Marina Menendez: Becoming a Better Student
Every quarter I say that the 10 weeks go by in the blink of an eye, but this winter quarter has truly flown by. My sophomore year is half way over and I am amazed at how much I’ve learned and experienced here at Santa Clara. While this quarter was not the most eventful in the extracurricular sense, my classes have kept me very well occupied. This quarter I made the decision to overload on classes ( taking more than 19 units). While each of my classes has been rewarding, I can definitely feel the extra hours I spend in class as well as the extra workload. This is definitely the most challenged I’ve been while at Santa Clara. That being said, I am really glad that I decided to do so because this quarter has helped me to grow as a student and learn how to truly optimize my study time, but also as a person. I have been able to learn for myself how to destress and/or manage stress when I am facing multiple deadlines.
In addition to that, most of my winter quarter has been dedicated to applying for study abroad. I have been attending meetings with my faculty advisor as well as the global engagement office to try ensure that this is something that fits into my four year plan. The process has really helped me understand that studying abroad is an undertaking that includes many ups and downs. That being said, I just recently found out that I have been accepted to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain this coming fall. I am so excited to see what spring quarter has in store, and I’m even more excited to see what new experiences I’ll have in Barcelona!