Hi everyone! I hope you had a good winter break and are getting back into the swing of school! In this blog, I’m going to talk about my winter break and experiences with January term (J-term) at Amherst College. Please email me at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu if you have any question at all.
Winter Break
I spent my winter break (and my J-term) at home in Atlanta. We had a break of two and a half weeks between the end of finals week and the start of J-term, and I enjoyed getting to cook for myself, go on walks every day with my dog, read lots of books (A Little Life, anyone?), and drive around and listen to music. I had originally planned to go back to campus for my J-term class even though the class was conducted virtually, but I decided to stay home and continue to enjoy my own food for as long as I could before I returned to Amherst.
J-term: Being Human in STEM
My J-term class was called Being Human in STEM, and it fulfills the DEI requirement for biology majors. We met on Zoom for three hours every weekday for three and a half weeks, and discussed our own experiences in academia and STEM, various disconnects encountered by students (for example, good faculty intent does not translate to a positive student experience), and data-driven studies that show that STEM has a significantly lower student retention rate (especially for FLI and/or BIPOC students) when compared to other academic fields. I learned about the systems in place that benefit some students but hinder others, and how identities such as one’s gender, class, race, and sexuality might influence their experiences in STEM.
The class culminated in a final project where students made proposals to address and help rectify a disconnect in STEM. These proposals will be published in an HSTEM magazine in the coming months and distributed at the college to faculty, staff, and friends.
Being Human in STEM was an incredible class. It helped me contextualize all of my experiences (good and bad) that I’ve had in my academic journey thus far, and showed me that the imposter syndrome that has plagued me is common and in large part due to various structures that prioritize knowledge and facts over the humans in academia. I encourage everyone at Amherst to take this class if they have the opportunity.
Return to Campus
The start of the spring semester was delayed by a few days in order to extend the move-in period and mitigate any influx of COVID cases on campus. The first week of classes was conducted entirely through Zoom, and I have not enjoyed the return to virtual teaching. Fortunately, the COVID cases on campus have been lower than expected, and we will return to in-person instruction next week.
Thank you for reading! I hope you are having a smooth return to school and are staying warm this winter.