Although it’s not my first year at Geneseo, it is my first fall semester here. I transferred in Spring 2022, took a semester off in the fall and came back for Spring 2023. Getting back into the swing of things after a break is always difficult, but coming back after the long summer break was definitely a challenge. I felt like I started to get my routine down, balancing school work and having a social life, but midterms this semester definitely came as a shock. I know it’s not just me; the union and library are more packed than usual and everywhere I look, someone is sitting in front of their laptop, looking stressed and worn out, with one or two large Starbucks coffee cups planted right next to them. It’s endless amounts of homework, papers and tests. Finishing the homework that is due for the week just means it’s time to study for the test you have the next day. I know it’s only a week or two, so I just have to push through it and wait until the storm has passed.
Despite all the papers and midterms, I am enjoying all of my classes. I have finished most of my required courses for the school and mostly taking classes that relate to my major, psychology. I’ve always been interested in psychology, studying how and why people think and act the way they do, so being able to take courses that focus on different aspects of psychology has kept me interested. I’m currently taking cognitive and biological psychology class and although it can be tricky at times with all of the information we have to absorb, it’s fascinating. It even inspired me to look into certain career paths that I hadn’t considered before, like social work or art therapy. However, this semester has taught me I am not good at statistics. Math has never been my strong suit. I will never forget failing my fourth-grade math class and how devastated I felt. I would study for hours every week, terrified of failing again. College is no different. I have a good professor for statistics. I even managed to understand what we’re learning in class, but as soon as I have a test or quiz in front of me, everything I thought I knew goes out the window.
INTD 105-01 has been one of the classes this semester, I have enjoyed taking because everything we discuss and read in class is really interesting. I expected to be assigned to read a bunch of books and write papers and essays on topics they discussed. I was wrong. The journals we are assigned help pick out all the key points of the readings and analyze them, not just one or a few parts of the book. The group discussions we have are productive and entertaining. The books we have read so far keep me engaged. Reading _The Theater of War_ has reminded me of some of the classes I took in the past that I really enjoyed and I could even relate to parts. In chapter one, Bryan Doerries, the author, talked about his father’s struggle with diabetes and how, as his son, it made him feel seeing his father not do everything he could to keep himself healthy. My father also has diabetes and I related to certain parts. Fortunately, my dad does his best to make sure he is doing everything he can to keep it under control, but, of course, I still worry.
By the end of this semester, I hope to make good memories and receive good grades in all my classes, even statistics, where I struggle the most. Since I’m living with 21 other girls, whom I all consider good friends, the making good memories part shouldn’t be too hard. On the other hand, ending the semester with good grades will definitely be more challenging. The endless amounts of homework and tests make it really hard to stay motivated and not burn out. Fortunately, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, only three and a half weeks until Thanksgiving break then, eventually, the end of the semester will come around and it’s time for the long winter break.
