Meeting with our Professor

For this week’s campus safari I met with my INQ professor. Professor Guarino’s office is located in Englemen, D244 near the English department. Her office hours are Tuesday Thursday 8:35-9:35am or by appointment. The best way to make an appointment with her is to email her. I learned that even though our Inquiry class counts as a class, and we do get credits for it, it’s more of a class to just get you used to college and to ease your way into your freshman year. I think that’s a good idea because my friends who go to other colleges don’t have an actual “first year experience” class so they just immediately walk into college and get started without getting any help and really no guidance. I also learned that we won’t be taking any exams in this class so we don’t have to worry about a midterm and a final, although we will have to do video projects which get posted on our blogs.

Our First Video Project

For our first video project at first I wasn’t sure what I was going to do and just immediately started freaking out about it when I thought about the fact of having to do that on my own. I finally decided I’d think about it for a couple days and I finally was able to think about the question I was going to ask and who I was going to ask, but it still scared me more than anything. After meeting with Professor Guarino it made me feel more at ease with her really explaining what she was looking for and how we could set it up. I also watched a couple of the examples that our professor posted on her blog and those also really helped me get a complete idea of what was expected of us. I decided that since I live on campus that my question that I’m going to ask is why it’s more beneficial living on campus for freshman than commuting. I think that us living here really helps us get eased into college so that way we’re used to living for the next four years. So I’m really interested in what they think and why they think it’s more beneficial. For my two upperclassmen I plan on asking them what in their opinion they believe is better for freshman for commute, or live on campus. I have a feeling they’re going to say commute because they both commute. I also plan on asking one of my CCs the same question, what they think is more beneficial with freshman living on campus or commuting. I think this question is important because there are probably facts on which freshman do overall academically better, freshman who live on campus or freshman who commute. I think this will make an interesting video because it’s a question that incoming freshman ask themselves, and their parents all the time.

My Time

I really liked the Self-Study for time assignment because it broke down our days to where we had to record and it and it showed us where we all really spend our time. Because of the different medications that I’m on for my back and my leg, a lot of them have drowsy as a side effect so sleep was one of my main focuses on my chart. Not that I sleep all day, every day it’s just that some nights I have to go to bed earlier that other nights, and some days  I have to take pain medication during the day which also caused me to take a nap in between classes. I also noticed that I spent a lot of time driving back and forth to school because of all my doctor’s appointments. I had two doctor’s appointments last week and it takes me an hour to drive to school so back and forth that was 8 hours of my week that I spent just driving. I also noticed that although I spent a good amount of my time doing homework and studying, I realized that I could have probably spent a little more time on that. I think the reason I don’t spend as much time as I should on work is because I am the world’s biggest procrastinator. In between my classes I always tell myself in the morning that I’m going to get some homework done, but in the afternoon I always decide that there’s always something “more important” for me to do. Or that if I do all my homework at one time I’ll focus better on it all, which definitely isn’t true. From now on I’m going to plan an hour in between for me to actually get some work done that way I won’t have as much to do later on in the night. I’m also going to try to cut back on how much time I drive to and from school even though it’s a necessity for me.

Soccer Game

I really need to keep reminding myself about the campus safari assignments being due on Saturday’s because I always forget or I need to start doing them in advance. But my roommates and I and our friends went to the home soccer game on Wednesday, September 19, and it was a boys game. We couldn’t believe all the people that we there to support our team and it was a really good game. The boys defeated University of New Haven with the score of 2-0. On top of that win, the boys have won three other games and ended up tying in another game.

A for Effort

Today’s blogging assignment was to blog about who I thought should receive and A on their blog, and at first I was thinking sure, this will be easy. But again, I was wrong. I think this was a good assignment because it made us really think about what we think should be in a blog and what we thinks make them unique and it also made us take a minute and actually read and look at everyone’s blog. I read a bunch and that’s when it really hit me, I can’t pick one or two blogs that I thought received an A because I thought each blog was unique in their own ways. Especially with this being my first time actually ever having a blog I don’t know the dos and don’ts of blogs and I don’t know what makes blogs unique and interesting based on grading level. In my opinion I think as long as you do each assignment you should get a good grade because you’re doing the homework. But I also think that if you actually take the time out and make your blog look presentable than you should receive an A. I found all of the blogs unique in their own ways; I saw some that were set up so that you can just scroll right down and you have them all right in front of you. Then I also saw ones that you had to click on each post, which I thought was cool because those were really different from all the others. Some people probably think that length should be included in how you’re graded but I think that for a blog you should be able to keep it short and sweet, but also making sure you’re hitting all the necessary points. I also liked the blogs that included links for the points they were trying to make because then you can go and look at  what that website also said about the topic they’re talking about. I think as long as you hit all the points, you include a picture and make your blog your own I think you should receive an A.

