Wrapping Up the Semester (Learning Experiences Part 4)

As this semester comes to an end and finals quickly approach, I cannot believe how fast this semester has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my first blog post for this class, when in fact it was around three months ago. It has been a whirlwind, but this semester has changed me and I have grown tremendously as a person. Even though at times it has been difficult, I would not take any of it back.

Starting with this class, I have enjoyed learning about humor. Humor was never something I thought about in depth before Lit and Civ II. However, it has been interesting learning about everything humor has to offer. By far my favorite part of this class were the “Humor Around the World” presentations. I especially expanding my worldview and learning humor in other countries. Also, it was fun researching about my group’s country, the Czech Republic, because the Czechs have such a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. It was easy finding information for our presentation, and Grace, Hailey, and I were excited to talk to the class about the Czech Republic because the humor there is hilarious.

Another one of my favorite parts of this class has been the opportunity to have a conversation partner.  I always look forward to my talks with Omar. Omar has impacted my life in so many ways and I am truly blessed to have met him this semester. He is a brave, driven, and intelligent individual and he has transformed how I view the world. Before I met Omar, I thought I was open-minded and had a decent grasp on other cultures. However, after my talks with Omar, I now know that I had so much to learn. There were several topics that I had no knowledge about.  Omar helped widen my knowledge, but also made me thirsty for more. He was a large reason why I applied to study abroad this summer. Moreover, ever since meeting Omar, I have admired him for his bravery to leave his whole life in Mexico and start over in the United States. He is unbelievably driven to advance his career, and he knew that learning English would do this. I could not imagine doing the same, but I hope that I will be able to pick up some of Omar’s courage and translate it into my life.

In my other classes this semester, I have learned a lot about time management and study skills. My classes got significantly more difficult, which required me to put in a lot more studying for each class. Compared to last year, I was not accustomed to this. This was an adjustment for me and I had some late nights, but I now understand the amount of work I need to put in for tests and assignments in order to get the most out of it without losing too much sleep. It has been difficult, but the semester has been important in teaching me about how to make the most meaningful use of my time.

Moreover, a large part of my schoolwork semester has been group projects. I have had a lot of group work in Lit and Civ II, as well as one large group project in one of my business classes, Business Information Systems. Before this semester, I had never enjoyed group projects, mostly because the group dynamic was poor and I would get stuck with the brunt of the work. However, this semester has been much different. Every single group I have been in, each person has carried their share of the project and finished it in a timely manner. This was much less stressful than group projects I have had in the past. In my Business Information Systems class, my group worked amazing together. Although it was a journey from beginning to end, we created a solid business report that was turned in the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Thanks to this project, I learned effective communication skills, the importance of dividing up work, and how to interact with different types of personalities. These are vital lessons that could not have been taught through a lecture or individual assignment, so I am glad that TCU provides these opportunities for academic growth. However, my favorite part of this group project was how the members of my group became my friends through the process. We had group meetings at least twice a week, long group texts, and several late nights together. We bonded through our mutual stress and our drive to get an “A” on the project. Nothing was going to stop us from receiving an amazing grade on that report, and each of us knew that it was going to require constant communication and a lot of work. When we turned that report, it was one of the most rewarding feelings of my life. This semester changed me from being someone who favors individual work to a person who would rather collaborate and work in groups. I truly believe that working in groups provides endless learning opportunities that an individual would never receive on their own.

This semester has been a wild ride from beginning to end, but it has been a great experience with endless learning opportunities. From my time in Lit and Civ II to all my other classes, I have learned a lot about myself and my academics. I have grown and matured as an individual and I am definitely a different person than the woman who walked on campus in August. It is sad to see this semester coming to an end, but I am looking forward to see what 2016 has to offer.