Starting Out on the Right Foot

So, last semester wasn't the best of semesters for me. I didn't do as well as I could have, but I passed all my classes and learned a thing or two. And with the memory of my struggles last semester fresh in my mind, I came back for my second semester of college.

Already, I can tell it will be great. I'm not sure what changed, but I'm finding myself contributing to the discussion more and more in not just one, but all of my classes. I absolutely love Humanities 2, as we've started out with poetry, which is both fun to read and talk about. I think I may have surprised my class with my passion for "The Red Wheelbarrow," which stems from my background on a small family farm. 

Integrated Studies 2 is a ton of fun, for me at least. We've been working with simple logic problems so far, which are easy enough for me as I do logic problems for fun and on a fairly regular basis. But what really makes the class great is when we sit around that table and puzzle out exactly WHY something works the way it does, or discussing the independence of certain postulates and coming to unexpected conclusions. 

Then there is Natural Sciences 1. This class, for me at least, is exactly what I had expected when I came to Shimer. Twice now I've had my brain melted by hypothetical situations based upon Presocratic schools of thought. It sounds terrible, but having your brain melted is actually a wonderful, almost magical experience. It happens when you start thinking on a higher level than you ever have, and you wear your brain cells out trying to find an answer to a question that seems unanswerable. I know I'm thinking when I come out of class unable to think anymore. The first time it happened, I was grateful for my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule, as it gave my brain a chance to rest and recover between classes. Once I was capable of serious thought again, I found myself piecing things together in my mind with more ease. I'm actually noticing the difference, and it's terribly exciting. 

So I know I'm going to have a great semester this time around. I'm confident that I'll do well, contribute more to the discussion in every class, and will learn a little bit more about how to think. Things are looking up for me!

Now all I have to do is find something to do around campus so I can keep busy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The hunt is on, and I hear there are free dancing lessons somewhere every week.

Comments

[Brigid Strait]

YES! I'm pretty sure the dancing club meets every Wednesday night; I remember this because I was horribly disappointed that I'd never be able to go.