Category: academics (page 1 of 8)

TBT: “Reflection Time” by Avery Beer

Today’s Tuesday post falls on the last day of class this semester. For many of us, this is the time of saying goodbye to professors and classmates and reflecting on the semester as a whole before we begin final exams. Please enjoy this Throwback post from Avery Beer about reflecting on our growth as students and people during our time at the University of Delaware.

In the midst of studying for finals and wrapping up the school year, it is natural that we ponder all that we have done and all that we have learned in the last few months: about ourselves, about the world around us, and everything in between. College is for just that: self-exploration, soul-searching, seeking out passions and taking full advantage of each opportunity that crosses our paths.

I came into college thinking I knew just about everything that I needed to know. Looking back, I was so naïve, so vulnerable, yet so eager that independence was now something I could own and do whatever I wanted with it. College is a weird thing because while we are so sheltered and so enclosed in our campus environment, we can truly do whatever we wish. I am so grateful that I proved to myself that there is so much to learn not only from a textbook, but through relationships and experiences that have entered my life. I realize now that college really is not just about what grade you earn on a paper or an exam. It’s about so much more. Of course your GPA matters, but I have to keep telling myself that as long as I am learning and as long as I am applying myself and coming out on the other side with something new, then I am fully taking advantage of what I have in front of me.

Sophomore year has been the year of taking things for what they are, for accepting what I cannot change, for embracing myself and all that I am, for exploration, for proving things to myself that I did not know to be possible, for realizing how much can change in a year, and for being so grateful for where I am at whatever moment, wherever that is.  

I truly feel like I know who I am this year. I have planted myself and have grown into my own being: I have solidified everything I know to be true about myself. I have matured—in my passions, in my relationships, and in my view of everything around me. Of course, there is always learning to be done, but that is what the rest of life is for.

I think it is important to realize that as we get older and life gets scarier, we cannot neglect all the good that comes out of it also. It is so easy to fall into the traps of absorbing the negativity of maturation, but there is so much to be said for all the good that comes out of it too. We should all strive to embrace the intricacy of everything, to take notice of each little thing around us, and acknowledge that all that we know is a work of art. There is so much negativity to scare us, but there is so much beauty if you let it get to you. If we didn’t have tragedies, if we didn’t have hardship, we would not be able to value the love and generosity that goes on each day. I had my moments of struggle freshman year of highschool, but I did not let it consume me to the point where I could not see past the clouds that were blocking the sunshine.

I am eternally grateful that I have found my home here in Delaware. I have found my home in the Honors Program, at the Writing Center, in Alpha Xi Delta. I have found my favorite study spots, my favorite sandwich from Perkins, my passions, and myself. And what is the beauty of it all? That there is so much more to discover.
Happy summer, Blue Hens!

TBT: “A Little Love for the Library” by Erin Jackson

As we get closer to Finals week here at UD, please enjoy this Throwback Thursday post about Morris Library written by Erin Jackson in 2018. Through humorous anecdotes, Erin describes the sense of community and some of the many resources Morris has to offer.

Though we have all been to the Hugh Morris Library at some point by now, the building holds a different meaning for all of its attendees. For some people it is the only place they can get work done; for others it’s the ultimate destination for group projects. Some people go there as a social event, and still others use it as a way to escape the noise of an active college community. For a while, I had no idea where I fit in among these classifications of library-goers. It started out as a necessary destination whenever I needed to print something before I invested in a printer of my own. Then, after my first semester of freshman year when my laptop somehow got blacklisted from the UD internet for reasons unknown to this day, I again was forced to the library to either rent a laptop or spend time there on their desktops, knowing that someday I’d again have a functional laptop and could have more control over my study location.

It was not for a while that I began attending the library out of choice instead of necessity. I would occasionally go to the reading room between classes, or wander around the third floor until I found a rare empty seat, afraid to cough or breathe too loudly and disrupt the population already there. Even then, I felt a little lost, not having a spot of my own, a routine location I could count on. I still didn’t fit into any of my pre-determined library stereotypes, but I kept trying.

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“The Honors Capstone” by Felicia Seybold

I remember the experience of checking my degree audit during my first year here at the University of Delaware. At the time, nothing was fulfilled and there were a million and one classes that I had to take (or so it seemed). The requirement that I felt the most far away from completing was my Honors capstone course, which must be completed within the last two semesters of your degree. Well, I am now in my last semester, taking my Honors capstone. I am an Applied Molecular Biology and Biotechnology major (a mouthful, I know; I just say biotech), and we have a unique capstone course. We are placed at laboratory internships to apply and practice the skills we have learned in class. This semester I was placed at MIDI Labs (now part of Biolog), a local microbial identification lab in Newark, Delaware.

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TBT: “Minding your Mind” by Sarah Blum

For this Throwback Tuesday, let’s revisit some sage advice from Sarah Blum about meditation and mindfulness, written in 2019.

I cannot remember a time when starting a new year of school or a new semester did not stress me out. There is actually a picture of me on my first day of kindergarten SOBBING because I was so scared to go to class. I would love to go back and tell that kindergarten me that she had it good, but I digress. School has always been synonymous with stress for me. I was determined to challenge that idea before spring semester started, and now that we’re a few weeks in, I have to say – things feel different. I don’t look at my calendar and see a bunch of daunting due dates staring back at me or toss and turn all night thinking about how much work I have to do the next day. I wish I could tell you that I flipped a switch and suddenly I wasn’t stressed, but unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that. There were no switches or magic spells, and I don’t think there will ever be a time when I can say I’m not stressed at all. But, I have learned that stress can be managed by being a little more mindful.

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“Learning to Set Realistic Goals” by Yamini Vyas

Whether we realize it or not, goal-setting is something that we continuously engage in on a daily basis. But it is also something that tends to overwhelm us. Why? Because we often end up setting goals for ourselves that are unrealistic. And those unrealistic goals lead to us not being able to reach them. And not being able to reach them leads us to feeling guilty. And feeling guilty leads to decreasing motivation. And eventually, we just give up, letting this cycle go on and on. As we go about the semester with our Honors course loads and activities, creating practical goals, and actually following through with them, becomes absolutely essential for the efficient management of all of our time-consuming commitments. Personally, I have found that there are three things in particular that help with making sure that goals stay grounded, and thus, more reachable. 

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