I took Biology 101 in the fall of 2016.
I was fortunate that a lot of the course material was a review from my high school biology class. Unfortunately, this means I took less away from this class than my other general education courses.
However, I think taking a general education course I was already familiar with helped me transition from high school to college. While the course material was of a high school level, I was thrown into a new college social environment. I was intimidated by the large class size and all the unfamiliar faces. Most of the year was awful; I convinced myself my peers would judge the way I sat, the way I took notes, the way I…the list goes on. There was a point, and I don’t know when, that I stopped caring. “You don’t judge your peers, so why do you think they will judge you? Be confident!” I told myself. Plausibly, there will always be someone who judges another, but why worry about the opinions of others you don’t know?
I have struggled with self-confidence throughout my life, but from experiences like this course in college, there have already been tremendous changes in the way I perceive myself and others.
I do not have any notes or projects remaining from this class to use as an artifact. However, I was very proud of myself keeping a notebook for the class despite my comfort level with the material; I continued to be motivated.