Journal #24
After reviewing my Beyond The Classroom, Beyond Your Dorm page, I realized all the new things I have completed here at UNE. These activities were getting me out of my comfort zone. For example, trying platites for the first time was something that was out of my comfort zone. I went with a few of my friends, so that made it more fun, but completing the exercises that the teacher was saying was a new experience. I personally never had worked out in that way, but it was fun. Another theme I noticed was the theme of friends. In most of the pictures I have posted on that specific page, my friends are in them too. I have gone to new activities and went to school events with my friends. I realized that I have a good group of people here at UNE, I feel very fortunate for that. Being able to experience things with people that are in the same boat as you makes this new journey less stressful and more enjoyable. These past 10 weeks I have experienced joy, stress, new friendships, good and bad experiences and so much more. I realized how far I have come when I first moved into my dorm. I am proud to be at this place right now, where I feel more confident with my studies and balancing hanging out with friends. I have learned many lessons and reviewing what I have done this semester is making me more excited for next semester.
Madison Robinson
Journal #24
After looking through my beyond the classroom journals as well as my weekly reflections, I was able to find a few different topics that came up many times. The most frequent theme I found was adjusting to a new living situation. Prior to coming to UNE, I had never shared a space with another person, especially one this small. Throughout this semester, I have had to learn how to coexist with a stranger and adapt to the challenges that have come up. The next is learning about time management and finding a routine. I noticed that I was very curious about how my schedule would look as the semester progressed, and it took me a few weeks to really understand and see the schedule in action. Because this was such a big life change, I had to develop a new routine that fit my schedule as well as personal needs. I also noticed that the more recent journals have themes of feeling the need to stay busy. After the first weeks of welcome activities and getting to know everyone in my residence hall, there was a lot more free time that I was unsure how to deal with. All these themes throughout my journals encapsulate my first-year college journey and the challenging that I went through to get to this point, almost at the end of the semester.
Journal #24
Looking at my beyond the classroom journals, there is a definite pattern of me going out and discovering opportunities. Some of these opportunities have been off campus engaging with the community, while others have been clubs and on campus recreation. I have been putting in a lot of effort to explore what UNE has to offer and meet the people who do interesting things I like. Through these activities I have started to learn more about my time management skills and how to include homework within many activities. Since the start of the semester, I have done so many small things that contribute to the theme of discovery. Another example would include how I heard about a certification course for cold water training, so I signed up and have since acquired the cold-water badge. Without wanting to discover more UNE has to offer, I would not have found the opportunity to earn this badge.
The theme for this semester was definitely growth, both in and beyond the classroom. Looking back on my journals, I can see how much I’ve changed, not just academically, but personally as well. At the beginning of the semester, I often hesitated to take risks, whether that meant speaking up in discussions or doing challenging assignments. Over time, I learned to embrace discomfort as a sign of progress. Each class pushed me to think more critically, communicate more clearly, and manage my time more effectively. Outside of academics, I also experienced growth through new experiences and relationships with the people in my dorm. Balancing responsibilities and learning to prioritize self-care all taught me valuable lessons about independence. With each experience beyond the classroom, I found myself stepping further outside of my comfort zone. I’m not usually the type of person who easily puts myself out there or joins activities with people I don’t know, but being in college has shown me that growth often requires exactly that. In this environment, it’s impossible to know everyone, and that uncertainty has pushed me to open up, connect with new people, and embrace opportunities I might have avoided before. Each interaction, event, and group project helped me build confidence in social and academic settings. Through these experiences, I’ve learned that independence isn’t just about doing things on my own, it’s also about having the courage to engage with others!
After looking through my Beyond Classroom page and my weekly reflection journals, I noticed that in many of my entries, there was an underlying theme of trying out new things and also learning to manage my time while adjusting to my new life here at UNE. To start, when looking at my Beyond Classroom Page, I saw that a majority of my posts were centered around going to a club meeting or trying out an event that was offered on campus. For example, in my Beyond Classroom page, I discussed my experiences going to meetings for the Outing Club, the Giving Tree Club, and the Pre-PA Club. With each, I was motivated to involve myself more on campus and also meet a lot of upperclassmen that I otherwise would have been too intimidated to talk to. In two of my other entries on the Beyond page, I wrote about my experience going to Tuesday Trivia Night on the commons’ first floor. While at first I happened upon it by accident, I tried it out, met new friends, and ended up really enjoying participating in the activity. Because I pushed myself to try something new, I ended up making new friends and creating new experiences; two things that I have found to be really valuable at college. Similarly, when reviewing my weekly reflection journals, I saw that over time, I had a lot of ups and downs. Most of my struggles had to do with workload, being overwhelmed, and feeling that I had too much to do and not enough time to do it. However, as the weeks went on and I became more adjusted to my life and routine at college, my entries reflected less stress, and overall a better management of my schedule, with a greater found balance between the time spent on my academics and the time spent on my social life with friends.
