Spring 2009 Quarter

   

T

he spring 2009 quarter has officially begun for all currently enrolled students at Northwestern. The campus is buzzing and the incoming newbies are busily trying to find their class rooms before class starts. Thankfully for this quarter I have become more comfortable with myself on campus than I have been before.

   

B

ut this is my third quarter of being an NTC web design student. My first quarter was the fall 2008, and I took it completely online. To put it nicely I hated it, having it completely online totally isolated me at home and I felt as though I was still that home schooled high school student that I thought I had just left behind. Of course my Mom didn't see anything wrong with doing it all online but I did! Being in college meant (to me at least) wondering into the world and creating your future; on your own. I want to be independent from my parents and staying home and having online college was certainly preventing me from detaching myself from the nest. But after that quarter was over my boyfriend moved into the are from his home in Ohio which calmed me down from my 'get away' attitude. While I still love coming to the campus I enjoy being with Dan not on campus as well.

   

W

inter 2009 was my second quarter, being completely on campus I was slightly nervous my first week. It was a shock factor I needed to outgrow, being around other people for many hours a day wasn't something I was accustomed to. Being home schooled I was only used to being around my brothers, sister, and parents all day (big deal, yeah right). So being in my first class of the quarter's first day was strange. But after a while I got became more comfortable and at ease being with a bunch of other people.

   

N

ow I'm in my third quarter, and I'm mostly taking all on campus. Originally I was completely registered to be on campus all day but my Design Methodology class was canceled due to lack of interest and student numbers. Web Tools is my online class about the program Dreamweaver. Thankfully though it doesn't bother me that I have to have that online, I'm just glad I get to be on campus again. And this quarter has been a totally different experience thus far. I actually know students I pass through the halls, who I sit by during class, and teachers who work busily to make schedules and class plans work for their students. It's nice having someone to talk to while I wait between classes, and to sit by in class. I'm no longer the scared newbie on campus who doesn't know a soul in the world.