Coming into winter quarter, I had a lot of expectations about what these few months would look like. As I write this reflection quarantined at home after my online chem final, I'm realizing just how many things this quarter didn't go according to plan. This slightly irks me because I'm such a stickler for planning, but I've learned that college isn't always going to go the way I want it to. I need to be able to adapt and accept change, which is exactly what I did this quarter.

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A lot of kids from my high school came to UW with me so I spent a lot of time with the same friends last quarter. I made a much bigger effort to branch out this quarter, particularly in Terry. I studied in the lounge instead of my room, I got to know everyone's name, and we all supported each other. By the end of the quarter, Terry 3 (as we fondly referred our floor) had become one big family and I'm so grateful because many other residence halls didn't have an experience as connected as ours was. I also formed study groups in each of my classes and that helped make studying a lot more fun.

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In high school, I wasn't really one to reach out for help; I liked figuring things out on my own and most of the time, that worked well for me. This quarter, I tried to let go of that mindset and took full advantage of many on-campus resources. On most days of the week, I spent my 1-hour break before my chem class at the Chemistry Study Center, where I would work on ALEKS, read the textbook, and ask questions to the TAs. I did this occasionally last quarter but going there more frequently and getting the help I needed added up in the long run. For one of my English projects, I met with a librarian at the Odegaard Writing and Research Center, which was something I had been wanting to check out, and by the end of our appointment, I had a complete list of scholarly sources to use. I also went to office hours at least once in all of my classes, even for math which I never did last quarter, and I'm planning to do this for all of my future classes.

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I also had many opportunities throughout the quarter. For one of my articles for The Daily, I interviewed a UW Medicine physician living with stage 4 lung cancer. I read his book before the interview and he was so impressed with the questions I had for him that he asked me to edit his memoir that he was currently working on. It was such an honor to meet him and share his inspiring story with the UW community. He even shared my article on his Facebook page, where he has over 3000 followers. I continued volunteering at the UW Medical Center, but I started a new position in the Cardiovascular ICU, where I had to learn how to identify over 100 different types of medical supplies and where each one goes, which wasn't an easy task but it taught me to pay attention to details and think quickly on my feet.

 

I also considered a minor in Neural Computation and Engineering, but the idea of juggling that, Neuroscience, Honors, and pre-med requirements seemed daunting. I met with the NCE adviser who encouraged me by saying that it was doable as long as I stayed committed to it. I finalized my decision to do the minor and I'll be taking AMATH 301 for it next quarter, which I'm excited about. I even applied for a position in a research lab and that was the first time I ever made a resume and cover letter for a job application. I felt grateful that I got accepted into the first lab position I applied for and I went through several steps in order to get added to the protocol, including taking online exams and an in-person course with rats where I got to do a SQ injection on a Sprague Dawley rat.

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The COVID-19 pandemic had the biggest impact on everyone's quarter and the fact that I moved out of my dorm and am living back at home doesn't feel real. I can't help but feel that I was robbed of a complete college experience. But that doesn't make me any less grateful for the things I did and the people I met. Spring quarter will be challenge because I've never taken online classes before but I'm looking forward to challenging myself in new ways and staying connected with all the friends I made.