While reviewing my Beyond the Classroom entries, I noticed a theme of broad diversity in activities. I engaged in both the local community, our school community, and furthered my academic capabilities. I definitely found myself going outside of my comfort zone, but I do think I could still reach further. Attending a tutoring session for my Precalculus course was probably the most outside of my comfort zone that I went. However, I feel that I could do more to push myself. Although, I am happy that I tried a range of different activities. I’m glad that I didn’t find one thing that I was comfortable with and just stick to that. Even with the concert that I went to, I got tickets for the pit rather than seats, which was outside of my comfort zone, yet I still had so much fun, probably even more than I would have if I had gotten seats. Even with the volleyball game, I’m really not much of a sports person, I’ve never had much interest in them. But, I’ve found myself loving the sports games here. And, that all started with going to the volleyball game. I’ve noticed that college has continued to push me outside of my comfort zone. I’m doing many things that would have made me anxious even a year ago, and I’m loving it. I’m really enjoying “getting out there”. After reviewing these entries, I’m happy with how far I’ve come, but I am absolutely going to continue to push myself!
Looking back at my beyond page and my other reflection journals, a pattern I have noticed/ a theme I see is growth, both personally and academically. I feel like at the beginning of the semester I was pretty nervous to start something new with people I really did not know at all and especially with commuting I was nervous I wasn’t going to get involved much on campus. Looking back at my different entries I realized how many new things I have already tried this semester, like joining a club for example I didn’t think that I was going to but it is fun to be a part of now that I look back. I also have made some really good friends and while they aren’t always in the pictures I upload they are normally there with me for the events I do go to. Looking back at my journals I realized how overwhelmed I was at first with the workload especially compared to highschool, but as the weeks went on, while I was still stressed I did find better ways to study that work best for me on top of finding a good routine where I can manage my time better.
I’ve noticed, as I am looking back through my journals, that I have grown over the last semester. I have changed and gotten better at some things (gotten worse at others), and I have the skills to prove it. I’ve gotten so much better at time management for all of my coursework, but I haven’t gotten better at remembering that I can’t just put things off to the last minute. I’ve gotten better at communicating with those around me, and expanded my circle of friends.
My perception of myself has also had to change as well. I had gotten used to how high school was, and thought that if I applied the same emotional logic at college that I would be fine. I was so wrong. I’ve had to change how I treat myself and what I expect from others around me. It hasn’t always been easy, but college is supposed to be a learning experience, and how can I learn if I don’t try? I’ve grown over the last semester, and I have more growing to do. I have experience now with the growing pains of college, and I feel confident that I can handle myself. These journals have helped to show me how much I’ve already done.
Over the last 10 weeks I have noticed that consistently I have been growing and developing a new routine as I’ve been here. It was definitely hard in the beginning being in a new place and making the adjustment of being away from my family. I have definitely branched out of my comfort zone and tried new things and met new people. I have definitely attended a lot of sports games so far and with winter sports starting I definitely plan to go to more. A lot of my beyond the classroom experiences involve watching sports whether it be club or varsity. Getting out of my dorm and getting to see these games with my friends has been a common theme in my time here so far. Having a stable routine has helped me adjust to living in a different place for example tuesday soccer games and saturday football. One theme I have noticed is spending a lot of time with my friends and finding activities we all enjoy including ice skating, shopping, and even just doing school work together. Overall I have noticed getting beyond my dorm has definitely helped me adjust and you can see that in my journal reflections
After reviewing my 5 beyond the dorm assignments, the recurring theme seemed to be that I attended an engagement activity each time. I found the beyond the dorm writing assignments as an opportunity to get my engagement activities out of the way. I cannot really find a recurring theme. However, I did have a lot of fun with almost all of these events. Some of them made me go out of my comfort zone, for example the industry exploration day and the time management workshop were not something I would usually attend unless I needed to. These events were outside of my comfort zone because they don’t really interest me, therefore I haven’t attended many events like these before so I didn’t know what to expect. However, events like the football game, fall fest, and the scuba club meeting were fun for me. I would attend events like these more than once and enjoy them just as much as I did the first time. I think this is a good thing. Having the ability to have a mix of getting out of your comfort zone once in a while and attending events that were enjoyable is healthy and I am glad to have had the opportunity to do so.
