Today was long. Not because I woke up at 5:30, but because it was the first day for 3 of my classes and I had a meeting with my Success Coach. That being said, none of it went badly. I was up at a reasonable hour and made it to class on time, got a good breakfast whilst talking to a friend about the starting semester, and even had some free time after finishing my work for my Engineering class. I went to lunch with some friends after attending my Genetics class (which is one I believe will be very interesting over the course of the semester), had lunch with a few friends, and then attended my meeting with my Success Coach. We talked about my new mindset about grades and what goals I have for the semester, all normal stuff. Yet I think it was my last class of the day that really stunned me.

I walked into the classroom in the Oceanography and Physical Sciences Building to find a whopping zero classmates. Only four other people would show up. Our TA greeted us and chatted with us for a few minutes until the professor arrived and, after looking at the size of the class, said it would be better for this class if we were in his building. So, we followed him to the Computational Sciences and Mathematical Analysis Building, just across the way. We entered a conference style room where he addressed the class and started explaining it. “In this Seminar, we are all equals, don’t think of me as a teacher, and I will address you as my fellow peers” was what he said. I was taken aback at this style of teaching where we will mainly be teaching ourselves. Our class will consist of bringing topics about healthcare to the table, discussing it for about an hour and a half while the moderator keeps everyone on topic and a singular note taker (not a student, the TA or the Professor depending on the day) will keep track of all we talked about. 

I’ve never taken a Seminar, and the way this one was explained was… let’s say confusing. He referenced a problem, and using a similar problem in a different field to determine the answer to the first problem. It’s all about problem solving skills apparently, though throughout the whole class all I could think of was how I don’t know how to find the problems he’s looking for. Nonetheless I’m going to put my all into this class, just like I will with my others. I just hope it’s enough to satisfy this “Seminar”.