The Struggle

My time for the last few days has been completely consumed by the amount of work required to complete my lab report that was due tonight. After the countless pages of studies read, graphs created, and hours spent in the West Commons working, I can finally say I have finally finished my first lab report. I know to someone reading this that might not mean anything but after all of the stress and effort that went into writing this paper it brings me such joy to have finally finished it.

Feeling relieved after turning in our report

As some of you may know, I have struggled quite a bit to keep up with all of the labs and homework for this course especially because most of the concepts we cover are completely foreign to me. Through all of the stress and discouragement that struggle has caused, I have been reminded that this level of difficulty and exposure to new things is the reason I am here. I am not here to take a class on a subject I know everything about. I am here to take a class that challenges me in a way I have never been challenged before and to receive an education that I could not at my normal school.

Crystal, my lab partner, in lab today

At UChicago, I have been exposed to a different way of learning. One that is harder than what I am used to but much more effective. For example, I have really enjoyed being in a classroom based on Socratic teaching. We are not just being talked at and expected to listen for a couple of hours. The lectures are built around us actually learning. There are always questions for us to discuss as a class in order to apply what we have learned to determine the reasoning behind the function of different organisms.

The material is not the only thing that makes class challenging. The work we are given is also very different from what I am used to. There is no mindless work at UChicago. Every question we are asked requires a deep understanding of the subject.

Overall, I am just so thankful to be here. Not only am I learning about biology in great detail I am also learning to be a better student. I am learning to ask more questions, study harder, and to continue to challenge myself. Although at first I was greatly discouraged that I was struggling, now I see it as a good thing because if I was not struggling I would not be growing.