My First Semester In College Reflection

Heyyloo Blogger World, I have somehow been resurrected and placed by a computer and keyboard again. Its January now, meaning I am into my second week in my second semester as a Freshman in college. I have lived through one semester and was it eventful. Well, grab a seat this might take a while. Let's spill the tea.


       
My first semester began as anxious and as exciting as anyone who is an academia addict would expect. I most certainly got lost on my first day as I missed my stop on the bus and ended up in an entirely different part of Atlanta. The panic that coursed that morning was real, I eventually called up a cab to take me back to Geogia State University, since I simply could not find my way back. I rushed to my first class in fear of being late, which was by the way an 8 a.m. class, only to find out timing did not matter and this was a computer lab style class.

                               

Now in my college they have this system called an "FLC." In other words, "Freshman Learning Community." Essentially for the first semester you do not get to choose your schedule the school does and they group you into classes with "like minded and like majored" students. So say for example you are a science student, your classes will 99% of the time be made up of science students. Anyone with a similar track or major will be in your classes, this is only for the first semester so that you can meet people "like you" and "transition easily." The idea seems pretty friendly. The reality was the opposite. When you are stuck in classes where nearly everyone has a similar major or track it fosters very crude competition and not friendship. 

Now, my major is Neuroscience. So the latter of folks in my class were either neuro majors, bio, chem, physics, or mathematics majors. The whole STEM rainbow. Almost everyone with a pre-med track as well. For these last few months I felt boxed into this confined narrative of what a STEM student is supposed to be like. Our teachers made us make schedules and tables and charts to keep track of our work ethic, they would encourage us to be "leaders" and to "make friends." You'd think that turned out great. Not so much. It made more tension and flamed a desperate desire to be seen as a "leader."
                                     
                                 
Students who are aspiring doctors usually go to extreme lengths to impress professors and cross their class mates. This was the atmosphere I was injected into thanks to the FLC program. I craved meeting somebody of a non STEM major and seeing a broader horizon. But, yet I spent my classes with frustration as I was surrounded by pessimistic over achievers. This all sounds pretty harsh, but it really was this harsh. The students in my classes openly refused friendships for they would become their "competition." 

They openly denied offering help to struggling classmates and would follow professors into their office hours nearly every day. The STEM majors made faces of disgust when they met someone who did not aspire to be a doctor. Yes, Hi, that is me. I have no aspiration to be a doctor, but I am still a science major and worthy of respect. I made social observations everyday. Students began to latch on to the "smarter" students in any given subject and would form "friendships" just for their personal gain.
                                     
                                   
All I can say is I would NEVER want to relive a situation where I am surrounded by egotistic, pretentious, and living in their own bubble, kinds of students. I offered genuine help, made genuine social interactions, and rarely "used" people. I am not making myself the victim in this situation, this is just a part of the observations I made last semester. Long story short, I don't think any college should do the "group like minds" together bullshit. It was a real pain. If you are juxtaposed in classes with people of your relevant field, there will be more nasty competition rather than friendship. I can confirm my claim now. 

I began my second semester and now that I can choose, I avoided classes with peers of similar majors and it has been a relaxing experience. Now that I am in classes where not everyone is on a similar track, people socialize and make friends, there is no ugly competition and students are generally more open and happier. Just, these past few days I have been overwhelmed with the amount of people who easily socialized with me and how well that went. And it all attributes back to the fact that we all do not share majors or tracks, so no one is viewed as an academic threat.
                                  
                                       
Now, lets wrap up the social issues and move along to the other crap that went down this last semester. Just one semester in, I found myself in a heap of trouble. Since we couldn't choose our professors the first semester, you can bet I ended up with some weird cases. Where do I begin? Well I had one professor who stressed time management and never showed up to class on time and he would occasionally throw fits and leave the class room. I had one professor and she had the thickest accent and would get lost in her own lecture and ended up piling up all of the exams till the last minute. One professor of mine was not even a professor, he was a grad student stepping in as a professor. He administered an online test then assumed that more than half the class, including his other class sections has cheated. And you bet we all had to go to his office hours and convince him otherwise. 

Then I had a math professor, who was literally mumble talking to himself on the board, with his back to the class. I am pretty sure that is not even a way to teach! I also had  two days where I had 8 a.m. classes. It was literally dark out and I was commuting all the way to college for these two classes. So last semester was an absolute nightmare. It was nowhere near the expectations colleges fill you up with. There was no socialization or crazy experiences, it was all melodramatic drama and annoying professors who would hunt you down for every action. And did I already mention the overtly competitive depraved souls called students? Yes.
                                               

What I am getting at is that, do not go into college thinking it will be roses and sunshine. It will be the entire opposite. Don't expect to hit it off quickly and make friends or get "involved." It can take a while till you find your cup of tea. I promise. And do not place your professors on a pedestal and do not let them own you. You are their paycheck, demand to be taught properly. In overall do not let the overwhelming atmosphere of the first semester get you down, because in all honesty it only gets worse the higher you go up.

                                         

Hope you enjoyed this rather realistic insight into the first semester of college!

Thankyou For Reading!
-ISBAH xoxo