Hi! Hello! It’s been a while and I’m glad to be back on campus after a long and restful winter break. Wellesley has this ~ one month time period between fall semester and spring semester, called wintersession, where students can do one or more of the following: choose to take classes at Wellesley, do a language wintersession study abroad, work on personal projects, do an internship or fellowship, volunteer (Civic Engagement even hosts multiple “alternative break” trips to volunteer across the country), and so much more!
As I am a first year I hadn’t really planned much for this break, except to rest and catch up on personal projects. I spent the majority of my time catching up with friends and family back home and taking a week long trip to Michigan. I also applied for lots of summer internships, and even got to participate in Wellesley’s first ever Job Shadow Program.
For one day during winter break I was matched with a Wellesley alumnae in my area who worked in a field I was interested in. I shadowed a dermatologist for a day and it was a very fun and interesting experience. I really got to see the behind the scenes, full day experience of what a day in the life of a dermatologist looks like. It really was an insightful experience for me as I map out what my future may look like.
I also studied for my permit test (very late to the game, I know!), visited my highschool, practiced Arabic and Urdu, and volunteered at a food distribution event in my local community. All in all, it was a month well spent!
As I came back to Wellesley, I still had not finalized my classes for the Spring semester. After “shopping” around for classes the first week, I was very happy with the ones I ended up choosing. Here is a list of courses I am taking this semester and why I chose them:
ENG/ AMST-296: Diaspora and Immigration in 21st-Century American Literature
I was interested in taking an English course at Wellesley because they have a reputation of being quite challenging, but in the best way possible. The reading list for this class is absolutely amazing, and all the authors are either immigrants themselves or children of immigrants. The novels we read are all relatively modern and the discussion on immigration and diaspora is so important and relevant to today.
POL4-107: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Historical Political Thought Today
I am (possibly??) considering a major in Political Science, and so this Intro Level Political Science seemed to be a great way to explore the department and gain some solid foundation in Political Theory. I have really been enjoying the discussions in class so far!
BISC 110: Cellular and Molecular Biology with Lab
I am currently on the pre health track and am also again (possibly??) considering a Biology major. I really enjoyed Biology in highschool and wanted to explore it more at Wellesley. I’ve really been liking my professor’s approach to teaching it from a holistic perspective (including case studies, research papers, and articles in the lessons).
ARABIC 102:
I really wanted to learn a new language in college and Arabic has been on my list for some time. I started last semester, and so this was the next course in the sequence. Super excited to continue learning more Arabic!
I am very excited to see what this semester has in store both inside and outside the classroom!
Signing Off,
Ilma <3