On August 23rd, Queens College kicked off its new school year, marking the first day of school for Queens College students as well as our seniors. Seniors have begun taking their humanities course, exclusively designed for Townsend seniors, and their Queens College electives, which they take alongside QC students. To gain insights into their early experiences and expectations for the upcoming year, we reached out to some seniors, who shared their thoughts with The Classic.
Harshdeep Singh:
These first two weeks with Queens College seem to have drawn my appreciation for the schedules we use at THHS—the long trail of consecutive classes that are so easy to follow. With my elective class especially, there’s been a shift in responsibility. That routine of traveling between floors to get to the next class cannot thrive on a schedule anymore. It has to rely on me, and so, I’m required to take charge of my time, plan my actions, and manage my priorities more independently.
Hasan Raza:
A challenge I’ve encountered so far is primarily staying on top of the workload. I think the various course selections allow us to test the waters and see what field we might want to go into in terms of our career path, especially because the program office is really dedicated to contributing to our education and gearing our programs toward our interests. It is extremely beneficial that Townsend students can go to QC for free and gain college credit when real students that go there may have to pay thousands of dollars.
Jeremy Fernandes:
I was nervous at first, entering a college campus. But after only a week, it dawned on me that college was more than just navigating a giant campus. It would be an experience to navigate. I can’t afford to wait for reminders from teachers to know when the next seminar is or when the next quiz is due. That will require discipline and of course, the sacred syllabus. There seems to be so much space in the college experience but navigating that space in my job.
Hellen Oliveira Do Nascimento:
These past two weeks have been relatively light. I will, however, note that having zero band humanities as someone who lives a little over an hour away from school has not been easy. I am up and out of the house before the sun has fully risen, which leaves me exhausted more often than not. That aside, however, I cannot complain about my experience. Again, scheduling. This one was the second year that I’ve had zero band four times a week. I hate it. Quite frankly, I like the credit-earning part of this program. The more credits I get now, the less debt I’ll get into.
Caylin Chan:
I like having the opportunity to go on the Queens College campus and learn in a different environment. At my internship with the Knight News instead of a traditional elective, it’s been very nice to have the opportunity to work in a newspaper at a collegiate level. It also allows me to learn more about journalism and sports media. The QC bridge program is so special because it gives us insight on what college is like and leaves us better prepared.
