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Who said “It’s too late”

Hello my fellow anteater, I’m sure you all know that our time to bear the title of college greenhorns is about to come to an end. Although there might be those of you out there who are probably screaming with joy “YAYY I’M ONE STEP CLOSER TO GETTING OUT OF HERE,” there are those of you out there who are probably scared for your life. You’re probably tossing and turning now that you’ve tasted a bit of what the college life is about and wondering if this sort of life is for you. “WELL LIFE DOSEN’T CHOOSE YOU, YOU CHOOSE IT”; although this sounded a lot cooler in my head and I’m writing it down, my point still stands. Choose a life worth living basically.

This also applies to if you’ve already started something; it’s never too late to turn back and start a new if you need to. Don’t think about it too much and just do it and that is why starting spring I’m going to turn over a new leaf, stop procrastinating, and do my homework (I’m literally kidding maybe). My point is set goals for yourself. Although preventing procrastination is up there, I plan to add new ones like swimming. Most of you might not know, but I also don’t know how to swim or drive.

Now that I’m going to be starting over a new quarter, there are a lot of things that I wish I did differently. However, the past is the past and there’s nothing you can do to change it. So instead of crying over one decision across multiple I have to make, I plan to set small goals that I can accomplish to cover up for my past mistakes. That in itself is also a type of goal that I plan to achieve.

Alright folks I think that’s enough from me, I leave you to live your lives

You’re favorite anteater signing out…..

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Time for a New Journey – Spring!

Happy Spring Quarter everybody! The spring quarter begins much quicker than I thought! After a fulfilling winter term, I feel like a week off is not sufficient for me to fully recovered. . . But since I am quite looking forward to the course and life of the spring quarter, I am very happy to open my new quarter.

In addition to the normal courses, there are three programs that I am interested in. The first is Discussion Leader training. As I mentioned in the previous blog, I am joyful to become a discussion leader for the next undergraduate student, and I will study hard for this position very seriously. Another program is SPOP staff training. It is glad for me to have such a chance to volunteer during the summer vacation to enrich my life. The last one is the English Conversation Program, which is an English language exercise organized by the international center. I highly recommend everyone to take part in this activity, because it can be good practice for your speaking. I believe that international students feel the same way. Some cultural terms or colloquialism are difficult to learn through books and ordinary language courses. However, at ECP, we can solve such dilemmas by communicating with native speakers on all kinds of topics such as food. Native English speakers are also very welcome to participate in this program, as you can get in touch with a variety of cultures from different countries. Spending an hour a week to get 1.3 P/NP units is well worth it in my opinion. This series of programs enriches my life in addition to my daily study and allows me to exercise in areas other than course studies, such as daily organizing, language usage, and even public speaking ability.

The end of this Spring Quarter means the end of my freshman year. It will also be the last quarter for many of you, which is the end of your university life. Therefore, finally, I wish everyone a cheerful new quarter! Enjoy this spring!

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In-person vs. Online Learning

With the majority of classes transitioning from online to in-person during Spring quarter, I believe that it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the two learning settings. My class schedule during the past couple of quarters has primarily consisted of online or asynchronous learning. This may or may not be an unpopular opinion, but I enjoy online/asynchronous classes because they often rely on self-paced learning. I prefer being able to control the speed at which I learn and complete assignments in asynchronous classes, although I understand that many students do not hold the same viewpoint. I acknowledge that social interaction is highly limited in online/asynchronous settings, which can be considered one of the main drawbacks of these types of classes. After all, fostering connections with peers and building social networks is a core aspect of the college experience.

Because of this, I look forward to continuing to attend in-person classes over the course of the new quarter. It is far easier to create meaningful connections with other people when you are face-to-face rather than speaking to a computer screen during an online class. Furthermore, many students may be able to pay attention for longer periods of time when in person, as distractions can be more tempting when working online or asynchronously. However, in-person classes may be more inconvenient for students with long commutes. Furthermore, students may prefer to complete work in their own environment rather than the classroom. I am included in this population; I find that I am more comfortable and productive in my own quiet, private space than a public one.

So, weigh the pros and cons for a moment and consider your own opinion: do you prefer in-person or online classes? Why might that be? What additional advantages and disadvantages can you think of for either in-person or online classes?

Your friendly neighborhood Undeclared major,

Sabrina