End of First Year Reflection!

Greetings!

I know it’s only April, but we only have 2 weeks of regular classes left! This means that I am almost finished with my first year at Mudd. It has been a wild and amazing academic year, and I thought I would share it with you. 

This whole Mudd adventure started with moving into Mudd for the first time. Because I’ve had an accommodation to have my car on campus, it meant that I started my Mudd journey by driving from Oklahoma to California. Move-in was such an exciting (and slightly stressful) time. It was when it became real that I was actually going to college! The next few days after move-in were a blur of orientation activities and meeting new people. During orientation I did a really good job of pushing myself out of my comfort zone to meet new people and try new things. At the Orientation trip to Knott’s Berry Farm, I rode a roller coaster for the first time!

The first semester at Mudd is pass/fail. I think pass/fail really helped me adjust to Mudd because I wasn’t stressed about grades, and I was able to focus on acclimating, meeting new people, and having LOTS of fun. There were so many activities outside of classes that I never really found myself being homesick. Mudd, and its community, quickly became my new home. Mudd works very hard to place first year students in dorms/rooms that will be a good fit. Because of this, many people never really have roommate/suitemate conflict. 

Unfortunately, my suitemate’s cat has not become more affectionate of me and my other suitemate. However, Maple the cat does enjoy sleeping on my bed, and staring at me. She provides a lot of comedic relief. 

After being at Mudd for a whole semester, it was strange going home. I found that even though it was nice to see my family and pets, I missed being at Mudd over winter break, and I was eager to get back on campus. One of the biggest things that I have found about going to a rigorous school like Mudd is that you have to take care of yourself. When I put my health first, I had more energy to put into my classes and I had more fun. This became more important during the second semester when first-years can take more electives, and have real grades for the first time. 

One thing that I am going to continue to do at Mudd is take advantage of the opportunities to get off campus. Taking time to do fun things is part of what is so cool about college. 

Overall I am so glad that I have the opportunity to go to Mudd. I have found my home and community here. I am sad that I only have a few more weeks before I go home for the summer. This year was one of the best years of my life, and I am still in shock that I am already ¼ of the way finished with college!