Throughout this semester, I’ve explored different ways of learning, connecting, and growing beyond the classroom. Each activity I participated in helped me discover something new about myself, my environment, and the people around me. From study groups in my dorm to team bus rides, I found that exploration doesn’t always mean going somewhere far. Sometimes, it’s about stepping into a new experience or routine that challenges and inspires you in some way.
Working with others in a study group taught me the importance of collaboration and how sharing ideas can deepen understanding. Traveling with the women’s soccer team allowed me to explore productivity in unexpected places, such as using long bus rides as a quiet time to focus and reflect. Attending the study abroad fair opened my eyes to opportunities for future exploration across the world, while running with teammates reminded me of how physical activity helps clear my mind and strengthen connections. Even something as simple as taking a drive and grabbing dinner with a friend gave me space to reset and appreciate balance in my life.
These experiences collectively showed me that exploration comes in many forms: academic, physical, and emotional. Each one encouraged me to step outside of my usual habits, embrace new environments, and find growth through curiosity and connection. I’ve learned that exploring doesn’t always mean traveling far, but rather being open to new perspectives and learning from every experience.
After reviewing my “BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, BEYOND YOUR DORM” page I have noticed that there has been a recurring theme of time management as well as growth. I am definitely not the same person as I was coming into college, in a good way. I have made a lot of new friends and also done a lot of new things. I have gotten outside of my comfort zone and woken up multiple times a week to lift before class. This is something that I would’ve never done beforehand and I’m grateful that it has started to become easy for me. Another significant change is my schedule. I am busy everyday and all day. There are rarely times that I can just relax and hangout with my friends outside of football or class. Studyhall after practice has helped me a lot with getting my work done and also studying. It’s so hard to fit time in for schoolwork with my schedule, but now I think that I’ve gotten used to my schedule overall, and have found time throughout my day to finish assignments along with studying. Overall, I think I have grown a lot as a person and stepped out of my comfort zone in numerous ways. I hope that over time I will continue to do so.
12 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 24”
Journal #24
After reviewing my Beyond The Classroom, Beyond Your Dorm page, I realized all the new things I have completed here at UNE. These activities were getting me out of my comfort zone. For example, trying platites for the first time was something that was out of my comfort zone. I went with a few of my friends, so that made it more fun, but completing the exercises that the teacher was saying was a new experience. I personally never had worked out in that way, but it was fun. Another theme I noticed was the theme of friends. In most of the pictures I have posted on that specific page, my friends are in them too. I have gone to new activities and went to school events with my friends. I realized that I have a good group of people here at UNE, I feel very fortunate for that. Being able to experience things with people that are in the same boat as you makes this new journey less stressful and more enjoyable. These past 10 weeks I have experienced joy, stress, new friendships, good and bad experiences and so much more. I realized how far I have come when I first moved into my dorm. I am proud to be at this place right now, where I feel more confident with my studies and balancing hanging out with friends. I have learned many lessons and reviewing what I have done this semester is making me more excited for next semester.
Madison Robinson
Journal #24
After looking through my beyond the classroom journals as well as my weekly reflections, I was able to find a few different topics that came up many times. The most frequent theme I found was adjusting to a new living situation. Prior to coming to UNE, I had never shared a space with another person, especially one this small. Throughout this semester, I have had to learn how to coexist with a stranger and adapt to the challenges that have come up. The next is learning about time management and finding a routine. I noticed that I was very curious about how my schedule would look as the semester progressed, and it took me a few weeks to really understand and see the schedule in action. Because this was such a big life change, I had to develop a new routine that fit my schedule as well as personal needs. I also noticed that the more recent journals have themes of feeling the need to stay busy. After the first weeks of welcome activities and getting to know everyone in my residence hall, there was a lot more free time that I was unsure how to deal with. All these themes throughout my journals encapsulate my first-year college journey and the challenging that I went through to get to this point, almost at the end of the semester.
Journal #24
Looking at my beyond the classroom journals, there is a definite pattern of me going out and discovering opportunities. Some of these opportunities have been off campus engaging with the community, while others have been clubs and on campus recreation. I have been putting in a lot of effort to explore what UNE has to offer and meet the people who do interesting things I like. Through these activities I have started to learn more about my time management skills and how to include homework within many activities. Since the start of the semester, I have done so many small things that contribute to the theme of discovery. Another example would include how I heard about a certification course for cold water training, so I signed up and have since acquired the cold-water badge. Without wanting to discover more UNE has to offer, I would not have found the opportunity to earn this badge.
