16V Freedom From College for Five Weeks

Freedom - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint

.

Now that this semester is finally over, I can finally take a break from school and have some freedom to do whatever I want! Having freedom every once in a while is a good thing. Having time to relax and do whatever pleases you is a great way to take a break from reality for a little bit. Freedom from school work over the next five weeks is going to be amazing. I have been working hard since school started and I deserve a break!

Two words I have learned this week are Cathexis and Klaxon. Cathexis refers to the investment of emotional significance in an activity, object or idea. Klaxon refers to a loud electric horn, formerly used on automobiles, trucks, etc, and now often used as a warning 

signal.

16ABI They Weren't Kidding When They Said It Goes By Fast!

Move in Day (August 24th,2013)

My first semester has been very successful. Though I was very nervous in the beginning of the semester, I have rid of those nerves finally and have developed into a college student who is capable of success at Southern. This first semester has really taught myself a lot about myself.  I learned that I am very good at being independent. Throughout high school my parents always pushed me to do things more and more on my own but when I got to college I realized how independent I had become. I was doing things on my own time without anyone telling me to, and I loved it. I was able to complete my homework, eat and relax whenever I wanted because I was for the most part independent from my parents, since I was living on campus. Being independent required a lot of self motivation which I have a lot of considering the fact that I wouldn’t be attending college if I didn’t motivate myself to apply to schools using my own money and then taking out private loans to pay for my finances. College has really taught me to be independent and also how to self motivate. Without learning independence and self motivation I would have never been able to have a successful first semester as I had.

My biggest success during this semester was doing extremely well on my only written exams in history and math. I scored a 93 in history and a 94 on my math finals. I was very nervous about my history final exam because I had an 80 in the class days before the final and I needed to do well in order to keep a B and above average grade in the class. In order to prepare for this exam, I attended the review session where the professor went over the entire study guide and basically gave us all the answers to the test. That night I made over 60 note cards and began memorizing them with only a couple days till the exam. To my surprise I was able to memorize all 65 note cards easily. Going to the review session and making note cards really helped me prepare for the exam because I was able to answer many questions easily without hesitation. As for my math exam, the only preparation I did was completing the review packet. Math 095 for me, was very easy and I got A’s on almost every test so I focused more of my energy on studying for history that I did for math, since I had both exams back to back on the first day of finals. I was really happy that I received a 94 on the final because I did not study too much for it. I am glad I did well on my first written finals as a college student. In high school, studying for finals was just completing a fill in the blank study guide which we always received extra credit on if we handed it in complete on the day of our final. I knew, especially for history, I had to put a lot of time and effort into studying for the exam if I wanted a good grade, and all that studying paid off.

There are many goals I have set for myself moving into next semester. First, I want

to keep the same motivation and drive I had in the beginning of this semester and carry it into next semester. I was so nervous about being in college, I put all my time and effort into completing my homework and assignments thoroughly because I wasn’t sure how I was going to be graded, or if my effort was good enough. Now that I am more comfortable with the college workload and how many teachers grade, I hope not to lose this motivation and drive I had in the fall semester. I hope to stay motivated and keep my grades very high next semester. Another goal I have next semester is to keep my grades above B’s. I have picked up some very usefully study tips from peers and from my own experience that I will apply next semester to my classes. Also keeping my grades up is very important to myself because I have to apply to the education building and be accepting into the psychology department. In order to gain easy access into these programs, keeping my grades up will be one less thing I have to worry about when I begin the admission process.

My first semester will be one to remember. I learned a lot and matured in such a short amount of time. Going into the next semester and beyond, I have a lot of hope for my success here at Southern. Many people say that your first semester reflects how the rest of college experience will be like, and if everything stays the same, I should do well as I go through the rest of my semesters in college. I am so glad I have choosen Southern as my school because I have loved every minute I have spent on campus. The friends I have made here have really helped make this transition into college easier than it would have been without them. This is an environment I can feel comfortable in and achieve my dream of becoming a preschool or kindergarten teacher. I can’t wait to see where the rest of my time here at Southern takes me! 

INQ Final - Adjusting to Dining on Campus

15I De-stressing with Puppies

On Wednesday December 11th, Southern hosted a time where students could destress by playing with animals. About 10 different types of dogs were brought over to the farnham programing space for students to play with. Studies show that playing and petting dogs helps bring down the level of stress someone might be feeling. Bringing these loveable dogs to Southern right before finals is a perfect way to bring down the stress level of students before final exams begin. I loved this event because I missed playing with my dog at home and it reminded me of him. Playing with these puppies definitely helped lower my stress levels before finals begin.  

15V Autonomy = Independence

Autonomy - freedom from external control or influence; independence

This week’s vocabulary word is autonomy. College is all about autonomy especially for those students who live on campus. For residents, they no longer have a parent or guardian telling them to go to bed, do their homework or eat at specific times. Students now have freedom and independence which can be difficult for some to handle.

