Last semester at IPFW

I remember in August of 2003 coming to orientation at IPFW. I really had no idea what was going on, I just remember that I had scheduled the last OASIS session before school started and then skipped out on the majority of it except for the class scheduling part. Now a mere five years later I am all set to graduate in May with my BA. I never really thought much about the fact that I was graduating, because it never seemed to be that important of an accomplishment. I had merely reached another milestone in the road of life. But it has been quite an interesting journey for me at IPFW and I find myself lamenting from time to time, as this semester continues, knowing that I am almost done.

However, I can't complain too much because I was actually all set to graduate last year. Unfortunately, I did not know what I wanted to do afterwards, so I added English as a major. So as an English major, with a concentration in writing, I am more or less completing the entire major in one year. That means I have the privilege of taking my sophomore writing class in my last semester at college (since for some odd reason my history writing class counts for my sophomore literature interpretation class, but does not count for my sophomore English writing class). Better yet though, the only W200 class that fit in with my schedule was a Technical writing class. Technical writing classes are usually filled up with all engineering majors, but I now have the pleasure of sharing a class with them.

Well one of my assignments today, in my sophomore writing class, was to write a brief introduction about myself for my fellow classmates. I had to tell them that I was a fifth year student at IPFW. I had to tell them that I was an English major. I had to tell them that as a fifth year English major I am just now getting around to fulfilling my sophomore English writing requirement. Further, I am taking a technical writing class, designed for engineers to fulfill that requirement. My classmates are probably going to think that I am the stupidest English major at IPFW. I could have told them more about myself, you know, to explain my situation- I didn’t.

To be honest does anybody really care about first day introductions? Now I understand, in our class, with our small size and constant interaction it might be important, but what about in a class where all we do is listen to lectures? I met 100 people in my first week of the semester and I don’t remember any of them. I might recognize there face, but I couldn’t tell you the major or high school they attended. Yet every class I seem to take I have to give an obligatory first day introduction of myself. And the thing is, I am never really being myself when I have to give an introduction. I don’t want to say too little, but I certainly don’t want to say too much. I think everybody is kind of like that. So in the end, it becomes more like a roll call. But instead of saying here or present we have to say our name, major, and “an interesting fact” about ourselves. I guess it is just one of those funny little nuisances of university education these days that all students have to go through. Yet, in a funny way, I will probably miss giving those silly little introductions after I’m gone from IPFW.