Dear Honors & Scholars students, particularly in your first year,
Normally, my blog entries are designed for a range of readers—from students to faculty to alumni. For this one, I have a more specific intended audience in mind: students, especially those in their first year. Although you have only been at Miami for a few weeks, it is almost time for you to plan your spring schedule.
After my first few weeks of college, I remember a range of questions swirling in my head: What courses should I take? Which organizations or other extra-curricular activities should I join? How can I manage my time so that I am able to succeed in my academic life yet also make friends and pursue my hobbies and side interests?
On September 24, the Honors & Scholars Program will be hosting Honors Spring Preview, which is a special academic support session for first-year students. This session will offer you a glimpse into the diverse course and other learning opportunities offered by our program in the spring.
Here are four tips to assist you in planning your spring semester:
1) Consider your past best learning experiences. What were they like? What topics or ideas captured your interest? What other qualities made those experiences meaningful? Are there courses and other co-curricular experiences you can select in the spring that would build on those qualities or allow you to explore those topics further? Can you identify out-of-class experiences that connect with those topics in class that fascinate you? To help you reflect on such questions, download the Honors Spring Preview worksheet from the “H&S News” section of the Blackboard site.
2) Set learning goals and select courses and other experiences that match them. Often we become involved in activities for the wrong reasons, such as “My roommate told me that this was a good course,” or “My mom would be happy if I joined this student organization.” Instead, think back to the goals and dreams you developed during Summer Orientation. Revise them as needed, and then try to select learning experiences that are aligned with those goals. Instead of following what others are doing, try asking yourself: Will this course or experience speak to my interests? Will it offer me needed knowledge, new ideas, and new relationships that will help me to grow?
3) Don’t judge a book by its cover or a course by its title. Many times, we reject or steer away from courses or other opportunities because the course title or name of the program or organization does not immediately capture our interest. Yet, if we stopped to read the course description or probed more fully into what the opportunity might offer in terms of knowledge, skills, relationships or experience, we might have a different perspective and find value in something that originally seemed dull or irrelevant. Ask questions and gain information before selecting your experiences.
4) Select experiences that will challenge you an appropriate amount. I have noticed that students often move to two extremes. One type of student tends to worry about being overly challenged so they select what they think will be less demanding courses. Often these students then are bored in class and consequently have trouble motivating themselves in class and end up doing poorly. Another extreme is to overestimate what you can reasonably do in a semester. These students take over 20 hours of courses, involve themselves in time-consuming out-of-class experiences and end up performing poorly as a result of their overly full schedule. Select courses that are intriguing to you so that you are motivated, and focus on one or two out-of-class opportunities that truly advance your interests and goals.
Hopefully, these tips will help you to plan for a richly fulfilling spring semester.
