Reflective Essay: The Wisconsin Experience

It’s hard to imagine that this time last year I was attending high school with my best friends, seeing my family every night, and wishing graduation would come faster. Now I am living 5 hours away from that familiar area, taking care of myself, and studying for finals. This first semester of freshman year has been incredible, eye opening, and a lot shorter than I could have ever imagined. One thing I’ve learned through this semester that it is actually okay to eat meals by yourself and walk to class alone. Before college I purposely tried to avoid sitting at the lunch table by myself at all costs. I think it was due to the mentality that sitting alone made someone a “loser”. I’ve gotten over this mindset and now regularly eat lunch by myself and enjoy it. However, that’s not to say I do not enjoy eating with others, but sometimes it’s just nice to eat in silence and not engage in a conversation. Throughout the day many people are by …show more content…
In turn, learning about all the different dimensions of identity helped me to understand an identify different than myself and empathize with them. I think this is especially beneficial on a large campus with people from around the world and multiple backgrounds. I have learned to be accepting of everyone and never make assumptions about anybody. This will help my Wisconsin Experience through compassion, being able to understand a person, and be cautious of other’s backgrounds and cultures. The history, culture, and purpose of UW-Madison are related to the Wisconsin Idea. UW-Madison was established in 1838 but first classes didn’t meet until February 5, 1849. This is the idea the UW-Madison, a research university, should share its research and knowledge from the university throughout the state. This idea will influence my Wisconsin Experience by sharing whatever knowledge, programs, and research I learn throughout my time