Looking Back
It’s hard to imagine that my first year at UBC is coming to an end. All the people I have met and the friendships I’ve formed have made the year all the more memorable.
But putting the social aspects aside, I must highlight just how educational the classes I’ve taken with the Coordinated Arts Program this year are. However this only occurred to me during the second term.
Initially, I applied for CAP for an easy transition into university – what it was designed to do. However, countless friends have told me that CAP was a hit-or-miss kind of program. You either really enjoy your classes, or you hate them all. I personally had mixed feelings
During the first term, I was not very fond of my courses. Poli Sci and History were a complete bore, and I was never really engaged in lectures. The only course I enjoyed (and did fairly well in) was ASTU. I’ve always enjoyed writing comprehensively and reading works of others. It seemed as though ASTU, lead by Heather was a great catch for me. Clear and concise, I could follow along every class, and I loved the novels assigned.
Even though the courses briefly related to each other, it was too insignificant to leave a long-lasting impact. They might as well not have related to each other at all and it still wouldn’t have made a difference to me. I questioned my choice of applying of CAP and regretting my decision.
It wasn’t until the second term where I discovered the value of CAP. All three courses, (ASTU, History, and Anthropology) clearly shared central themes and arguments, and I absolutely loved it. I could take something I learned from one course and incorporate it into another, further developing my understanding of the material. The amount of knowledge I’ve retained and appreciated from all CAP courses collectively in this term substantially outweighs the amount in term one.
I found the topic of Indigenous groups and colonization very engaging (and easy to write about). I loved learning about the effects colonization has had on these people, and the traumatic experiences they have faced and currently are facing. The fact that these issues still exist today really opened my eyes. This problem is unbelievable important, yet not many people know about it. I had not known about the current issues surrounding indigenous peoples today until taking History this term. I truly valued the lectures and information I’ve taken in, and I hope more people can come to learn about the same issues I’ve learned.
So was CAP a hit or a miss for me? I still can’t really say. While I do see the benefits of enrolling in CAP, I still wonder about how my year would have went had I chosen to pick my courses freely. However, I do acknowledge that CAP has given me a better understanding about how the school system works, and having most courses intertwine and connect from time to time really did make transitioning easier. There really is no point in questioning whether my decision was right or not. It has already happened, and I can’t change the past. All I can say is that I’m definitely looking forward to my next year!
It was really nice to be able to write about my thoughts on the past year in this blog to share with everyone. Thanks Heather!
Will I still keep posting blogs?
Probably not….
