This fall semester* was one to remember, or maybe in a week, one to purposefully forget. We’ll see after my final exam. With that being said, I want to reflect on the semester before final exams start. This semester was stressful. It is my junior year, which I knew was going to be a lot of work, but oh my gosh. It was a lot more work than I was expecting. But I was able to get through it! Throughout this semester, I had assignments that were enjoyable, some not, and some that I was surprised I got a good grade on. The one thing that helped me through these tough assignments and this semester, was my friends. They reminded me that being at school is not only about academics but the things I can experience. Like going out to the bars now that I am 21, going to Boston to explore the city, and driving out of state to the beautiful mountains of New England.
My 21st birthday was at the beginning of the semester, and it was a great time with my friends. We went out to eat and I was able to have a drink for the first time. This was one of my favorite flashback moments from this semester. It is also insane to think about the fact that I am 21. It makes me feel so old. Since my birthday was at the beginning of the semester, there was not a lot of schoolwork, but as time went on, it became less feasible to enjoy the perks of being 21. Another favorite memory of mine was when one of my best friends turned 21. She and I went out for drinks in Boston and explored the seaport district. So many of my friends had birthdays this semester and I was so happy to be able to celebrate them.
Another one of my favorite fall semester memories was how my friends and I would watch the reality show Big Brother. Every week, we would watch these episodes in their room and do our homework. It was nice being able to spend time with my friends and watching one of our favorite shows, while also feeling productive. It made doing homework less stressful when I could lean on my friends for help. My homework load this semester was a lot. Many of the assignments were not hard, but I had 10-13 a week that took up a lot of time.
My favorite memory this semester was surprisingly a class. I took my police and society class with Professor Stephen Rice. He is a retired police officer who was shot in the line of duty. He uses his experiences to teach the class about ethical policing and makes sure that his class is run in an ethical manner. His experience as a police officer taught me things that I would have never known about the job and made it known that this occupation is always changing. I think he is the best professor I have ever had here at Lasell. I will take the information and lessons learned from his class with me for the rest of my life.
With the fall semester ending, the reflection of the last 15 weeks of my life has been a whirlwind of different emotions. I met new friends, built better relationships with friends I already have, and persevered through a stressful semester. Without the people in my life, I would not be able to get through this semester, let alone my time at Lasell.
*(This was written right after fall. - Cameron McNeil)
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