Growing up in a small town where you have known everyone since kindergarten poses its challenges. I hated that so much that instead of going to Rutgers which was 40 minutes away, I chose Delaware which was 2 hours away. That being said, I expected my first semester to be a big learning experience. Newsflash, it was fun but I didn’t really get many life lessons out of it rather than general college dos and don’ts. This semester was different for a variety of reasons, but despite all of the negatives caving in I learned the most about myself and those around me.
This semester was supposed to be the one where I got to enjoy myself but hold myself accountable for studying for all my classes. It was supposed to be hanging out with friends and always having someone to go to CR with, or dragging my roommate up to main just to spend time away from our bubble. I had high expectations of work and fun imbedded into this semester and honestly it couldn’t have gone more awry. But, that’s okay because shit happens, life happens, and all we can do is adapt and move on.
The biggest thing I learned about myself this semester, other than the fact that I actually love writing, is that I am such an introverted people person. It’s easy to ignore that fact about me when I’m in my dorm with my friends all down the hall from me, but it became most prevalent during the pandemic. Although I’ve been losing my mind with what’s going on, this whole thing solidified the fact that I want to help people in any way I can. It solidified the fact that I want to be a lawyer and go off to law school and help people. I wish I could say that I wanted to be a doctor and was good at any kind of science, but I’m not.
College has always been about the learning experiences as well as becoming who you want to be or discovering where you want to go. Although this has been one hell of a weird semester, it’s been the most impactful thus far. Online school is definitely not for me but seeing all the dedication from professors and students has been very inspiring. And, if I’m going to be stressed about something I’d rather it be deadlines than the virus because procrastination serves as a pretty good distraction.
English 110 Spring 2020 10:10-11:00 
Kat, I loved reading this! I love how you explained how you held yourself accountable for your grades. I know many people blame their grades on their teachers, but I admire that you do not. I enjoyed how you mentioned that you chose your major this semester. I just did that too, and it feels great! I appreciate that you took this crappy time and turned it positive for yourself. I hope you and your family are healthy and doing well!
Molly Corrigan
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Kat, this was a really good piece. I love how you showed you are able to adapt and change and make the best out of it. I had high expectations for this semester as well, however, I agree with you when you talked about how quarantine has allowed you to figure out who you are. It’s a lot of time to think, and I now know there is nothing more I want to do than be a doctor and help people as well. I’ll leave being a lawyer to you because I’m terrible at arguing a point lol. You are right, this is just one lesson out of many in our lives. You just gotta roll with it, make the best out of it, and move on. Great writing!
I hope you have a great summer!
-Max
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I admire the way you approached this. As Molly said, you didn’t use the pandemic as a scapegoat for anything, you just took it in stride. Your ability to adapt to change and accept your responsibilities will take you far in life as a lawyer, congratulations by the way! And side note, being a lawyer is a very respectable career choice and something you should be proud of, you don’t need to be a doctor! I’m happy that you were able to see the light in this dark time as you were able to use this as an opportunity to learn more about yourself. Keep up the positive attitude, and great work!
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