5 Things I Learned This Semester (Assignment)

05-01-2020

It's hard to believe that, after spending my entire life in school, I am about to be finished with my college education. Sure, I'd love to go to grad school in the future, but for right now, I am essentially done with school. It's strange, especially given the current circumstances. It seems that now is a good time to look back on my classes for my final semester of my undergraduate education, so without further ado, here are five things I learned this semester in The Sounds and Silence of Laughter: 

1. I learned more about the process of writing comedy through The Comic Toolbox. I’ve always liked to write, but comedic writing has always intimidated me—what if what I think is funny is just weird or boring to everyone else. During quarantine, I’ve been writing creatively more than I have in years, and I’ve poked around The Comic Toolbox for tips, even if what I write is for my eyes only.
2. There are some truly wild and hilarious YouTube videos out there. I loved watching different kinds of funny videos during class, and I’ve discovered a new favorite genre: metal concert audience fails. Those videos are some of the funniest I’ve ever seen. I even shared it with my parents and had them laughing too.
3. Blogging is actually fun when you take the time to sit down and do it. This is something I’ve sort of re-learned. I kept an almost daily journal for years, but around my junior year I got super busy and stopped even though I really enjoyed journaling. It made me happy, and it was a good coping tool. Through blogging for this class, I’ve re-discovered how much I like writing about my experiences. Journaling is fun, and so is blogging.
4. National Lampoon’s Vacation is based on an equally hilarious short story. I love National Lampoon’s Vacation and Christmas Vacation. If you recall, Christmas Vacation made it onto my top five comedy films list, beating out Vacation for reasons related to pure holiday nostalgia. I was absolutely delighted when I realized exactly what I was reading for my class assignment, laughing the whole time. Needless to say, I have a new favorite short story.
5. I learned how to persevere and adapt during a pandemic. Obviously, this semester didn’t turn out the way any of us expected at the beginning of the year, but I think the experience as whole has been a lesson in perseverance and adaption. The transfer to online classes has essentially forced all of us to adapt to our new situation. But just adapting to accept the situation isn’t enough. We’ve had to push through and find a way to live with the situation as well, and I think that’s where this class really helped. As simple as it may seem, having a regularly scheduled dose of laughter to lighten the mood has been in these strange times. It’s certainly helped me press onward and try to find the joy in an otherwise joyless situation.

Despite having a bit of a melancholy end, it's been a pretty great semester. I've loved all my classes, and I've learned a lot. Thank you, Dr. Williams and anyone else who might be reading this, for helping make my last semester at TCU one to remember.