Two words I have learned this week are slumgullion and largesse. Slumgullion refers to a stew of meat vegetable, potatoes etc. Largesse refers to a generous bestowal of gifts.

15A Getting New Ideas

It is always so helpful to see what other students have done on projects and essays to help spark some ideas for my own work. Watching everyone’s final video project drafts definitely help me gather some ideas and tips that I could apply to my own video final. As I watched my peers show their video draft, I thought of many things I can apply to my video to make it better.

Many students created a very creative and funny skit that went along with their topic idea. Most of the skits were very organized and well planned out. When I start creating my skit, I want to create a funny, engaging and factual skit that will help students understand my topic better. What I think I’m going to do with my skit is show students going to the dining hall. One student is going to eat healthy and another is going to eat unhealthy. Then the student who is eating the healthy food is going to convince the other student who is eating unhealthy to change their habits in order to avoid the freshman 15.

I also want to add a stronger beginning to my video. Many students had a very grabbing beginning by either starting with a skit or music that grabbed the audience’s attention. I think having a strong beginning will help make my video more desirable to watch. I think starting with a skit will help grab the audience’s attention.

As I work on this video project over the next couple days, I will reflect back on other student’s videos and apply some of their ideas and creative thoughts to my own video. Watching everyone’s video did really help me think of ideas I could apply to mine!

15B Finals Week is Here

Its the time of the semester than every college student dreads… Finals. In high school I normally didn’t stress out about taking finals because my teachers always made sure we understood completely what was going to be on the exam. Studying for my finals in high school included filling out a study guide which I would then hand it before the final to receive extra credit towage the exam. In college this isn’t the case ever. Most professors tell students that the exam will cover everything discussed throughout the semester; thats it, no fill in the blank study guides. Nothing.  If you are lucky enough to receive a study guide, its just a list of topics that may or may not be on the exam.

Since this is my first semester taking college finals, I am going to prepare and study a lot for my exams because I never had to in the past. For my history exam, I plan on making note cards and creating my own study guide of the important topics we discussed over the semester. I am also going to review the chapters we have read, to refresh my memory of historical events that we covered. For my math exam, I am going to log onto My Math Lab and go back to my past homework assignments and review the material. My math professor also gave us a sample final to fill out as it is very similar to the test we will be taking. History and math are the only two courses I am taking this semester that are requiring students to take a written exam.

My media classes final exam is a persuasive speech on any media related topic. For this final I need to prepare 3 credible sources to back my opinion on the topic I am choosing to talk about. I also am required to talk about the topic for five to seven minutes. For this final I am going to look up a lot of information and create notecards to guide me through my speech. My english class is another course I am taking which isn’t requiring us to take a written final. Our final is a reflection on the course and how we have grown as writers this semester. My professor is making us hand this reflection via blackboard instead of coming to class during a final exam block.

Starting next week I am probably going to be in the library for double the amount of time I am normally there to make sure I am focused on studying for my final. Most of my finals count as 30% of our overall grade, which is a lot. I need to stay focused and do well on all my finals in order to keep my grades at the same place they are now. Finals are going to be stressful but I am going to try to stay positive and pass them all!

Final Video Draft - Adjusting to Dining on Campus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igvIGTzVDTo&feature=youtu.be

14V College Investment

Investment - an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

Investment is a very important in college. Not only are college students investing their money, they are also investing their time, effort and energy into studying and doing well in their classes. If a student isn’t invested into their education they will not be as successful as those students who put their whole effort into studying and doing well in all their classes.

Two words I have learned this week are tenuity and decant. Tenuity refers to the state of being tenuous. Decant refers to pouring a liquid gently from one container to another.

14I Basketball Season Begins!

Its that time of the year again, basketball season! On saturday November 23rd I cheered at the second home girls game. Since there are 24 girls on the cheerleading team, we had to split the team up to cheer for the first game which was that past wednesday. About 15 girls cheer each game. Cheering at my first college game was very exciting, especially because the girls basketball team won against Post University. This game was so much different than any basketball game I had ever previously cheered at. My team and I stood behind the basketball hoop compared to sitting on the bleachers as my high school team did. We were able to do cheers whenever we felt they were needed easily. I am very excited to see where the rest of the basketballs season takes us!

14B I Am Thankful

I am thankful for so many things here at Southern. The first thing I am thankful for is how friendly and supportive the Southern community is here. Ever since I have stepped foot on the campus back in June for orientation I have felt as if I really belong here because of how friendly the staff and the students are. I know I have the support of the staff and the friends I have made if I ever need assistance in my studies or my life on campus.

Another thing I am thankful for is my cheerleading team. We all support and push each other to achieve our potential inside and outside of practice. At practice we motivate each other to get new skills such as tumbling and stunting. Even when we fail, we push each other to do better the next time. Outside of practice, we make sure everyone’s grades are in good standing. We also try to spend time with each other when we aren’t at practice. The support of these twenty four girls, one boy and two coaches have really made this semester easier. I know if I ever need help with anything, my team will always be there for me!

