Final Reflection

Being a part of the early college program with Hunter College definitely gave me a great deal of preparation for my college career. I believe that the experience is more so significant than the actual work or classes. Of course, the classes and the challenging curriculum pushed us toward a certain work ethic, but the actual feeling of working on a college campus brings a different dynamic to the picture. We got a chance to feel real responsibility as college students, working on life-mastery skills such as time management and social readiness. We learned that even when our energy was low, we needed to bring forth our best and still push to get rewarding results. Personally, the added “stress” was worth it, because I was able to see how a competitive college works. I got the opportunity to study in the facilities and test out what works for me and what doesn’t. This is very important because next year, when I am studying for a final or doing a simple assignment, I know which methods pertain and work for me. I had a one year head start at a long academic career ahead that requires commitment and focus, and I am glad I learned it firsthand this year.

Some obstacles I faced during the course of this year generally revolved around focus. Sometimes I fell off track, and didn’t find anyone who was serious about studying with me or couldn’t find the energy to continue working. Other than that, the class of math always gave me an issue, throughout the four years of high school. My attitude toward math when I came into this program was a little more negative than when I came out, I admit. This program has shown me that I can do anything as long as I am determined. If I’m uninterested, it becomes harder to do as well. Math is still a struggle for me, that’s just my weakness but I can tackle it and use resources with confidence now. Another obstacle, as we can see now, is the weather. The second semester is by far the hardest, not because of the material, but because it is the time everyone wants to relax, enjoy the spring, and be easygoing. However, I have reached many successes this year, having to do with my character, my ambitions, and my final high school work. One success has been recent, despite our slight laziness this semester we managed to get through a presentation for the final fiction class assignment. When we were assigned a fiction story and a specified genre for presentations, I thought I’d never get through it. I couldn’t imagine balancing both assignments, as I was so overwhelmed with everything else. I just wanted to rush through and graduate. But, once I slowed down and worked it out with my group, we developed a creative and interactive presentation, which completely reflected what we were assigned. We got a 98 altogether, which pushes me to continue doing what I did to finish up this semester strongly.

I enjoyed Fiction Writing very much this year. As I have discussed with my peers and teachers before, I aspire to continue writing beyond my academic career. Writing has always been a part of who I am, something that I am deeply passionate for. I particularly appreciated this year’s fiction class because I have never taken anything like it. Fiction has always been my favorite genre to read, specifically romance and mystery novels. However, I had never even tried to write it. I didn’t experiment with different types of writing styles or genres before this class. I mainly excelled in academic papers, so this year broadened my view and love for writing. I enjoyed learning about the structure of fiction, and always took great notes so that I could carry it on with me to college and use that knowledge to get ahead with my writing classes. Because of this class, I actually am really interested in taking creative writing as a course in college. I learned that there are all different types of writing; it’s a whole nother world. There are informal styles, formal styles, different language and intriguing techniques that we are able to incorporate in our writing to make it more developed and full.

This year I took English 120, Geography, Pre-101, and Italian. My favorite ones were English 120 and Italian, mostly because they weren’t a huge challenge to me but I was also very interested in what the courses entailed. Although English 120 was tedious at times, it was informative and gave us the researching skills we will need throughout college. I loved writing academic papers and learning how to stretch sources and extract deep analysis for each. I aced the class and was very proud I had the opportunity to take it. For Italian, it was very similar to Spanish in some ways. I am not fluent in Spanish, so it wasn’t too easy to me. I spent hours studying before each exam, but it paid off because I aced that class as well. Our professor was entertaining, and always made the lessons relevant and easy to pay attention to. I didn’t enjoy the courses I took this semester. Geography is generally a captivating subject, specifically cultural geography, economic geography, and population geography, but the professor did not make it stimulating. And as for math…well, I was never connected to it.

In order to be more successful in college, I believe I need to be more organized and definitely more focused. I get distracted really easily, and I appreciate that I have self-awareness and know myself well enough to evaluate that. My determination and passion for school is present, but sometimes it is hard for me to meet goals, mainly because I am an overachiever. I think I need to reflect on myself regularly, and not get discouraged when I don’t meet a certain goal. I spent 90% of my energy and mental capacity focused on school, but the other 10% is dangerous. If I set realistic goals for myself little by little, I know my thoughts wouldn’t be as scattered and I will feel more “together”.

