I thought it would be beneficial for both students and families to get a glimpse in my academic life, especially after I ran into a too common snag in one of my classes.
So let me lay the stage for you. As it says in my bio below, I am a BFA Photography major. Every BFA major is required to take a plethora of studio classes within their area of emphasis (mine would be photography) and outside that area (like drawing, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking etc.) This semester I am in three studio classes, one of which being Metals and Jewelry making. It is exactly what it sounds like. Our most recent assignment was creating a ring from scratch. We had been working on this piece for a couple weeks now and the due date was right around the corner, this Tuesday the 28th to be exact. Being the good student I was, I took time on Monday to get it all wrapped up and done for class. I spent 3 ½ hours in the lab when tragedy struck.
I MADE A MISTAKE.
This mistake resulted in me mangling and melting part of my ring, requiring me to start over. My instant response was to pack up, go home, watch some Netflix and take a nap…and I did just that. After seeing my work literally melt away, I wasn’t ready to hit the ground running on a new piece. I believe this reaction was totally normal and acceptable for any student who has lost work. Partially this is also because I took action to ensure this setback didn’t get me too behind in the class. I went in later that night and got up early Tuesday morning to get as much done with quality that I could do before class. I also talked to my instructor to explain the situation so she would know why it was going to be late.
Just to calm y’alls nerves, I DID finish my ring and I think it turned out quite splendidly. I know that majority of y’all who read this won’t be able to relate directly to the specifics of the story, but I’m sure you can with the general parts. You work on an assignment really hard-a paper, presentation, model, homework, etc.-and then something happens that requires you to start completely over. It’s frustrating, it’s saddening, it’s stressful! It gets you thinking that maybe your parent’s basement isn’t so bad after all…
The reason I wrote about this was to reach out to you students who know exactly this situation because you lived it or the ones who will most likely (knock on wood) be in a similar mini-mess in the future.
EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK.
If something like this happens, I would follow these steps:
- Take a breath, literally
- Take a breath, figuratively by taking a break from schoolwork or that subject. Watch some Netflix, take a nap, read a book. Just make sure you set a time limit on this de-stressing
- Make a plan on how to catch back up. When will you work on it? What do you need to do/redo? How much time will it take to get done?
- Reach out to your instructor. Send them an email explaining what had happened, or better yet talk to them in person. They won’t know anything unless you tell them, and they could help you out.
- GET ‘ER DONE. You got this. Heck, you’ve done it before! Think of this re-do as a learning experience that allows you to delve back into specific subject matter, giving you the chance to learn more in depth and become a pro.
So I hope you could all learn from my experience and can use some of these suggestions to make your sticky situation a little better if/when it happens!
~Zoë
Zoë Pixler, a junior majoring in BFA Photography, is the Family Orientation Assistant, helping with special projects and family orientation. She is also a member of a social sorority.