Junior Year Fall — The Mid-Semester Check-In

We’re officially at that point in the semester where midterms are happening, everyone’s slightly more tired, and the leaves are starting to turn. Somehow, junior fall is already halfway over.

My Classes

This semester, I’m taking Developmental Psychology, Multicultural Psychology, an Educational Psychology seminar, and 2nd Year Japanese. It sounds like a lot — and it is — but the funny thing is how much the classes actually connect with each other.

In Developmental Psych, we’re going through different stages of how kids grow — from early language development to cognitive changes in adolescence. In Ed Psych, we take those same theories and think about what they mean in real classrooms: how kids learn, how teachers support them, and what actually works when you’re standing in front of students. And then in Multicultural Psych, we’re talking about how things like culture, family dynamics, and identity shape all of it. It’s made me realize that nothing we learn about kids exists in a vacuum. Their backgrounds shape everything — how they process school, how they interact with peers, how they view themselves.

Then, Japanese is kind of its own world. We’ve been doing more reading and longer conversations this semester, which is exciting but also requires a lot of brain power in the early morning before anything else. But I do like that I can now read things I couldn’t read even a few months ago!

First time in a middle school classroom

The biggest new thing for me this semester is definitely my field placement at Radnor Middle School. I’m working with 8th graders, which was a bit of a jump since most of my experience has been with younger kids. Walking into a classroom full of middle schoolers on the first day was definitely intimidating. They’re old enough to pick up on everything — who’s nervous, who’s confident, who’s faking confidence. But as the weeks have gone on, I’ve actually come to enjoy it a lot. They’re funny in ways that only middle schoolers are, and they’re honest, sometimes brutally, which keeps you on your toes.

I’m learning how to find a balance between being approachable and being a teacher figure. It’s also made everything I’m learning in Ed Psych feel more real. It’s one thing to read about classroom management and engagement, and another to actually stand there and figure out how to get 8th graders to pay attention.

Kid Lab, Grapevine, and everything else

Outside of classes and field placement, there’s still a lot going on. I’m continuing my work at the Kid Lab on the Talking Tech project, which has been one of my favorite things. Getting to observe and work with kids as they develop language feels like seeing my coursework come to life in real time. It’s also reminded me how much I enjoy research that’s directly connected to kids and learning.

Grapevine rehearsals have also been in full swing. The concert is coming up, so rehearsals are definitely ramping up too. It’s been nice to have that space each week — singing, being with friends, and having that creative outlet in the middle of everything else. It’s one of those things I look forward to even when I’m tired.

Meeting new people again

Like every fall, there’s been a new wave of first-years, and it’s been fun getting to know some of them. It always reminds me how quickly time passes — I still remember being in their shoes. Now that I’m a junior, I feel a little more settled in my routines, but I also know how much more there still is to figure out.

Where things are right now

Overall, junior fall has felt busy in a different way than past semesters. There’s more responsibility, but also more moments where I can feel everything starting to click. All the classes, experiences, and people I’ve worked with are finally starting to connect. It’s not always easy balancing it all, but I do feel like I’m learning a lot, both inside and outside of class.

📍Also, in the Hamptons....

Guess what? I'm actually writing this on my comfy hotel bed in the Hamptons!

I got to take a bit of a breather from campus life since it's fall break and spend a few days in the Hamptons with my best friend Minseo. She’s currently doing an exchange semester at Cornell, so we figured fall break was the perfect time to meet up and do a little trip.

Neither of us had been to the Hamptons before, so it felt very East Coast fall aesthetic — lots of cute small towns, cozy coffee shops, and those big open beaches that are somehow even prettier when it’s a little chilly and empty. We did a lot of walking, a lot of talking (catching up on everything), and just enjoyed having a slower pace for a few days. Honestly, after how packed this semester has felt, it was really nice to just step away for a bit, breathe some ocean air, and eat way too many desserts >.<