The theme for this semester was definitely growth, both in and beyond the classroom. Looking back on my journals, I can see how much I’ve changed, not just academically, but personally as well. At the beginning of the semester, I often hesitated to take risks, whether that meant speaking up in discussions or doing challenging assignments. Over time, I learned to embrace discomfort as a sign of progress. Each class pushed me to think more critically, communicate more clearly, and manage my time more effectively. Outside of academics, I also experienced growth through new experiences and relationships with the people in my dorm. Balancing responsibilities and learning to prioritize self-care all taught me valuable lessons about independence. With each experience beyond the classroom, I found myself stepping further outside of my comfort zone. I’m not usually the type of person who easily puts myself out there or joins activities with people I don’t know, but being in college has shown me that growth often requires exactly that. In this environment, it’s impossible to know everyone, and that uncertainty has pushed me to open up, connect with new people, and embrace opportunities I might have avoided before. Each interaction, event, and group project helped me build confidence in social and academic settings. Through these experiences, I’ve learned that independence isn’t just about doing things on my own, it’s also about having the courage to engage with others!
After looking through my Beyond Classroom page and my weekly reflection journals, I noticed that in many of my entries, there was an underlying theme of trying out new things and also learning to manage my time while adjusting to my new life here at UNE. To start, when looking at my Beyond Classroom Page, I saw that a majority of my posts were centered around going to a club meeting or trying out an event that was offered on campus. For example, in my Beyond Classroom page, I discussed my experiences going to meetings for the Outing Club, the Giving Tree Club, and the Pre-PA Club. With each, I was motivated to involve myself more on campus and also meet a lot of upperclassmen that I otherwise would have been too intimidated to talk to. In two of my other entries on the Beyond page, I wrote about my experience going to Tuesday Trivia Night on the commons’ first floor. While at first I happened upon it by accident, I tried it out, met new friends, and ended up really enjoying participating in the activity. Because I pushed myself to try something new, I ended up making new friends and creating new experiences; two things that I have found to be really valuable at college. Similarly, when reviewing my weekly reflection journals, I saw that over time, I had a lot of ups and downs. Most of my struggles had to do with workload, being overwhelmed, and feeling that I had too much to do and not enough time to do it. However, as the weeks went on and I became more adjusted to my life and routine at college, my entries reflected less stress, and overall a better management of my schedule, with a greater found balance between the time spent on my academics and the time spent on my social life with friends.
While reviewing my Beyond the Classroom entries, I noticed a theme of broad diversity in activities. I engaged in both the local community, our school community, and furthered my academic capabilities. I definitely found myself going outside of my comfort zone, but I do think I could still reach further. Attending a tutoring session for my Precalculus course was probably the most outside of my comfort zone that I went. However, I feel that I could do more to push myself. Although, I am happy that I tried a range of different activities. I’m glad that I didn’t find one thing that I was comfortable with and just stick to that. Even with the concert that I went to, I got tickets for the pit rather than seats, which was outside of my comfort zone, yet I still had so much fun, probably even more than I would have if I had gotten seats. Even with the volleyball game, I’m really not much of a sports person, I’ve never had much interest in them. But, I’ve found myself loving the sports games here. And, that all started with going to the volleyball game. I’ve noticed that college has continued to push me outside of my comfort zone. I’m doing many things that would have made me anxious even a year ago, and I’m loving it. I’m really enjoying “getting out there”. After reviewing these entries, I’m happy with how far I’ve come, but I am absolutely going to continue to push myself!
Looking back at my beyond page and my other reflection journals, a pattern I have noticed/ a theme I see is growth, both personally and academically. I feel like at the beginning of the semester I was pretty nervous to start something new with people I really did not know at all and especially with commuting I was nervous I wasn’t going to get involved much on campus. Looking back at my different entries I realized how many new things I have already tried this semester, like joining a club for example I didn’t think that I was going to but it is fun to be a part of now that I look back. I also have made some really good friends and while they aren’t always in the pictures I upload they are normally there with me for the events I do go to. Looking back at my journals I realized how overwhelmed I was at first with the workload especially compared to highschool, but as the weeks went on, while I was still stressed I did find better ways to study that work best for me on top of finding a good routine where I can manage my time better.
