After a long and exhausting week, we’ve finished our FWOC (First Week of Class). This is a special occasion for many of us, as it is the first week of our first semester at the University of North Carolina. I am a freshman out-of-state student, so this week has forced me to burst out of my comfort zone and dive into the unknown atmosphere of college.
Now that much of the COVID restrictions have faded (or lessened), we enjoyed a Week of Welcome unlike those of the two years past. On Sunday, new students embarked on the first step of their Carolina journey – New Student Convocation – and then joined the rest of the student body for Fall Fest. We found interesting clubs and businesses, taking free food or giveaways. Before we knew it, it was midnight on FDOC. At around 1:30 AM, I took my sip from the Old Well, but for those who sipped later in the day, they might’ve had a surprise from NC State (and I’ll leave it at that).
The first English class came after one day of eager anticipation. We went over course expectations and the (very long) syllabus. To briefly summarize it, this course aims to teach us several disciplines of writing, but moreover, how to succeed with college papers, no matter the class. More importantly, however, we met the members of our groups for this semester: the people of our table who will become our friends, editors, and lifelines for the next few months (and hopefully beyond that).
For the second English class, we read selections from the Tar Heel Writing Guide, “College Writing” from the UNC Writing Center, as well as a piece entitled “Shitty First Drafts.” As a side note, one of the biggest signs that I’m truly a college student is being treated as an adult, as it concerns language. There is less of a filter, so class feels more honest and real than before. But back to the class itself, we learned to identify the rhetorical situation of any assignment. The main idea that I took away from this lesson was that in college writing, one must adopt a certain role depending on the assignment (i.e. if writing a research paper on Ibuprofen, adopt the role of an expert on pharmaceutical medication despite being a student).
Finally, we talked about the process about writing assignments. In order, the steps are (1) generating ideas, (2) planning, (3) drafting, and (4) reviewing. It’s crucial to not be overly concerned about writing perfectly until step four. Just get the “meat and potatoes” on the page (the main points) – then write around the research/information in drafting.
That’s about all from this week. Though I’m new to all of this, I would say my biggest piece of advice is to try to get involved in something. UNC is a massive university, so it’s important to find some group to make it seem smaller. I am a member of the Marching Tar Heels, and that really helped me navigate this first week here and overcome a lot of my stress about college. Finally, I wish all of you good luck and health in this year to come. And always remember that every day is a GDTBATH!!!
Featured Image Source:
Google Images for free and fair reuse
