Natalie Hillerson

Honors 100 BD
Portfolio Reflection
To prepare myself for college and all the new experiences it would bring, I watched
copious amounts of television shows. This was not to practice what I would undoubtedly be
doing most weekday nights (and lets be honestprobably most weekend nights as well), but
instead to get a true, realistic, and completely not dramatized portrayal of the quintessential
college experience. My study materials included Felicity, the third season of Veronica Mars,
Undeclared, and Community. Of course, I knew that no college would have huge dorm
rooms, opportunities for crime solving, non-stop partying, or a flamboyant and ever-present dean
but I could dream, right?
Despite these slight misgivings about university life, college is actually meeting my
expectations pretty completely. I knew that classes were going to be challenging, friendships
would take awhile to form, more free time and more independence would lead to increased time
management skills, but I also knew that I would have a fantastic time. And all these have been
true. The people Ive met, the classes Ive taken, and the extracurricular events Ive gone to have
all made my first quarter at UW an overwhelming success.
Something that continuously surprises me about UW, and the Honors Program in
particular, is how unabashedly passionate the students are about not only academics, but their
hobbies as well. That isnt to say I came into college thinking people would be boringI just
hadnt really thought about the breadth of interesting people I would meet. For example, I love
typography and could talk about fonts and their impact on society for days. One of my good
friends here loves statistics and graphs and analyzing data. Even though she has no particular
interest in fonts, and I have no particular interest in statistics, it is refreshing and fascinating to

hear each other rave about these subjects with such fervor. It makes me extremely giddy to see
the fire in peoples eyes when they talk about something they love, and living on the Honors
floor of Haggett Hall has given me a chance for this excitement to occur every time I ask
someone, So, what do you like to do in your free time?
The academics at UW have also been surprising in ways I hadnt imagined. In high
school, chemistry was one of my favorite subjects and I excelled in the AP class mostly because I
found everything so enthralling. In comparison, I abhorred math. I didnt understand most of it,
and only did well on tests because I memorized things instead of comprehending them. I
expected the same attitudes to apply at collegeand for the most part, they have. However,
taking an honors chemistry course has challenged me to no end, while my math class has been
fairly easy. I never expected to do so well in a math class and struggle so much in a subject I
loved. This isnt to say I have completely reevaluated my life and future goalsIm still
planning on majoring in biochemistry and becoming a forensic pathologist, I just now know that
Im going to have to work harder than I expected to not only prove to others Im deserving of a
STEM major, but prove it to myself as well.
As I solidify my daily schedule and become more aware of how much time I can spend
on activities other than homework, I have become pretty set in the extracurriculars I want to
become a large part of over the next four years. Upon entering UW, I didnt really have an idea
of what specific clubs I wanted to joinmostly because it was so overwhelming looking at the
RSO directory. However, I have gotten involved with Manic Mouth Congress (and to a larger
extent Youth Speaks Seattle), Planned Parenthood Votes, and Third Wave Feminists. These three
groups are all composed of interesting, welcoming people with whom Id be honored to spend
my time on a regular basis. I am a bit disappointed in my current level of commitment with these

groups, however, seeing as I sometimes skip weekly meetings because of studying or homework
that falls higher on my priority list. As winter quarter approaches and I get a better handle on my
study schedule, though, I hope to increase my time commitment to these groups and eventually
become an integral part of their inner workings.
As for non-UW related activities, Ive been able to experience so many more things than
I thought possible. For example, I went to a TEDxRainier conference a couple weeks ago, which
was eye-opening and enlightening, and Im so glad I went. My friends and I also try to go on
weekly adventures to a new neighborhood of Seattle (weve done Capitol Hill, Fremont, and
Queen Anne thus far) in search of cool shops and the best chai. I love exploring the city, and Im
extremely thankful that Ive made friends that like to venture as well. Having most of my friends
upwards of 1,600 miles away from me, I came into UW very nervous about making strong
friendships and building a support system. Luckily, this worry has mostly subsided as I have
gained some really rad friends that I hope last beyond my undergraduate years.
Overall, Im very pleased with my first quarter at the University of Washington.
Sometimes, Ill walk out of a building and just drown in the beauty of it all: the campus, the
people, the academics, the past, present, and future experiences, the combination of coincidences
that led me to this university. Its quite miraculous, and I cant imagine myself anywhere else.
Im here, and Im happy.