I'm writing this reflection in my one-week summer break before summer quarter, amid a global pandemic and nationwide protests against racism.

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Yes, you read that right.

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Earlier in the year, I remember how we were all looking forward to spring quarter, a time where we could wear shorts, study under blooming cherry blossoms, and finish off the year with our friends. But moving back home and staying in your room all day is a big reality check. Just days before the quarter started, I rearranged my whole schedule to replace AMATH 301 with ENGL 199. I realized how unrealistic pursuing a minor was, considering I haven't even applied for my major yet, and decided that I wanted to focus on bio, which was crucial for getting into my major. Looking back on it now, it was probably the best decision I had made all year.

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An article a week

In spite of having a better schedule, things were unbearably slow at first. It was so hard to maintain a routine where I wasn't sitting staring at my computer all day. At that point, the only constant in my life was writing for The Daily. I made it a goal to write at least one article per week for the entire quarter, a daring feat considering I only had 5 articles under my belt from fall and winter quarter.

 

If there was an article about COVID-19 or UW Medicine, it probably had my name on it. By writing for The Daily every week, I had the opportunity to interview some incredible people involved in the UW community, a handful of which are listed below. 

• Paul Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the School of Medicine

• Ana Mari Cauce, president of UW

• Patty Hayes, director of Public Health – Seattle & King County

• Bethany Bracken, principal scientist at Charles River Analytics

• Malveeka Sharma, neurologist at Harborview Medical Center

• Ajit Limaye, director of UW Medicine's Solid Organ Transplant Infectious Disease Program

• Shari Ireton, assistant dean of Marketing & Communication for UW School of Nursing

• Derrick Van Kirk, program manager of UW HFS Makerspaces

• Brenna Stroup, executive director of the UW Housestaff Association

• Liz Buck, fourth year medical student at UW School of Medicine

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My writing was also recognized by people outside of UW, which I wasn't expecting. 

• Charles River Analytics, one of the top developers of intelligent system solutions in Boston, linked my article about their work in a UW study of the HIPPOCRATIC App – alongside King 5 News and Geekwire – in their official press release

• LifeCenter Northwest, one of the 58 non-profit organ procurement organizations in the U.S., saw my article on how UW Medicine is continuing transplant surgeries amid COVID-19 and reached out to me for a media collaboration

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With all of my articles being in the news section, I developed a strong bond with our news editor Jake and my writing improved tremendously over the course of the quarter. Before, I had stuck to the typical lead-quote-transition style of high school journalism, but now I know the importance of being concise and only including quotes that truly add to the story. I also realized that there was still a positive side to being in quarantine; there is no way I could have written 13 articles in 10 weeks if we were on campus, nor would the people I interviewed have time to speak with me if they weren't in quarantine.

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The final quarter of the first year: what I learned

I like to think that online spring quarter taught me more than an in-person spring quarter could have. I've made so many new friends this year and I talked to a lot of them during quarantine, but I've realized the ones that I have made an effort to talk to every single day are the relationships I value the most. With the world centered around COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement right now, I'm also grateful for my health and my life.

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Studying for online classes was much harder than I thought it would be, not just because of the environment, but because the professors don't make the exams any easier. For most of my life as a student, I've relied on the textbook for learning the material. I've switched on and off over the years between taking notes in a notebook and on a computer. This quarter, I tried handwriting notes on my iPad. Now, I realize that I never actually review my notes after taking them, and this is the case for most of the classes where I take notes from the textbook. The funny thing is, not going over them doesn't impact my exam performance in any way.

 

As I look back on this, I think it means I'm not as much of a textbook learner as I thought it was, and my hours spent taking notes would be better spent elsewhere. In spite of the fact that this isn't going to be an easy fix, as textbooks are often a staple in most classrooms, I know it will make a difference in the long run when I take more difficult science classes.

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As important as school is, I made a lot time for myself, too. I worked out every day, something I had always given up on halfway through the quarter. I started journaling and reading again, both of which I had also stopped doing because I often felt like I didn't have time for those things. I'm on my seventh consecutive run of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which has never failed to make me laugh every day. Rather than looking at my phone right when I wake up, I stretch, change out of my PJ's, and drink tea.

 

This lifestyle of putting myself first and making time for the little things is refreshing. It's taught me the significance of habits and how much our success and energy is based off of our daily routines. Bad habits are hard to break and good habits are hard to keep, but it's definitely something I will continue to work on throughout college.

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Goals for sophomore year

1. Take more Honors classes. I've thought about whether I regret not taking many Honors classes this year (aside from HONORS 100 and HONORS 230), but I didn't really have a choice. I was a sophomore in credits for most of the year, so many of the Honors classes were either already full or couldn't fit into my schedule. This goal shouldn't be difficult to achieve though, considering I'm registered to take one in the fall and I already know which ones I want to take in the following quarters.

2. Bring less stuff. I never realized how much stuff I brought to the dorms until I had to pack everything up at the end of winter quarter. I couldn't believe I thought actually needed this much stuff when I moved in. I'm planning to live in an on-campus apartment next year so that will give me the chance to bring simply what I need, not only in case we have to move out again, but because a minimalist lifestyle is appealing to me. I also switched to a paperless system this quarter, where every file or note is in my iPad or laptop instead of a folder or notebook, so my backpack will be much lighter next year.

3. Change the way I study. My experience with Anki this quarter completely changed the way I see studying. As I implied in the previous section, I've kept my current study methods because they've never really gotten in the way of my performance. Regardless, I need to make an effort to change that. By using Anki and trying different note-taking methods, I hope to do active learning, retain information better, and see an improvement in my grades.