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Autumn Reflection Assign

Silvana Segura reflects on her first quarter at UW in an honors program. She found that smaller discussion classes suited her learning style better than a large chemistry lecture. Her academic goals have shifted from solely focusing on a 4.0 GPA to prioritizing mental health. She aims to gain research experience and get accepted into UW's psychology program. Studying abroad also interests her. She was surprised by how openly UW classes discuss topics like human sexuality. Silvana has utilized academic resources like the Undergraduate Research Program and Academic Support Program to improve her studying. Overall, adjusting to college expectations was difficult but she is eager to continue learning in the honors program.

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47 views2 pages

Autumn Reflection Assign

Silvana Segura reflects on her first quarter at UW in an honors program. She found that smaller discussion classes suited her learning style better than a large chemistry lecture. Her academic goals have shifted from solely focusing on a 4.0 GPA to prioritizing mental health. She aims to gain research experience and get accepted into UW's psychology program. Studying abroad also interests her. She was surprised by how openly UW classes discuss topics like human sexuality. Silvana has utilized academic resources like the Undergraduate Research Program and Academic Support Program to improve her studying. Overall, adjusting to college expectations was difficult but she is eager to continue learning in the honors program.

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Silvana Segura

Au20 HONORS 100 BH

Assignment #6: Autumn Quarter Reflection

The first quarter of college was not what I had pictured, but I also think it’s not what
anyone pictured it to be like. What surprised me the most about myself in my first quarter in
Honors was how much more the small discussion/classroom environment suits me and my
academic needs. Although I don’t take my first honors class until next quarter), even the quiz
section in Honors 100 with our peer educator makes me feel so at ease and seen. Compared to
my 800 person chem lecture, my learning and engagement increases in a smaller group setting.
This also brings back what interested me about the honors program in the first place, and it still
holds true. Compared to the start of autumn quarter, my goals have slightly shifted. I had goals of
becoming involved on campus, joining RSOs, and I did end up meeting those goals and am now
in two (Chorale choir and Pre-Physician Scientist Club), holding positions in both. The goals I
had for my grades have also shifted – I’ve always had high expectations for myself, and I
realized it was okay to not have a 4.0 GPA, and that working on a computer all day during a
pandemic would have an impact on my mental health and my academic routine. My grades are at
a good point right now, because I know I’ve put in effort every day to complete my assignments
to the best of my ability, procrastinate as little as possible, and study diligently. A goal I want to
achieve by the end of my first year is become involved in some sort of research lab, so that I can
start to gain experience in a lab and create relationships with people in that field. By the end of
my time at UW, I hope to have applied and gotten accepted into my major (Psychology) and be
prepared with all my prerequisites to apply to medical school. Something that stood out to me
that I learned this quarter in honors 100 was about studying abroad. I hadn’t given it much
thought until we were asked to plan out our next four years in one of our assignments. After
building my schedules, I realized I could still learn and earn credits over the summer in another
country, and it didn’t have to be for months at a time! I would really like to learn more about the
specific STEM classes that interest me in my field, and in which study abroad trips these
opportunities are.

Something I did not expect at UW was how liberal and open it is in its education and the
extent of the topics some classes cover. Currently I am enrolled in Diversity of Human Sexuality,
which is quite honestly the most interesting, yet zero-filter class I have ever witnessed— and I
love it. Although I won’t dive into them myself, this class covers sexual topics, theories, and
workings I’ve always been taught to avoid and never ask about. Now, this is coming from
someone who lives in one of the most liberal towns in the country, yet it still fascinates me how
free and how honest classes and professors can be, and how encouraged it is to ask questions that
might seem like it’s too much or too personal. I also didn’t expect how many different resources
there were, and how tailored they are to each student and their major. Not too long ago I learned
about the Undergraduate Research Program (URP), as well as the Academic Support Program
that offers success coaching. I contacted one of URP’s undergraduate research leaders (URL) to
have them speak at one of my club’s meetings, since many pre-health students have interests in
research, and need it for a strong medical school application. This program is a great tool to find
research in different fields, and I would like to learn more about it because I’d like to research
the area of developmental psychology in the future. As for the Academic Support Program, I
attended a seminar in which I learned about their mission and how helpful the coaches can be.
This tool really helped me pinpoint areas of improvement in my studying habits and time
management skills, as well as reducing stress I have as a first year student. I definitely want to
learn more about this program and stay updated, because they hold different zoom meetings
covering topics like mental health, dealing with remote learning, and study habits. Adjusting to
the new expectations and work in college has been hard, but I have learned a lot about myself,
and am eager to learn more in the honors program.

777 words

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