 

College Survival Guide

Coming into college I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but after going to orientation and welcome weekend I was a little relieved after learning all the tips from my OA’s. One of the tips that I received that really made moving into college a lot easier was to find my roommates on facebook and twitter before moving in. I couldn’t believe how relieving it was to know that I wasn’t moving into a room with strangers, by the end of the summer I was actually moving into a room with my friends. When I first meet new people, I’m a very shy person and don’t really talk but being as me, Shelby, and Ashley talked pretty much all summer long so when I walked into our room I wasn’t worried about having to make friends with these people that I’ve never met before because we were already friends. The second I got here we all clicked, and even though we’ve only been at school a couple weeks we’ve gotten very close. Another tip that I was thankful for was all the help the Disability Resource Center gave me, because of my pain syndrome I have weekly meetings with Amy and she told me once I am able to connect with my professors it’ll be easier for me to talk to them about my disability. After giving them an overview of my pain syndrome and how I feel my first semester would go, it was a lot easier for me to talk to my professors about it. I learned that your professors do care about every single one of their students regardless of how many students they have. I also learned that your professors are there to see and help you do your best in college, but they also make sure that you take up the responsibilities you have in college. If you’re having a problem with understanding something you’re going over in class, although the professor is there for help, they aren’t going to keep you after class and make sure you’re aware of your decreasing grade. They’re going to make sure you make the adult decision in making an appointment with them and getting the help you need. So I guess that is also a good tip I was reminded of, that your professors aren’t like your high school teachers and that you actually need to stay aware of your grades.

 

 

Campus Safari #3

When I visited the health center, I was informed that one of the biggest health problems that college students suffer from is stress. I’m sure that some of you reading this are thinking that stress isn’t a big thing, and something that the health center wouldn’t even be involved in. But you’re wrong. Stress isn’t just the overwhelming feeling you get when you’re preparing for a midterm or a final. It affects people very differently; stress often causes people anxiety and can give them very bad anxiety attacks. Stress can also cause migraines, back pain, and can even make some people sick. Teenagers are more vulnerable to stress because of the overwhelming feeling of new demands and pressures. The transition from high school to college is one of the biggest stress factors on college students due to the increasing about of work load and all the new responsibilities you have to take on. Some people who often aren’t able to find ways to relieve stress, can develop depression, which is also a very serious health problem. The health center is located on Wintergreen Ave near West Campus. The health center is open Monday-Thursday 8am until 6pm and Friday 8am to 4pm.

My Everyday Struggle

 

My disability isn’t something I volunteer to talk about, although I will talk about it when I have too. But, talking about it helps me realize how strong I truly am. Two years ago I faced one of the worst things a 15 year old girl could imagine. During cheerleading practice I was tumbling, and unfortunately my hand slipped, and so did I. Three days later I went to the doctors and got x-rays on my back but, nothing severe showed. I was okay with the back pain, because it didn’t really affect me every day. Then, a month later I woke up and couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t even being to describe the sharp shooting pain in my back, and my entire left leg was numb. I spent a week in the hospital, had MRI after MRI and still, nothing too alarming ever showed up. Finally I got a nerve test and I got some answers, but not anything I really wanted to hear. I got diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which is very hard for me to explain, but a shorter version is chronic pain due to dysfunction of the central nervous system, so I’m going to post a link of the actual definition. But getting diagnosed with that pain syndrome, meant that I could be on crutches for a very long time, or I could be up and walking again in a couple days. I got hit with the being on crutches for a while, and was out of school for 3 months. When I started getting stronger, my physical therapist finally let me try the walking bars with the harness, and stumble after stumble; I was finally walking without the crutches. It took a lot longer for me to get the feeling back in my leg than we thought it would, so I was out of school for a longer period of time. Once I was cleared by my newest and most frequent visited doctor, my pain management doctor I was able to go back to school. By then, I had been so far behind, but I wasn’t letting this awful setback completely ruin my life. I worked three times harder on my makeup work, and by the end of the year I actually was on the honor roll with honors, and received nothing lower than an 85. Looking back I realized that even though I missed so much school, I set my mind to make all that work up and, I was able to do that and then some. It taught me to never let my disability get the best of me. CRPS is a pain syndrome that once you’re diagnosed with it, you will suffer from it for the rest of your life. It does affect my learning, and it does affect my life everyday but it’s something that I will never let fully ruin me. Even if I have to work twice as hard as some people in college, I will never give up on myself.

 

 

                      http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/DS00265

 

Success is my only Option.

