My prior experience of writing was always analysis papers about novels that my high school English classes covered. I wasn’t interested in most of the novels that were part of the curriculum, so I didn’t feel like putting in an effort for my writing. It wasn’t until I started this semester that I was given more creative freedom in my writings. Having time to do some free writing helped me to visualize my ideas better. Most times I would get this random stroke of inspiration for an idea, but I wouldn’t knowhow to start bringing that idea to life. With freewriting, I would jot down very descriptive bullet points so I can have the best approach for my idea.
Throughout the semester, learning and experiencing being a college student really opened my eyes to how far I’ve come from being a high school graduate. The longer classes meant that I needed to put more effort in than the amount of effort I put into High School. It also meant that I should stop procrastinating and waiting until the last minute to do certain assignments since it would only look rushed and not be a representation of my full effort. The long breaks and days off gave me time to readjust and allowed me to catch up on assignments as well as start the next assignments. I also realized that sometimes I just need time away from my work and assignments to have fun and relax a bit. The workload is manageable but taking a step back helps me when I get back to work to put in my full effort.
In this major, there is often peer review and critiques which helps everyone involved to see where they need to improve on. Being able to have instant critiques from peers helped me solidify where my work needs help. Having someone review your work and you reviewing theirs creates a sort of support system for one another for improvement. Even if a peer isn’t in the same field as me, their critique gives me a whole new perspective to try and be better. I have a friend who is an aspiring writer that comes to me asking for help with a story he’s working on, to come up with creative ideas to captivate readers. We have a back and forth of him giving me ideas for my art and me giving him ideas for his stories. Doing this helped both of us with our respective projects and improve our skills.
With the semester coming to the end, I can confidently say it was a worthwhile experience to have for my first semester of college. The best part of this semester was feeling welcomed into this new chapter of my life. The first month had well adjusted me to being a college student which high school me was kind of nervous about. Now I continue to strive to better my skills within my major, in hopes of being closer to reaching my goals.
Great to hear about your improvements during your first semester. Good luck on the rest of your career.