I have tried to study in many different areas on campus this year. Some were clearly defective and counterproductive, such as the first floor library and the purple couches. Those two areas I can say I got little to no work done. They’re like suction cups…or vacuums. They can easily suck us in, and it’s very difficult to get up and leave until it’s too late. However, some safe areas I explored on campus were B1 and B2 in the library, the computer labs in the North building on the 10^th floor, the Writing Center labs in Thomas Hunter, and sometimes the study rooms in the upper floors of the library. I have used the language center when I took Italian, because I needed to make a certain amount of lab hours in order to pass the class. My Pre-101 class is in the Dolciani Center, so I do use the tutors and resources in there. Also, I had English 120 in the Writing Center, so I became familiarized with the facility in general and the access to computers at later hours.

Jeez, I’ve learned so much about myself in the duration of this early college program. Mainly, the things Mr. Froner guided us through and specifically spoke about was self-awareness and self-appreciation. First of all, I personally struggled with self esteem issues most of my life up until now. This year really was an experimental period, and I know that will grow with the continuance of college. I opened up a lot, got close to many people, got to know about different kinds of people, and different interests. Sharing and diffusing perspectives made me feel a part of something important, and my high school teachers have done a great job at making us all feel significant all throughout the year. I learned to be confident in myself, not only in my academic life. I’ve overcome emotional obstacles right under the nose of my friends and advisors, and I’ve become more in touch with culture and spirituality. I’ve learned that I’m not a steady character. Both Mr. Froner and DeFeo were inspirational and giving to each student. I felt they reached out and didn’t mind telling me what they thought of me or the situations I were in when I reached my lowest points. When I had low energy, Froner always thought of me as a vibrant, outgoing leader. DeFeo always thought of me as creative and determined. I found, after some time, that they were both right. I learned how to be self-aware and self-appreciating this year, and I cannot show enough gratitude to the beautiful people, environment, and school that helped me reach this point.

In the Fall of 2011, I’m still unsure about where I will be attending. It’s between SUNY Purchase or Hunter College. I’m leaning towards Hunter College right now because of the programs I’m just now learning about, the sticky financial situation, and my set goals for when I graduate from college. I think that leaving college with zero debt sounds appealing to anyone. I’ve also gone to a conference at the Roosevelt House about human rights and public policy, which introduced me to a whole different realm of what I might want to be involved in. I know I would be excellent at using resources and experimenting with classes here. I just don’t want the choice, whether going or staying, to be something I get tired of easily or regret.

I have already planned out my future, which I know probably won’t go accordingly, but I want to hopefully hit most of the stuff on my list. If I do choose to go to Hunter, I will probably stay the full time. I’m going to try to pack myself with classes so I can graduate either earlier, or I could do the five-year MA/BA program. In five years, I see myself traveling with the Peace Corps, teaching and working on youth development in impoverished countries across the globe. About two and a half years after that, I plan to go to graduate school and pack myself with all the credentials it may take to become a professor for Literature, or possibly even work in administration. When I graduate, I really want to work some years in secondary education, because I’ve always had my eye on it. I believe the four years of high school are stepping stones and a time where a lot of development happens for teens, and I want to be a part of their growth. Perhaps I can inspire some, like my teachers have done to me. After all of that, I’m not sure what I’ll get into, but I know I will always want to work in public service.

The best advice I can give to the incoming MHSHS students is “listen to the teachers”. I say so because our “teachers” this year were more like advisors. This environment makes everyone so much closer, and allows us to be on a certain personal level with these adults. When orientation begins, and we don’t really know the teachers well, plenty of people are on-edge thinking they’re lecturing just like any other teacher. However, they are saying the TRUTH. They’ve been here to see the development of a few classes, so they know what works and what doesn’t. I believe that if the students trust and acknowledge the warnings given at the beginning of the year, they’d be guided in the right direction. It’s true; Froner and DeFeo are only here to help us get to where we want to be.