I’ve noticed, as I am looking back through my journals, that I have grown over the last semester. I have changed and gotten better at some things (gotten worse at others), and I have the skills to prove it. I’ve gotten so much better at time management for all of my coursework, but I haven’t gotten better at remembering that I can’t just put things off to the last minute. I’ve gotten better at communicating with those around me, and expanded my circle of friends.
My perception of myself has also had to change as well. I had gotten used to how high school was, and thought that if I applied the same emotional logic at college that I would be fine. I was so wrong. I’ve had to change how I treat myself and what I expect from others around me. It hasn’t always been easy, but college is supposed to be a learning experience, and how can I learn if I don’t try? I’ve grown over the last semester, and I have more growing to do. I have experience now with the growing pains of college, and I feel confident that I can handle myself. These journals have helped to show me how much I’ve already done.
Over the last 10 weeks I have noticed that consistently I have been growing and developing a new routine as I’ve been here. It was definitely hard in the beginning being in a new place and making the adjustment of being away from my family. I have definitely branched out of my comfort zone and tried new things and met new people. I have definitely attended a lot of sports games so far and with winter sports starting I definitely plan to go to more. A lot of my beyond the classroom experiences involve watching sports whether it be club or varsity. Getting out of my dorm and getting to see these games with my friends has been a common theme in my time here so far. Having a stable routine has helped me adjust to living in a different place for example tuesday soccer games and saturday football. One theme I have noticed is spending a lot of time with my friends and finding activities we all enjoy including ice skating, shopping, and even just doing school work together. Overall I have noticed getting beyond my dorm has definitely helped me adjust and you can see that in my journal reflections
After reviewing my 5 beyond the dorm assignments, the recurring theme seemed to be that I attended an engagement activity each time. I found the beyond the dorm writing assignments as an opportunity to get my engagement activities out of the way. I cannot really find a recurring theme. However, I did have a lot of fun with almost all of these events. Some of them made me go out of my comfort zone, for example the industry exploration day and the time management workshop were not something I would usually attend unless I needed to. These events were outside of my comfort zone because they don’t really interest me, therefore I haven’t attended many events like these before so I didn’t know what to expect. However, events like the football game, fall fest, and the scuba club meeting were fun for me. I would attend events like these more than once and enjoy them just as much as I did the first time. I think this is a good thing. Having the ability to have a mix of getting out of your comfort zone once in a while and attending events that were enjoyable is healthy and I am glad to have had the opportunity to do so.
Throughout this semester, I’ve explored different ways of learning, connecting, and growing beyond the classroom. Each activity I participated in helped me discover something new about myself, my environment, and the people around me. From study groups in my dorm to team bus rides, I found that exploration doesn’t always mean going somewhere far. Sometimes, it’s about stepping into a new experience or routine that challenges and inspires you in some way.
Working with others in a study group taught me the importance of collaboration and how sharing ideas can deepen understanding. Traveling with the women’s soccer team allowed me to explore productivity in unexpected places, such as using long bus rides as a quiet time to focus and reflect. Attending the study abroad fair opened my eyes to opportunities for future exploration across the world, while running with teammates reminded me of how physical activity helps clear my mind and strengthen connections. Even something as simple as taking a drive and grabbing dinner with a friend gave me space to reset and appreciate balance in my life.
These experiences collectively showed me that exploration comes in many forms: academic, physical, and emotional. Each one encouraged me to step outside of my usual habits, embrace new environments, and find growth through curiosity and connection. I’ve learned that exploring doesn’t always mean traveling far, but rather being open to new perspectives and learning from every experience.
Journal #24
After reviewing my “BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, BEYOND YOUR DORM” page I have noticed that there has been a recurring theme of time management as well as growth. I am definitely not the same person as I was coming into college, in a good way. I have made a lot of new friends and also done a lot of new things. I have gotten outside of my comfort zone and woken up multiple times a week to lift before class. This is something that I would’ve never done beforehand and I’m grateful that it has started to become easy for me. Another significant change is my schedule. I am busy everyday and all day. There are rarely times that I can just relax and hangout with my friends outside of football or class. Studyhall after practice has helped me a lot with getting my work done and also studying. It’s so hard to fit time in for schoolwork with my schedule, but now I think that I’ve gotten used to my schedule overall, and have found time throughout my day to finish assignments along with studying. Overall, I think I have grown a lot as a person and stepped out of my comfort zone in numerous ways. I hope that over time I will continue to do so.