A Reflection on My First Semester in College

A Reflection on my First Semester in College

My first semester in college has been a wonderful experience. When I first received the fantastic news of my acceptance in Psychology in Dublin Business School, I knew that this would be the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Apart from studying the course I have always wanted, the excitement of being in a new environment, meeting new people, broadening my skills, and enhancing my knowledge in something I genuinely enjoy learning about, rushed right through me. My mind was occupied with all kinds of questions: will I adjust well to this new environment or will I have difficulty? What will my peers be like? Will I get along with them? What will my modules be like? What lecturers will I have? I even wondered about the type of assignments I would be given. It was going to be a new beginning. I finally get to do something I am passionate about. I yearned for the year to begin. I yearned for the future ahead of me.

On my induction day, I got a glimpse into the world of DBS. I was greeted by fellow students of the college who took part on induction day to welcome the newcomers. I could feel the warm, friendly atmosphere as I walked through the halls and interacted with everyone, including staff. Nothing but smiles and enthusiasm all around, including myself. There was music, games, and even free ice cream! I got to meet a few people from my course and introduced myself, as well as getting to know them. Just as eager as each other, we joined in the fun and games.

It was finally time to get to work and meet my lecturers. On the first week, our classes were mainly introductions to the different modules discussing the summary of the course, aims and objectives, and the assignments. Each lecturer with good intentions of helping us do well. However, aside from easing us into the modules, they also gave us a chance to socialise and get to know the others in the course. I have also interacted with other students in the college from just hanging around in the common room and from the different societies. This is a fantastic way for everyone to interact with others in the college. Also, I found this great in helping with my interpersonal and communication skills. After the first week I got to make a whole bunch of lovely people that I have grown to love.

For each module our lecturers have given us a list of suggested reading to help us gain a broader understanding of the work. Fortunately, we have a library in our Aungier Street building where we can access the books we need for our modules. Apart from general studying, the library has also been very beneficial in helping with assignments. There is a wide variety of books I can, and have used for research. I found that the more books and sources I read, allowed me to understand everything easier, which helped be greatly in writing and referencing my assignments. The other perks of the DBS library are the many computers and printers available to us and study rooms where, for example, my group and I got to practise our presentation. The library is very beneficial and very much needed.

After getting accustomed back into the college life with classes and studying, I also tried to improve my ways of learning by recognising my cognitive learning styles. In doing so I worked on developing my ability in less dominant styles, as well as further developing styles which I already use. This hopefully will improve the quality and speed of my learning. I find myself being more of a visual learner, using visual strategies when learning. I learn best by seeing information and find it easiest to understand and recall information presented in graphical ways such pictures, charts or diagrams. I feel that I have strong visual-spatial skills that involve sizes, shapes, textures, angles, and dimensions. I also find watching videos a greater way of processing information. In a number of our lectures, we have watched videos to give a better understanding of the topics we have been studying in class. In relation to my less dominant learning styles, my auditory learning needs necessary attention. As I mention before, I have a bad habit of zoning out of attention and daydreaming when it comes to listening in class. When revising work at home I can easily forget what I was previously listening to in class. However, looking back at my notes and handouts recollect my memory fairly easily. As of my kinaesthetic learning abilities, I find this to be my second best way of learning. By doing and performing the work, it makes the information easier to process. For example, in Foundations in Biopsychology, the class was given a task by our lecturer to create a motor neuron out of arts and crafts supplies. By doing so, I found this a simpler way of identifying the different parts of the neuron and obtaining a greater understanding of its workings. I also

At times some lectures can be quite difficult to grasp, which requires that extra bit of time going over and over. The assignments can also be quite challenging. The Learning to Learn presentation for example, took a lot of courage in me. Having to stand up in front of a crowd has always been a struggle of mine. However, despite by nerves at the time, assigning us with a presentation as our first assignment of the year was a great way of allowing us to gain more confidence in ourselves, as well as getting to work in groups and perform well as a team. Sometimes the contents of the work and time required to complete assignments, whilst also making time for study can be very difficult. As classes go by and days pass, I can feel the work and assignments piling up. I try not to let myself stress out too much because, after past experiences, when it comes to that point, the outcome is me crying in a ball of emotions. At times, I come to negatively overthink scary and stressful situations. Throughout secondary school, I had a tendency to underestimate how well I had done on tests and work. Naturally, I carried this pattern into my college experience. I could see that I was simply carrying my old habit of expecting the worst. In recognising this, I try to adjust my expectations of myself as I am only limiting myself from greater things. I try to make a balance of studying, work, and getting to enjoy my social life. Analysing myself as a student, I can understand my strengths and weaknesses. For example, I have the tendency to daydream in class, or waste time by getting lost in my TV series’. As long as I am focused and make use of my time well, I can overcome my weaknesses. It has always been one of my desires to improve with my studies in order to reach my goals. I aim to do well in my assignments and exams, and graduate at the end of this course. I try my best to keep on track with my studies and seek help when needed from my classmates and lecturers. And if help is needed, I gladly return the favour. It is just as important to help and motivate others, as well as yourself. As I aspire to become a psychologist in the future, it is important that I am continuously improving on my skills, such as dealing with people in distress, be able to remain calm in stressful situations, communication and listening skills, working well in a team, and have good problem-solving and decision-making skills. I try to grab any opportunity I can in developing myself and enhancing my abilities.