I have been inexcusably absent from the blogosphere recently for one very large reason: my colloquium paper. I am only a sophomore, so this 25 page paper is the longest and most detailed academic paper I have ever completed. While I was writing it, I hated it, but now, I’m really glad that I did it. Seriously.
As a Political Science major, I have to complete 2 colloquia of my choosing, usually during the 2 semesters of the junior year. But since I plan to go abroad, I took my first one during the spring of my sophomore year. Every colloquia requires a 25 page research paper, so that by the time you reach your senior year, you’re ready to write a 50-100 page thesis. Needless to say, I felt in way over my head at the beginning of the semester. My colloquium is called “Aid, Politics, and Violence in Africa,” and was pretty intense. I have an interest in African issues, but not much experience in the field and many of my classmates intimidated me, especially those who were a full year more advanced than me. The prospect of vetting my opinions each week seemed daunting, let alone having my papers compared to theirs at the end of the class– but let me assure you, if I can do it, so can you.
I kind of hate writing papers. Especially long ones. And coming into Barnard, I had practically no experience in this area. I’m pretty sure I had never even written anything close to 10 pages and now, only two years later, I have successfully written 25 whole pages. This is a huge accomplishment for me, and if you regularly do this for your high school, more power to you, and you might want to stop reading this post. But the fact is that a lot of students come to Barnard feeling unprepared for the Ivy league. The nature of Barnard students is that we’re used to being the best at our high schools, and the first year is always a bit of a rude awakening to the brilliance of everyone around you, but this is not something to be feared. Soon, I’ll write another blog about becoming a Barnard woman, but for now, just trust me that it is a process, and the same is true of becoming a good writer and student.
Even if you feel totally out of place and unsure of yourself upon arriving on campus, do not worry!!!! Writing, studying, and test taking are all skills that you will learn if you don’t possess them already. And no one gets here alone. The great thing about Barnard is that just about everyone wants to see you succeed as much as you do. I had friends, classmates, and writing fellows look at my paper before I turned it in, and everyone was helpful beyond measure. Whether its study buddies or paper proof-readers, Barnard women love helping each other out, because we’re all on the same team, working for the same goals, and we know that we perform better with everyone rooting for us.
Filed under: Research
