Taylor Hoang

Honors 100
Autumn Quarter Reflection

At the beginning of fall quarter, my goals at UW and the honors program specifically
were to hear new perspectives and broaden my horizons. I was also excited to take classes
outside of my major in the honors program that encourages discussion and action. Looking back
on the first Honors 100 assignment, many of the goals I outlined for myself were academic. I
was excited to begin exploring and finding myself in an academic and career-based light. While
this is still a main focus for me, I have also begun to find myself this fall quarter. I’ve learned
how to be an independent adult and make the right discernments. I’ve learned how to balance
academics with a social life and extracurriculars, something I struggled with in high school. This
was something I wasn’t expecting to value or even recognize as something I could improve upon
until the end of the first quarter.
In terms of the Honors Program, it was mostly what I expected, but more. I expected the
interesting courses, the comradery developed due to the small size of the program, and the
opportunities for experiential learning. All of these things are beginning to become fulfilled, but
they are different from how I expected. I imagined the Honors program to exist in a
compartmentalized space within my University of Washington education. I thought I would take
my honors classes, then not think about them in other areas of my life. This is contrary to what
has actually happened. With my honors class, I’ve done a project and discussed the heavy topics
much outside the four fours a week that I have class. In addition, the options for experiential
learning have begun to penetrate my daily thoughts. I find myself thinking about everything
associated with my honors experience much more than I anticipated I would. Being an
interdisciplinary honors student is a much bigger part of my identity than I imagined it would
become.
In the same way that my goals shifted away from entirely academics and more toward
developing myself as a whole, I hope to look into programs that will help develop other areas of
me that are not academically based. This quarter has taught me the importance of balance, and
the mental toll not being able to balance everything can have. At the beginning of the quarter, I
was taking on more extracurricular and social commitments than I should have. Ultimately, the
lack of eating and sleeping led to serious repercussions when I realized I couldn’t handle it all
anymore. I hope to look into the mental health/health and wellness resources we have on
campus. Also, I hope to be able to look into experiential learning opportunities that are fulfilling
in an entirely different sense. Studying abroad will allow me to continue to focus on my
academics while developing other facets of myself. I will learn new perspectives, meet new
people, and become a more well rounded individual. By looking into and possibly doing such, I
will continue to develop myself in all aspects.
Words:515