Time to Reflect

By Saron Zekiros

I can't believe my freshmen year is over. Now that summer break has begun, it's time to reflect.

I can truly say I had a great first-year experience. I had a very funny way of ending up at UT Dallas, but luckily I hit the jackpot. I was placed in a dorm with some awesome roommates and met some great friends along the way. I enrolled in interesting courses with some amazing professors like Business Law with Professor Polze, World Geographic Regions with Dr. Vakulenko and Macroeconomics with Professor Ketsler, whose joy of teaching is reflected in the classroom environment.

I was involved in several clubs (IPESA, Circle K, and ESA) that kept me engaged. I recommend this to you all if you aren't already involved in a club/organization/sport on campus. It’s a good stress-reliever from classes.

Through my involvement in UT Dallas clubs I heard about the Univesity of North Texas Middle Eastern Conference, and through the Pre-Law Society, I had the opportunity to visit the Baylor Law School. For those students who are either considering majoring in IPE (International Political Economy) or have that major, I encourage you to join IPESA. Some of my favorite moments come from my involvement with that club!

My experiences in the fall and spring semesters seem like polar opposites even though I enjoyed both. From late nights studying with friends for an upcoming exam to attending the different plays, concerts, and shows on campus, my UT Dallas experience was surprisingly much better than I expected it to be.

I learned a lot of good lessons along the way that I hope to share with the incoming freshmen class such as always putting school first, but remembering not to neglect the experiences of growing up and creating memories with friends.

I leave you with these three things...

1. This campus is diverse with people coming from different backgrounds so find those that you mesh well with and your freshmen year will be a lot more enjoyable!

2. Find clubs on campus that match your hobbies, interests or skills and join! If you can't find one, then start one of your own! (be a pioneer!)  The old saying that UT Dallas is a "dead" campus will slowly disappear if more people are involved in campus activities.

3. UT Dallas is lucky to have some really esteemed professors so take advantage of the knowledge and experience they have to offer!

Finally, I hope everyone has an enjoyable summer! See you all in the fall :)