Professor Schwartz’ seminar on the art of learning made me look back on my educational journey and examine a lot of things that I could improve in my mindset towards learning. One of the key things he discussed in his seminar is that learning should be about both goals and enjoyment, and we should not worry so much about our GPA and the meaning of our classes and what we are getting out of them. Like many other people at this seminar, I am a transfer student to Cornell this semester and the transition has challenged and also pushed me to be better and change my mindset on school. In the past, I very much viewed school as something I had to do, focusing on getting the best grade without taking an actual interest in the work and just trying to get through to the next semester. Now, I am not only studying something that really interests me, but I am reflecting on this opportunity and using it to get the most out of my studies and attempt new opportunities I previously would have shied away from.

One thing that Professor Schwartz advised that I am still trying to work on is the skill of time management. I think that is one of my weakest skills in and out of school, and affects my performance in many ways. In this seminar, he gave us a few tips on improving our time management skills but I will definitely have to do more work in picking up tips and developing this aspect of my life.