Freshman Year (2019 Fall Semester):
The first semester of my college year has been unique and best described as controlled chaos. It was a time of discovery and figuring out what to do. The transition was rough initially, but in time friends were made to make this period easier. The community was far kinder than expected, as seen by who I made friends with when I first arrived. That makes this place unique in my mind.
I am a GAND major, which means Graphics and Animation Design. When it comes to classes, it was pretty easy for my major and used as a transition period. So the professors took it easy on the students. However, the professors have told the class that the work will increase considerably next semester. It will be difficult, but I have no doubt I will persevere.
Freshman Year (2020 Spring Semester):
This semester was the start of something interesting for everybody. People’s everyday lives changed due to the spread of Covid-19. This change occurred roughly halfway through the semester and made everyone go into quarantine, where classes became online courses. It was a difficult change but one that was manageable.
My GAND classes’ difficulty increased a lot as just about all of the work was teamwork and with the quarantine change and my shy personality, being a team leader was difficult. However, it was an enlightening experience. My professors thought my work was exceptional and that my effort overall was valiant given the circumstances. As I thought last semester, this semester was difficult. My question now is if it gets easier, or do I get used to the difficulty of my classes?
Freshman Year Question: What did you fail at this year (personally or academically), and what have you learned from it?
I have failed to take care of myself both physically and mentally. Anyone would look at me right now and would say I look sickly. I feel terrible at the moment also. Part of it is the pandemic’s fault, but another part is my lack of care. I didn’t go outside, ate garbage whenever I ate, and my sleep schedule was nonexistent.
Because of this long year, I have learned that I need to take care of myself better. I need to be a little active, I need to eat better, and I need to sleep more consistently. It would also be nice to talk with more people to boost my morale.
Sophomore Year (2020 Fall Semester):
Compared to last semester, academically, this semester wasn’t that bad. It had its busy moments, but all semesters do. I’m considering getting a Business minor to broaden my resume and portfolio. Hopefully, that would give me more options in the long run when it comes to jobs in the future.
Personally speaking, this semester was good. Last semester I was surviving but mentally dying. This semester, however, I was able to get more friends to hang out with and was even able to start dating someone. It looks better at the moment. I don’t feel as isolated as I did before, which is fantastic. Last semester, I had a friend I would hang out with, which was ok, but then we went into quarantine, and my face-to-face interactions died. The future looks brighter now with a slightly larger friend circle and someone I can open up to regarding emotions and issues.
Sophomore Year (2021 Spring Semester):
I have gotten a Business Administration minor, it was tough, and I had to jump through some hoops, but I finally got some and will take some business classes next semester. Along with getting the Business Administration minor, I signed up for Design Lab, which is good. Design Lab is a student-run GAND internship that allows students to work with actual clients. It is a nice sneak peek into my career field potentially. This opportunity looks great on a resume and fulfills a requirement in my GAND major.
This semester academically was simple. I still think about my first year, but the work amount isn’t as bad. It wasn’t terrible that year either. It was just a rough transition. Personally, this semester was even better than the last. I don’t feel drained of life and can rely on my girlfriend to support me. We’ve had a couple of fights, some of which were big, but we’ve always pulled through. There was some drama with her roommate, which ended up blowing up in everyone’s face, but we both survived. We’re happy that the roommate is out of our lives.
Sophomore Year Question: What did you fail at this year (personally or academically), and what have you learned from it?
I failed to recognize that I am the issue of some of my problems. Whether it is because of my hubris or laziness: some of these issues could have been easily solved if I took a step back and said I’m sorry or even took the initiative and started a helpful dialogue.
I have learned to hold healthier conversations with people around me. Looking back, in the past, I was selfish before, as I was mainly concerned with what I could get out of it. I focused on whether I would get some form of entertainment or something valuable like money or time. I realize now that other individuals look for the same things that I do and that I need to give back a little to have good relationships.
Junior Year (2021 Fall Semester):
Design Lab was an experience I needed, and it has shown me how rigorous the design field is and how much work is involved. I’m still not deterred from it and plan on pursuing animation. However, it is a little disheartening how none of my designs for posters, postcards, and other objects were chosen by the clients I met. They’ve been looked at and seriously considered but never selected. I know it’s my first semester as a designer for Design Lab, but I was hoping to see one of my designs around campus at some point. It would be a cool thing to have on my resume and a better story to tell.
