Winter Term Reflection

We’re now in the last week of winter term, and for anyone who has followed my blog posts, I typically write my last blog of the term as a reflection. It serves as a useful way for me to realize what I’ve taken away from college each term and how I’ve progressed as a person. And hopefully it provides some insight into college life at Carleton!

Firstly, I very much enjoyed all of my classes this term. Linear Algebra — while quite new to me — was interesting, and my Economics of Sports class was easily one of my favorite classes so far at Carleton (I would highly recommend taking it!). My third class, Working with Gender in US History, greatly exceeded my expectations. I must admit that I originally took the class as a requirement filler, but I actually ended up finding some of the readings and class discussions to be quite fascinating.

Having primarily taken math, economics, and computer science courses here at Carleton, it was actually very refreshing to have a small, discussion based class to contrast my other lecture based courses. So I guess if I were to give any advice, don’t be afraid to try new courses, even if you don’t know anything about them/what to expect! I know you will hear this a lot, but we certainly have a wonderful variety of courses at Carleton, and I’m sure none of them will disappoint.

I’m pretty sure I say this every term, but once again I am thankful for being able to meet many great people, professors and students alike. We have a very diverse community at Carleton, and I’ve been lucky to meet so many fantastic and interesting people each term.

I think one of the most important skills in life and especially in college is time management. While I’ve definitely made improvements in organizing my time since coming to college, looking back upon this term has made me realize there’s definitely still room for improvement. I’m certainly more productive when I wake up early in the morning, and I believe not scheduling my classes or work shifts earlier in the day ended up being slightly detrimental to my overall performance as a student as well as an athlete. That said, I’ve made some pretty drastic changes in my schedule for next term, and I’m very excited for what is to come.

Moving on from the academic side of things, this is now my second year living in a snowy climate, and my fondness for snow has not decreased in the slightest. I’ve heard that we experienced much more snow than usual this year, so I would consider this winter a success! The beauty of the snow never fails to take my breath away, and visiting the Arb during the winter definitely something everyone should do. That said, I’m excited for spring, and have made it a goal to spend more time outdoors — especially in the Arb — next term. My time in the midwest will be short, and I don’t want to come away with any regrets upon graduating. I’m also planning on spending more time in town (Northfield truly is a beautiful place), as well as going on a highly recommended run in the Upper Arb that takes you directly under a wind turbine.

See you all soon!

Alvin is a west coast kid at heart (coming from San Jose, California), but is excited to start many adventures here in Minnesota. He plays for the soccer team here at Carleton and loves exercise. If he’s not on the soccer field, in the gym, or out on a bike ride during his free time, he can be found in one of the lounges playing Exploding Kittens, or in the music building playing piano. He is a potential economics major with an interest in computer science and mathematics. Meet the other bloggers!