Hello everyone!
Sorry for the late post; it’s been a busy Friday! I worked at Professor A.’s lab from 11am-3pm, ran to weights at the Keohane Sports Center (the other side of campus), ran back to the Science Center to attend Professor A.’s lab group meeting, then ran back to the Keohane Sports Center to teach a swim lesson! Good thing our campus is so small—it’s a short run, but still tiring.
Additionally, it has been a very professor-heavy week. After waking up at 9:45am this morning (and making it down to breakfast just as they were putting the fruit away—I hate when that happens), I went to go visit with Professor Reisberg from 10:30am-11am. He always has interesting discussion points, and today it was about the difference between good and evil and its relationship to keeping an open mindset. We also talked a bit about saving the world and veered dangerously into philosophy, but made it safely back onto the topics of history and the importance of youths voting. It was a wonderful discussion, and the fact that this can happen without even an appointment is one of my favorite things about Wellesley.
I have also decided to attend Professor Conway’s Thursday office hours every week. This is my third week sitting in the nice chair in his office (if you get there early, you don’t have to sit on the floor!) and I have enjoyed every occasion. Whether I’m helping out my peers, being helped out by my peers, or being taught by Professor Conway, I always feel I’ve learned something at the end. On Thursday I also went to see Professor Buccholtz for a private appointment, and we talked about phylogeny and the rate of photosynthesis when it rains. I know quite a few people go to office hours and discuss with professors, but I feel many don’t. I highly recommend it, not only to discuss difficult questions, but also because it’s a great opportunity to think. So much of my learning at this point is rote memorization (a necessity; I need to know how an action potential works before I can design an experiment that explored their firing rate) but in every meeting I have felt challenged to find an answer to a question myself, or to ask new questions in the first place. The one-on-one interaction with an adult who has so much more perspective than I, and challenges my own fixed mindset, is something that I enjoy and value.
In other news, Wellesley is abuzz with the fleeting hope of Spring Break arriving. Our spring break is the week after next, and everyone I know is plowing through Midterms with that one-week prize in mind. I have a neuroscience midterm and biology midterm due on Monday, so I too am working hard. This week has been very school-intensive; it amazes me sometimes all that we students manage to accomplish!
Singing is going well (I sound good in my head, if not on recording), swim lessons are progressing nicely, track is still great (and I’m still not injured! Yes!) This week I’ve been working on focusing in on the present and not worrying about what’s next in my schedule. I must say, I highly recommend that all incoming freshman figure out how organize themselves. I thought I was good at managing my schedule in high school; I’m only discovering how much busier I can get!
So that was my week! I finally managed to remember to take pictures this week, so take a look at all my wonderful Biology 112 lab compatriots. Hope you’re having a great Friday!
Monica
