Emme Bogetich, ’20, is a freshman at University of California, Davis. She attends online courses due to the pandemic and is studying life science.
Q: Why did you choose to go to UC Davis?
A: I think mainly because I’m really interested in biology. I knew that this school had a lot of research opportunities and a really good program for biology. Also because the school is only a half hour away from where I live. I think I was also probably influenced by the fact that Dr. Whited went there.
Q: How has COVID-19 affected your freshman year?
A: Everything’s online, and that makes it hard. For example, when we had the power outage due to the storm, tests and assignments had to be pushed back a week, which threw off the schedule a bit. But online learning on Zoom or prerecorded lectures isn’t necessarily harder than in person because teachers have been trying their best to make sure students have opportunities to get tutors or other help.
Q: Are your professors managing teaching online well?
A: Teachers have been doing, I think, really well. On Zoom, they make sure they check the chat and address any questions students may have. The same goes for prerecorded lectures because they’re done really comprehensively. You also can email the teacher’s assistant or them for additional questions.
Q: What is your opinion on remote learning?
A: I would rather be at school, but at the same time, it’s kind of nice because I don’t have to sit in a lecture hall with 500 or so people. Although I still want to be there and live on campus, there would be no point right now because I would just be stuck quarantining in a dorm room.
Q: How is the social aspect this year for you?
A: I basically haven’t met anyone because everything is on Zoom. There’s just been no opportunity to meet people in my class. It’s just really hard to organize study groups and things like that, so I haven’t.
Q: What classes are you taking this quarter?
A: For this quarter, I’m taking intro to calculus for biology class, intro to chemistry, intro to linguistics for general ed and a seminar of comparing Japanese and American cultures through media.
Q: How’s your workload compared to high school?
A: The workload isn’t bad right now, and it’s almost the same as high school, but that’s because I’m a freshman. A lot of the time is spent on helping us learn how to do well in college and succeed.
Q: What is your favorite class?
A: That’s hard, but if I have to pick, my favorite class would be my comparing Japanese to American culture through media class. It’s really fun and interesting and we compare advertisements, commercials and movies, then discuss.
Q: How about your least favorite class?
A: My least favorite class is my intro to linguistics class. We learn about different speech sounds and how to identify certain characteristics of each language, as well as learning the sound rules of different languages. I’m really only taking it because I needed a general ed, and I don’t find the content enjoyable.
Q: Did Country Day prepare you well for college?
A: Definitely. There was one course I took where the whole point of the class was to teach students how to write a college level essay, and as we went through the class I realized I already knew most of what they were talking about. I ended up writing a really good paper because Country Day taught me how to do that.
Q: Do you have any advice for the class of 2021?
A: The advice I’d give to the class of 2021, assuming that we’re back in person next year, is to enjoy your time getting to know people and exploring the school. Really try to experience the community you’re in and not to just focus on academics.
— By Emily Cook