Besides the labors in Design Lab, academically, this semester has been moderately easy, and nothing too much to mention other than next semester will hold my last Honors course. I had some business courses this semester that were difficult, especially accounting with its final project. I have survived it and am moving on to face the challenges. The next semester looks challenging, with 18 credit hours, 15 of those credits being GAND studio classes and the other three credits being a 400-level Honors course. I’ll survive it, and it won’t even be as bad as Freshman year. I also have to come up with a senior project next semester, which is nerve-racking, but I’ll come up with something.
Personally, my life is going well. I am doing great mentally, and there have been only minor issues. My relationship with my girlfriend is stronger than ever, and my roommate finally has a stable relationship of his own. I can’t complain too much about my current situation.
Junior Year (2022 Spring Semester):
One of the most rigorous semesters thus far. I still made it onto the Dean’s list, but the work was neverending. This semester might as well have been 18 credits of studio classes as I was making something in all of them. I had Design Lab, so I was making pieces for clients. I was 3D animating for another class. I had to learn Adobe Photoshop in another course, which isn’t that bad but different. I learned how to storyboard for one of the classes. I had to figure out my senior project for another course. Finally, I had to start a business idea. It was demanding to accomplish, but I have also found a passion and something I genuinely want to make and do in my spare time. It is also my senior project which is perfect.
I am making a board game, and not a simple point a to point b board game. It’s like Risk had a child with Cards Against Humanity, but family-friendly. The idea behind this game is that adults don’t have a lot of games that appeal to them, or if they do, they are vulgar. This game also helps shy and introverted individuals start talking because of the in-game prompts provided in the form of cards. It’s a game that can be good for breaking the ice at a party or an event. The individuals who have played it have provided positive feedback and constructive criticisms, which is fantastic.
The other part of this senior project is an animation that mentions how play can benefit everyone in learning social skills. I have done all of my research for my project and need to start storyboarding and animating it.
Since this was one of the most arduous semesters, it was personally rough. I had several nights where I was up till 5 AM working on homework. I even had an all-nighter at one point. It was rough, but it could’ve been worst without my support system. Honestly, without my friends and girlfriend, I probably would’ve gone insane with the amount of work I had to do. I’m glad I have them. Next semester doesn’t look as rough, but I have business classes. Hopefully, not much math is involved, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. I hope to be able to work on my board game and animation during my next semester.
Junior Year Question: What did you fail at this year (personally or academically), and what have you learned from it?
I have failed to give enough time to my senior project so far. I can still make it up, but it might be an uphill climb. I have put a lot on my plate regarding this project, and some of it might fall short if I don’t hurry up and start working on it diligently.
I have learned another lesson in time management. I might have had an internship this summer, but that’s no reason not to work on it after working on my internship stuff. My progress is pretty good, but I can do better. I still have a couple of weeks left before school starts. I can make more progress now if I budget my time better.
Senior Year (2022 Fall Semester):
It is almost the end of my time here at Longwood, and it has been grueling but rewarding. Compared to other semesters, this semester had a lot of work outside the classes I chose to do. I have entered a business competition, so that ate up a lot of my time, but it will be worth it by the time it reaches May next spring. It will help me realize a portion of my goal, which is to start a business after college. Another thing that ate my time is my senior project, and once given the free time, I think I will finish it quickly, but until then, I shall work on it while I can. It does look quite nice at the moment due to the amount of detail I have put into it.
The work that was a part of my classes felt pretty standard, if not easy, if not for my out-of-class work. It felt tedious and unnecessary at times, with the only work that felt good was Design Lab. Not to say I did not learn anything from my other classes, but some of the work was not needed to learn the material offered. This semester felt slow, but I think that is because I was working almost constantly on something. It did not leave a lot of room to breathe. I do not imagine next semester being much better, but I imagine myself enjoying it more because everything is coming to a close.
Senior Year Question: What did you fail at this year (personally or academically), and what have you learned from it?
In my attempt to finish all my work, I believe I forgot to have fun this semester. I worked so hard, and it shows through everything I completed but I burned myself out. It was terrible during the semester, as halfway through it, I fell into a depression of some kind. Up to that point I was, on average, getting about 3 hours of sleep per day. I forgot how to take care of myself. As the semester continued, I adjusted my sleep schedule, but it was not great for a while there. In the end, I still did not give myself enough “fun time,” so to speak.