Fall Quarter 2019
My first ever college quarter
Courses
Total Number of Credits: 18
About My Schedule
Several factors influenced my class choices this quarter. I intend to be a Biology major. The introductory Biology sequence is rumored to be difficult, and I took a gap year after high school, so I wanted to brush up on my biology foundation before I began the sequence. At the recommendation of a Biology advisor, I took BIOL 106, which has helped me feel much more confident about my prospects in BIOL 180, which I am taking next quarter.
Also, I wanted to get started on my Honors program requirements, so from their list of courses for the quarter, I chose HONORS 393. Learning about the rhetoric of science has helped me thinking more critically about science discourse and has provided me with valuable skills for the future, when hopefully I will be a scientist communicating with other scientists and the public.
I am hoping to earn a Jewish studies minor. To not overload on STEM courses this quarter (though HONORS 393 was more humanities that sciences), I wanted to choose a humanities elective. I found HSTAFM 459: History of Jewish-Muslim relations. It applied towards my minor and I found the subject personally interesting, so I decided to take it. It was expansive and challenged my basic assumptions on the long and complex history of Jews and Muslims, and helped me think more critically about primary sources and consider the complex impact of historical dynamics on individuals and groups.
I have been playing viola for almost 13 years, and knew that I wanted to continue this passion in college. Any student enrolled in private lessons with faculty must also be in a UW ensemble. I have both solo and orchestral experience, and it was incredibly rewarding to resume both after a year off during my gap year.
All these classes added up to 18 credits, a full load. While it is recommended students don't overload themselves their first quarter, I found my workload manageable, in part because 4 of those credits were music credits. Because I want to take lessons and participate in orchestra, I will likely have high credit loads all throughout my college career—which is something I am perfectly happy with.
Finally, the crown jewel in my schedule, I had no finals. I had a paper due for HONORS 393, a quiz for BIOL 106, and a final assignment for HSTAFM 459, but no exams, meaning that I could go home a week early. Truly the perfect ending to a wonderful and enriching start to my college career.
Artifacts
Rhetorical Criticism of Gattaca
HONORS 393 examines how to be a more effective scientist and rhetor, as well as practicing the discipline of rhetorical analysis. I wrote a paper on Gattaca analyzing how the movie unintentionally undermined its own superficial message. The assignment recieved a 4/4 and I thoroughly enjoyed crafting the paper. I worked closely with the professor to develop the analysis, she provided me many helpful insights, and I felt I was creating something unique that filled a gap in scientific literature. I credit this success to using the resources available to me—many visits to office hours!
Autumn Quarter Reflection
Near the end of HONORS 100, we were asked to write a reflection on our first quarter based on a few prompts. I chose to write about the challenges I'd faced so far, and how they were different than what I'd expected them to be. I was worried about academic challenges being too great (especially after my gap year) and about being socially isolated in such a huge university. Thankfully, none of those challenges manifested in my first quarter. I did well in my classes without too much stress, and found a solid community of friends. Where the difficulties struck, then, was in the simple arena of adulting—proper nutrition, cultivating resilience, and learning to live on my own. Thankfully, I've made it through my first quarter, and for winter quarter I'm ready to utilize the resources available to me and start tackling these challenges!