3rd Year of University Reflection

When it is the start of any academic year, it always makes me feel that I have a long year ahead of me. However, semester after semester flies by so fast. If you will be entering college or university in the Fall, it may seem daunting knowing that your next four years are dedicated to school work, but believe me each year will be done before you know it! Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoy reading my reflection on my third-year of university.

Rewinding all the way to September, I'm not going to lie... it was hard going back to school. I really enjoyed my marketing internship the past summer and did not want it to end! Most of the courses I took in the fall semester were requirements, rather than courses I wanted to take. Below is a list of courses I took in that semester:

- Research Methods

- Organizational Communications

- Managing Festivals & Events

- Introduction to Multimedia

- Integrated Marketing Communications

- Career Prep 2

All of the courses above, besides Integrated Marketing Communications, were required courses. As a result, I felt pressure to earn really high grades in them. Looking back at it now, I am so grateful I got to take Integrated Marketing Communications, because it made taking the less exciting courses a bit easier. Regarding Integrated Marketing Communications, I had a great professor and the opportunity to learn more about the subject I have a strong interest in! In my program, I am required to take three career prep courses, one at a second-year level, third-year level, and fourth-year level. In the fall semester, I took the second-year level career prep course. I did not think much of the course at the time, but towards the end I realized that it was very beneficial for me. I listened to speeches of professionals in different fields (journalism, communication, marketing) which made me think more about my career goals. Overall, my courses kept me busy and I felt successful at the end. I made the Dean's list, so I can't complain!

Onto the semester I just finished. This semester consisted of two required courses and a lot of courses I got to choose. The semester flew by, but it sure was an enjoyable one! Below are the courses I recently completed:

- Consumer Behaviour

- Digital Communities

- Brand Management

- Media and Public Relations

- Travel Media

- Career Prep 4

If you do not already know, I am pursing a career in marketing. I have researched the areas of marketing, and branding is the area that I am the most drawn to. As a result, I was nothing but excited to take the brand management course offered at my school! This semester, I took half of my courses online, which gave me a lot of flexibility on when to complete assignments. I loved making my own schedule and finishing the courses when I wanted to. Overall, I am happy I took the courses I did and can't wait to take more courses I will enjoy for my next academic year!

Reflecting on other aspects of my life besides school, I experienced a lot of milestones and heart-warming events. Although I wasn't always the happiest, there were definitely a lot more positive memories I made. I love being surrounded by loved ones, so it made me happy to spend more time with my family (when they would visit and during Christmas break), and my boyfriend's parents, brothers, and grandparents. Not living close to family has made me appreciate being with them so much more. Regarding special occasions, I celebrated a lot but the most special was my boyfriend and I's two-year anniversary. Not only did we celebrate, but reflect on what we've experienced. As cliche as it sounds, life moves so fast... so capture any special moment you can before it's gone.

Now that I'm done my third year, it has made me think so much about what's next! In all honesty, what's next is nothing but exciting. Moving out of a city where I feel I've done all there is to do, gaining more work experience, enjoying the beautiful summer weather, travelling, and moving to the University of the Fraser Valley has me feeling optimistic!

With all the changes coming in my life, I will definitely have unique content and different stories to tell. As I've mentioned before, college and university is a huge learning experience... you learn what you want to pursue as a career, but also what you truly want your life to be. The one piece of advice I can give you after reflecting on my past year, is to fully take-in the enjoyable moments in your life... because life really does move fast.