What kinds of learning occurred for you during this semester?
Fall 2021 held many opportunities for learning—both in the academic sense and the personal sense. I learned all sorts of neurochemical pathways in class this semester, and many of them will stick with me for a long time. I have already shown off my knowledge about neurochemical pathways to my parents, and I will continue doing so for the rest of my life. Most of my learning this semester, however, took place in the personal sense. I learned what type of learner I am (yes, it took four years to figure this out). I learned that I am a visual learner, as writing out a pathway helped me really understand it and extrapolate on it. I also learned where I am most confident in terms of topics.
What does learning at a liberal arts institution mean to you?
Learning at a liberal arts college means that I learn the skills I need to be a well-rounded individual. Learning at a liberal arts institution means that I learn the skills I need to be successful in my field, but I also learn the skills that I need to become responsibly engaged in the world. I tried to come up with a better phrase for it, but Concordia hit the nail on the head with that phrase. Learning at a liberal arts college means that you explore disciplines that are different from yours and, by doing that, you are able to bring the skills you learned from one class into the other. For example, I am a science major, but I had to take a few courses in the humanities area of study. I chose to take a class called Culture, Identity, and Dialogue. Going into the class, I was prepared to be bored out of my mind. My favorite subject to learn was science, and this class was the complete opposite of science. However, the global studies course ended up being one of my favorites that I have ever taken at Concordia. This class was completely different than one I have ever taken, and it challenged me to think differently about the world around me. Learning at a liberal arts college means that you challenge yourself to take on new perspectives through the lens of different disciplines and investigate how you might be able to use those perspectives in your specific field of study. Learning at a liberal arts college is all about exploring other perspectives and integrating them into other fields of study.
If you were to highlight on your resume a skill or competency that you improved upon this semester, what would you be sure to include?
If I were to highlight particular skills on my resume that I improved upon in this semester, I would highlight team-work. I would make it a fancier term on my resume, but I would highlight this skill for sure. In this course, we worked together on a project where half of the people had a different background than we did. I honed my skill of being able to work with others in a setting where the team members have different knowledge and different skills. I also would highlight the “clear communicator” skill. Some of this skill was improved upon through my job, but this course also taught me a lot about how to communicate complex topics to people who are not at the same understanding as I am. I learned how to describe complex processes in simple terms (most often in the form of metaphors). I also learned how to communicate my thoughts more effectively with someone who has a similar background to me. I am often intimidated by other’s knowledge, but I learned how to accept that I won’t know everything and just communicate what I do know.
Final Thoughts?
I grew a lot this semester—both in my academic and my personal life. These two pieces of me also influenced each other, which led to even more learning. I discovered my inner self-confidence, and I learned how to put myself first. I learned that being imperfect is okay, and I learned to not underestimate myself. I know and understand more than I think I do, and sometimes it just takes a little bit of work for me to see that. This class (along with physical chemistry) taught me a lot about the world. I learned that there is always more learning to be done, and I learned to think critically about issues within the field. But I also learned more about myself through these courses. I am truly grateful for all of the things I have learned through this course and throughout the semester.
