This past week brought with it a lot of changes, both in our English class as well as life as a student here at UNC.
We ended our Social Health Sciences unit which was our second unit of the year and moved onto our third and final unit covering Health Humanities. In class Tuesday, we learned about writing in humanities in general and then narrowed our focus to cover writing in health humanities. This transition is from more factual-based writing towards more narrative-based writing. I tend to prefer factual-based writing more because it is less about my skill as a writer and more about simply getting the information across. With that being said I am still excited for this unit because I’m looking forward to the interview and health narrative. Another plus is there are no additional projects or presentations due along with our final paper which is unlike our previous units.
Along with this change in units came the change in our working groups in class. This change in groups brought me the sad reality that I did not know most of the people in our class names. Staying in one group for the majority of the semester allowed me to become comfortable with my spot in class and the people in my previous group but it limited my motivation to learn everyone’s names and get acquainted with more people in the class. I noticed this problem not only in English but in many of my other classes. I just go to class, sit in the same spot and maybe talk to one or two people near me. I recognize most of the people in my classes but I don’t even know their names. This is something I can change and want to change over the last couple of weeks of the semester. My goal is not to become best friends with everyone in my classes but at least learn their names.
A broader change that has taken place over the last week is the shift in focus of my courses. As midterms come to an end we are really hunkering down as we can see the end in sight. These final projects and paper deadlines that used to seem like a far way away are now just a few weeks out. It is now time to start these final projects and even begin reviewing previous material for the final exam. Registering for classes this week was another indication that this fall semester is coming to an end. I am pretty sure the registration process is stressful for all parties involved. My advice for registration is to not stress too much about it at the start because if you work hard enough you will be able to find a schedule you can manage. During open enrollment and the first week of classes, people will drop and classes will open up so if you stay on top of it you will have a chance of getting the classes you want.
Another change that is approaching quickly is the change in sports seasons. Many of the fall sports are ending or moving to post-season play and some of the winter sports are beginning to start. Before we totally lost sight of football season it was nice to get a win against Wake Forrest a 9th ranked team in the nation. It was the most exciting game of the season and after the win, we rushed the field which was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, however, I will not be able to yell at the basketball games coming up this week because I lost my voice yelling during that Wake game.
Another change that took place over last week was the bitterly cold weather. It would seem like we have skipped right past fall and have entered winter except for the fact that it is only cold for about the first few hours of the morning. When we are going to class at 8 a.m. I feel like I am walking through the north pole then just a few hours later the sun is beaming down as if I was in the desert. This change in weather is the one change that I see no positive outcomes because I hate the cold and to see that winter is coming soon makes me sad.
I am not a big fan of change and I doubt I am the only one who feels this way. Once we get comfortable in a certain situation it is hard to break out of our comfort zone and switch things up. Although change is difficult it is necessary. It allows us to grow as people and better adapts us for future challenges. Or in the simplest form change can help us meet new people or allow us to drink more hot chocolate as we freeze in the mornings.
Featured Image Source
Leake, Lindsey. “UNC-Chapel Hill. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)” Digital photograph. KPIC, 2015, https://kpic.com/resources/media/c16fa250-f008-4576-9d75-a4b3dc29c280-medium16x9_UNCChapelHill_Facebook.jpg?1449066341261