advising and orientation. Being in a completely new city 1300 miles away from home was intimidating. Before moving to Seattle, I had been extremely confident in my decision to come to the UW, but I was unsure and doubting myself in the first two or three weeks here.
Now, a quarter in, although I am still a bit unsure, I feel like I’ve been making some progress in my attempt to make this place feel like home.
In my first assignment for Honors 100, I wrote:
Now, a quarter in, although I am still a bit unsure, I feel like I’ve been making some progress in my attempt to make this place feel like home.
In my first assignment for Honors 100, I wrote:
“I chose the UW and the honors program because I want to be a better version of myself, not the same version that was willing to fake who I was for a sense of belonging. UW is a big enough school that it was almost guaranteed that I would be able to find like-minded people, and it has enough resources and counselling that I could utilize to actually be the person I want to be.
At the UW and through the honors program, I really just want to be the best version of myself I can possibly be, and I want to work hard and really study what I’m passionate about. Again, it’s kind of a cliche and not at all original, but it’s all true.” |
My goals are the same as they were when I came here in September - get good grades so I could go on to graduate school, be around people who valued me, and actually be honest with myself. The first two are hard, and it’s a work in progress. The third goal, being honest with myself, is much more difficult. I found myself easily falling into old habits of changing my outward appearances and opinions to suit those of the people around me, despite actually disagreeing on the inside. I’ve caught myself multiple times and am now more conscientious of my behavior and am still working on being someone that doesn’t fake their identity simply to fit in.
I hadn’t expected college to be mainly about time management. I’ve always been pretty terrible about keeping a planner, so the fast-paced quarter system really put me in my place and forced me to be more organized. The main feeling I’ve had about my first quarter is a sense of urgency. There’s so much that I want to do and simply not enough time for me to do everything I want to.
Despite the whirlwind that this first quarter has been, due to Honors 100, there has been time for me to self-reflect. It’s one of those things that I know I wouldn’t have done if it wasn’t an assignment or a grade, but I’ve realized that I do enjoy studying and thinking about my experiences and growth. I’ve had some experience with this type of reflection through the International Baccalaureate program in high school, although I’ve never really appreciated it until now. Self-reflection and introspection is something that I hope to continue throughout my four years here at the UW and in the honors program.
As first quarter comes to an end soon, I can’t really pinpoint how exactly I’ve changed, but I know that I’m certainly not the same person I was when I left Boulder, Colorado.
By the end of my first year at UW, hopefully I’ll have a better sense of who exactly I am, have a better sense of belonging here, and a better sense of understanding of what I want for my future.