Reflections on Semester 1

[Joseph41]

How was it for you? What did you do well, what could you improve on, what have you learnt?

Reflect here - and hopefully your reflections will help other students, too.

[Sine]

What I did well
-Use past university experience on what worked well and what didn't
-Prioritisation of assesments and study
-Collaborating with others

What I can improve (I say this every semester )
-Make sure to put in effort early in the semester and not take the first few weeks too easy
-Go to all my lectures e.g. 8am/9am

[beatroot]

Semester 1 of my first year at uni definitely was a huge adjustment, in terms of assignments and the people in general (I went to an all girls school and uni has definitely introduced me to a diverse group of lovely people!)

What I did well

Spoiler

- Getting on top of my uni assignments; refused to do it the night before. Max I would go would be doing an assignment five days before its due date. I cannot stand doing stuff at the last minute- especially when my assignments are all creative.
- I was able to get grades that were mostly in the distinction range which is super cool!
- Breaking out of my shell; I was able to get rid of my shyness one week at a time, allowing me to collaborate and also befriend people I wouldn't normally talk to- this allowed for me to build up my confidence yay!
- Getting to university 10-25 minutes early woah; this is a miracle for me considering I was always late to high school
- Balanced uni life and work very well despite only having one day off per week (Sunday) and still had enough energy to go on aha

What I can improve on

Spoiler

- Would LOVE to if I can push myself to grab some HD's. I actually need to read the rubric for each assignment because I always seem to ignore it woops
- Stop going on Facebook and other social media during lectures/workshops; such a bad habit that I need to stop. It's not because I think the content is boring- I think it's great. I want to stop having the mindset just because I don't have exams doesn't mean I should not pay attention in lectures
- Push my creative boundaries more; explore more genres, themes and styles
- Stop feeling so insecure that I'm one of the few women of colour in my degree; in fact I should use this as motivation to stop being intimidated by other people in my year.
- Work on more projects beyond my actual assignments; experience and credits in other stuff will help me get more connections
- Need to exercise more and remember to take care of my physical and mental health

What have I learnt

Spoiler

- I'm capable therefore I shouldn't put myself down.

Simple as that

Wow I didn't realise how much I've been blabbering on aha. But it's good to reflect

[Joseph41]

I'm capable therefore I shouldn't put myself down.

[LifeisaConstantStruggle]

What I did well(?) [Or above average at least]:
+ Made sure I did not half-ass my work or do anything last minute, giving me ample time to do the stuff I wanna do.
+ Attain a HD WAM + 4.0 GPA (thought I'm only in my first year).
+ Joined a group of really good friends.
+ Kept in touch with some of my friends in high school.
+ Became more active in co-curricular activities. (Politics really interested me)

What I didn't do well:
- Not cherry-pick my friends beyond the fixed social circle, and spent time with really toxic people.
- Not reaching out for help when I needed it (but eventually I did even though it's WEEK 11), now I'm diagnosed (clinically) with depression. Wee.
- Procrastinated after burning out, the jaffy enthusiasm didn't keep me up till exams.

Edit (aye) What I can improve on:
+ Making sure I select friends that I actually want to talk to.
+ Be more assertive and give my opinions in a clearer manner.
+ Keep a consistent study habit, because I don't know how to study like that haha.

[rogerdodger1234]

What I Did Well
-managed to H1 every subject
-i didn't cram anything during semester, and hence i practically full marked every tiny assessment during semester
-I picked up a job and a new hobby and I managed to balance that with uni
-I thought uni would be hella hard but i put in effort and it paid off this time

What I did not do well
-I had to cram for exams very badly during swotvac (i thought one week of swotvac was enough.... i was wrong...)
-I did not look after my mental health and overworked myself (burn't out 2-3 times), sleeping at 3am became common (my day did start at 11 tho)
-I barely made any new friends and have yet to break out of my shy side and talk to more people/ make friends. When i did talk to people... i was too cold and unemotional (probs cos i was tired as i was lacking sleep) and hence i think i kinda scared them off??

Goals for next sem
-academically try to replicate what i did last semester without burning out and whilst looking after my mental health
-be more social, like when ppl say hi, say hi back like ur alive
-study for exams earlier cos one week of swotvac is NOT ENOUGH

[clarke54321]

What I did well:

-Exposed myself to a range of faculties to investigate potential majors. I'm still not entirely sure what that may be, but at least I've eliminated some options!
-Chased up my tutors when I needed extra feedback after assessment tasks. Many students are often hesitant about approaching their tutors during office hours, but it was extremely beneficial to receive some personalised feedback.
-Took the weekly readings seriously. I don't think I appreciated this until the end of the semester. It made SWOTVAC x10 times easier.
-Managed to find some quiet 'hidey-holes' on campus to escape the hustle and bustle.


What I did not do well:

-Erred in my judgement of subject amount. I started with only 3 subjects, instead of 4, and found that I had lots of spare time on my hands. I love to keep busy, so this wasn't the wisest choice. So I've caught up with French intensive (which is a whole other kettle of fish!).
-Stay calm during assessments. I tend to panic before tests/essays even when I'm confident about the content.
-Didn't participate as much as I should have in tutorials. When I did, however, I definitely felt more assured in my knowledge.


Goals for next sem:

-Try to control my stress
-Enjoy the learning experience more, and not be too occupied with my final score
-Participate more in tutorials
-Meet some new people

[Joseph41]

What I Did Well
-managed to H1 every subject
-i didn't cram anything during semester, and hence i practically full marked every tiny assessment during semester
-I picked up a job and a new hobby and I managed to balance that with uni
-I thought uni would be hella hard but i put in effort and it paid off this time

What I did not do well
-I had to cram for exams very badly during swotvac (i thought one week of swotvac was enough.... i was wrong...)
-I did not look after my mental health and overworked myself (burn't out 2-3 times), sleeping at 3am became common (my day did start at 11 tho)
-I barely made any new friends and have yet to break out of my shy side and talk to more people/ make friends. When i did talk to people... i was too cold and unemotional (probs cos i was tired as i was lacking sleep) and hence i think i kinda scared them off??

Goals for next sem
-academically try to replicate what i did last semester without burning out and whilst looking after my mental health
-be more social, like when ppl say hi, say hi back like ur alive
-study for exams earlier cos one week of swotvac is NOT ENOUGH

Welcome to the forums! Great to have you here.