I would define the word successful as setting your mind to a goal, mine being to graduate college with my nursing degree, and doing whatever you have to, to accomplish that goal. In the reading of “Thriving in College and Beyond” chapter 3, successful is defined as the means to achieve a desired outcome. Success comes from the Latin root successus which literally means “to follow or come after.” It also tells you that by definition, success involves an order or sequence of actions that will lead to a desired outcome. That meaning the process starts with identifying an end, a goal and then doing whatever you have to, to reach that goal. It advises you that setting a goal is the first step in the process of becoming successful, because it gives you something to push forward to and it ensures that you will start off going in the right direction. To me, setting a goal and pushing forward isn’t the only thing to becoming successful. Obviously, graduating college is a great success but I think graduating and being remembered is actual success, and pushing through all of your hardships to make sure that your goal was achieved. Becoming a part of your school and joining clubs is important and is how I think you can be remembered more at your school, professors and administrators are more likely to remember you 10 years down the line if you were active in the school and participated in things. Other than being the kid who might go to class everyday sit in the back, do their homework every night and have an A average the entire semester. As good as getting the A every semester is, getting involved in your school and achieving your goals at the same time really shows everyone how successful you actually are. Also by setting goals, you show yourself and everyone else that you truly are determined to make sure that your dreams really do come true. And obviously, once your goal, or dream, or whatever you happen to be striving for is achieved, that is the ultimate form of success.

Work Out

One of the most popular places on campus for students is the fitness center. As like the rest of the staff and students on campus, the workers at the fitness center were so nice and eager to answer all of my questions. Most students pay for their membership on their hoot loot card and for the fall semester it costs 60$ and together for the fall and spring semesters it costs $120. They have a lot of different classes you can choose to participate in such as zumba, kickboxing, spins, and dance to name a few. Due to my pain syndrome I can’t really participate in programs like that, but I did do zumba at my gym before I got hurt and I really enjoyed it. The fitness center has a very reasonable hours as well to allow all the kids time to go. Monday through Thursday they’re open 7am-10pm, Friday 7am-8pm, Saturday 9:30am-4:30pm and on Sunday 2pm-7pm. Although I’m not able to really do anything at the fitness center, it definitely don’t seem like a bad place to get a job.

"Blogging is for Losers"

When I first read the syllabus and saw that we were going to have to blog 3 times a week, all that I could think of was that blogging is for losers. I always thought that blogging were for the kids in high school who always found something to complain about and put it on the internet for everyone to see. Man, was I wrong, I guess that’s why they tell you to never assume things. When I was researching about blogs I actually found a long list of celebrities who have blogs such as Pamela Anderson and Kim Kardashian. I noticed that some blogs are more informational such as the Wall Street Journal Blog, and the Army Live blog. But also, some blogs are just all about you; Kim Kardashian’s blog mainly showed pictures of her daily outfits, her favorite shoes, and all the magazine covers she was on. For me, I found blogs to be more interesting when they had pictures and video clips to watch. When I was looking at different blogs I actually got side tracked from writing this blog entry, to reading some of the ones I found. I also found many organized blogs to be appealing rather than just having things all over the place. One thing I didn’t like in some of the blogs I looked at was how lengthy one entry was. I feel like with blogging you should keep entries short and to the point. When I made my blog I wasn’t really looking for something specific, I just wanted something I thought looked nice. As a blogger, I hope to eventually be able to navigate through my blog without feeling like I have no idea what I’m doing. I also want to keep mine somewhat short, so that I can quickly catch my readers attention without them having to read through something so long.

Here is a link for the top 25 most famous blogs;

http://wpguerrilla.com/25-famous-blogs-that-use-wordpress/

The Start of a Whole New Experience

.

College is the place you go to pursue further education and it builds you more as a person. College is a whole new experience of not only education, but also learning how to share a living space with someone else, or maybe even two people that chances are you don’t know. College also faces you with adult making decisions, when you're faced with the option of going out to a party with your friends or staying in your dorm alone to study for the test you have the following day. It teaches you to be independent because with living in a dorm you can't depend on your parents to clean your room, or to make your bed. You’re also faced with many responsibilities, your parents can’t call you out of class because you missed the bus or don’t feel well, in college, professors don’t care if you don’t show up to class because they’re getting paid to teach whether you’re there or not. You decide if you want to go to class or not, but if you don’t you’re also making the decision of missing work and losing points on your final grade. Also your parents aren’t in charge of checking your grades and setting up appointments if you need help, that’s your job in college now and you won’t be advised by administration all the time to check up and make sure you’re passing all your classes. In high school I didn’t really care about my attendance or how much classed I missed, and that’s a goal I have for myself. In college, I don’t plan on missing class unless it’s an emergency and something very serious. I also plan on focusing more on my school work than going out to parties every night. As a blogger, I hope to get better in navigating around my blog and do my best at writing these assignments so that other people find them interesting and want to read them.