I believe, overall, that my original expectations were very close to my actual experiences. I was hoping that my love for psychology was going to be reinforced, and that is absolutely true. I honestly can’t wait until I get to take more psychology classes next semester. I also learned how to better work in a group, as I expected. The fact that I was working in a group for the entire semester, instead of just one project, really helped develop the skills needed to work in a group. Similarly, my learning was integrated throughout the whole semester between all four of the classes that I was taking. First, I saw how sensation-seeking is different in adolescence and in different cultures. Journal 10 had me examining emotional regulation, which is directly related to sensation-seeking, in the light of culture and adolescent development. Second, in Research Methods and Integrative Learning, many of the major writing assignments were very similar. Often, I would write one paper, get a grade, and then have a very similar paper due in the other class. For example, the methods section for 318 and 395’s research draft. These are only two examples of how all the classes were integrated in order to provide a richer learning experience.

Obviously, over the course of the semester the five girls in my group all got to know each other a little better; meaning we had a better understanding of each of our strengths. This helped us parse up our assignments so that we could produce better research drafts. We stayed in contact at least once a week; sometimes, if the project was really involved, we communicated everyday until it was finished.

The strongest aspect of this course by far is the student-to-teacher ratio. Actually, this is one of the factors that influenced me to take part in this integrative learning community. If I had any questions, they one of the professors were always prompt to respond and clear up any misunderstanding. They were also very thorough in their assignments and explanations. If anything of this course could be improved it would be the grading for the journals. At a point in the semester, I was not getting grades back, and I felt like I was going into the journal assignments blind. I did not know if there were any mistakes that I was making consistently. Overall, I have loved my time in the integrative learning community. It has provided me with valuable information and skills that I will continue to use throughout my collegiate and professional career.