Opinion
New semester brings new challenges
February 7, 2013
After a month off to relax with friends and family, it’s back to school.
I am ready for another semester of stress, hanging with friends and more stress. I will be looking forward to new classes, more books, professors, making new friends and experiencing new things in life. It’s time to put the game console away and focus on the important things that go with college.
The first week of classes was like any ordinary week of the school year, but it’s always this time of the semester that I look forward to the most. Just coming back to school is exciting because I get to start a new semester fresh, looking forward to the opportunities ahead and, hopefully, making new friends along the way.
In all of my classes, I had a basic introduction to the courses, just like any other student. I am a full-time student, but the best part is that three days of the week I have only one class. However, on Wednesdays, I have back-to-back classes for five hours. At least this doesn’t happen on Monday, or I would be going crazy.
My week started off with Introduction to Biology. This class might actually be one of the more interesting classes I will be taking. The field of science is not one of my strongest subjects, but I am intrigued by what I am learning. There has not been much discussed in class, but I did look at cat fleas through a microscope, which was interesting.
Philosophy is something I struggle with as well. It is one of those subjects that has you think differently about something. I am taking Philosophy of Art because I have a fascination with art in general. Learning about how people look at art from different viewpoints should be interesting. Hopefully after taking this class I will have a new perspective on art as a whole.
I will also be taking two journalism courses related to my major. First is Race, Class and News. I will be learning how the news media treats the news coverage of different people. Second is the most important: Print News Writing. In this class I will learn the styles of news writing and refine my writing skills in journalism. It will be the most challenging class of all, but I look forward to the challenge of learning the ways to write in print style.
One of the greatest experiences in college is being a part of an on campus organization. You can meet so many wonderful people and make new friends. Last semester I joined Student Support Services (SSS), an organization that helps students become better academically, socially and prepare students for the future beyond college.
This semester I have already met with my SSS coach Gina Sevick, who has helped me in so many ways. Before joining SSS, I wasn’t involved in any organizations on campus, and didn’t have the motivation to push myself. She has helped me become not only a better student, but a better person.
Who knows where this semester is going to take me? I just have to look forward to the opportunities and challenges that are given to me on campus. I can only say that I hope more positive things will come as a result of my classes and I learn more along the way.
Adam Tilson is a student at UW-River Falls who is originally from Neillsville, Wis. He loves playing video games, watching movies -- especially classics, fishing in the summer and trying new activities.