Overall I am so thankful for the time I have spent here at Southern the past couple of months. The support I have from this school really has made this transition into college so much easier than it would have been without them. I am so thankful for the friends I have made this semester also. Outside of school and cheerleading I know there is always someone else there for me, to talk to and to have fun with. I am thankful for the past couple month I have spent here at college, the friends I have made, the support I am given, and the success I have had so far!

14A Time To Relax

My first semester of college has had its ups and downs and I am ready for some stress free relaxation with my friends and family. When I get home I am going to spend the first night with my Mother, Father and especially my sister Candace, who I haven't seen since August. I am also going to visit my grandma Sophie at her nursing home, I miss her a lot and haven't had the chance to see her since I’ve been at school. Along with spending time with my family, this year, Thanksgiving dinner is going to be held at my house and my entire family will be there. I am very excited to see my family this week, they have always been a huge part of my life and its been really different not seeing them everyday.

Along with spending time with the family, I am going to catch up with friends from high school. My high school’s Thanksgiving football game is home this year and I am going to visit my old cheerleading team. It is also senior night and I want to be there to watch the girls that I have cheered with for many years walk across the field and cheer at their last game. Cheshire’s Thanksgiving game is biggest game of the season, not only because they are playing their rively team Southington, but all Cheshire high school alumni and recent graduates attend the game and catch up with friends. I can’t wait to meet up with my cheerleading team and old friends at this game.  

I am going to use this break as time to destress and relax before finals begin. Spending time with friends and family will definitely take my mind off of the stress of being a college student. This break will help me focus when I come back to school on my finals and all my final assignments as the semester comes to an end.

13V Purpose

Purpose - the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Purpose is this weeks vocabulary word. Having a purpose in whatever you are doing is very important. I strongly believe that those who find purpose in everyday situations, tend to be more successful. For me, being a college student gives me a lot of purpose. What I am doing now, will affect me later in life, so I’m trying to make my college experience very purposeful for my future.

Two words I have learned this week are trumpery and snarky. Trumpery refers to worthless nonsense. Snarky refers to testy or irritable; short.

13I Registration... Oh My

Registration was just as stressful as I’d imagine it would be. I woke up at 5:30 AM to ensure I was going to get all the classes I needed. The night before registration, the internet in everyone’s rooms on the 5th floor of Chase stopped working. Everyone was sitting in the common room about twenty minutes before registration opened at 6:01 AM. About ten minutes for registration, the wifi turned off on my computer, which logged me off banner web, and kept flashing an “Access Denied” screen whenever I tried to register. A wave of panic come over me and I dreaded not getting the classes I needed to get! For over a half an hour I sat on the homepage of myscsu and kept refreshing the page until finally I was able to get onto the registration page.

Once I typed my pin in, I quickly typed the CRN numbers and to my surprise, I got 3 out of 5 classes right away. I was so excited to get into psychology, spanish and journalism because I knew those were the classes that were going to fill up quickly. I then tried my second choice classes for math and english and was out of luck. I then tried my third choice, and once again I was out of luck. Frantically I searched up classes in the add/drop and was devastated that there were only a few spots left during times I could take classes. I found an english and math class and quickly signed up for them before they filled up.

Registration was a process I am going to dread every semester, but I’m hoping it will get easier every semester because as freshmen we were the last to pick and there was barely any classes left. I am also hoping that I can find a way to get early registration from either cheerleading or becoming a note taker because trying to plan classes before 5pm without early registration was extremely difficult! Hopefully next semester will be a little easier, and that I have internet in my room!

13B The More Creativity, The Better

Now that I know what topic I am doing for my final video project (adjusting to dining hall food) I can start thinking about how I can make my video stand out and be different from everyone elses. I also want to make a fun and entertaining video that wouldn’t bore anyone who watches it. The only way I can create a video that stands out and is exciting is to add creativity to my ideas. Instead of just presenting my ideas and facts for five to six minutes in a boring way, I can present the information in a fun and creative way. The first thing I can do is add music to my video. Having background music in this video will keep the audience’s attention by keeping their focus. Music helps set certain moods and can sometimes persuade how a person feels about a certain topic. Another way I can make a creative video is making a funny skit that showcases what a student experiences walking into a dining hall and having so many options healthy and unhealthy food choices and their internal struggle to pick to eat healthier. This could be a skit that many people could relate to because many students do truly try to eat healthy but when they see pizza for example, they give in. For my skit I can show a student who is conflicting between eating a healthy well balanced meal and eating fries, pizza, etc.

Creating a video that has a high level of creativity will help keep the audience’s attention and make my video more exciting. Using music, good visuals and a funny skit will help create a video that is rich in creativity.

13A Creating A College-Level Video

For my final video project, the problem I have chosen that freshmen in college experience their first year is adjusting to dining hall food. Instead of just talking about the different food options Southern’s Dining services provide, I want to discuss the freedom students now have with deciding what they want to eat compared to just eating whatever their parents cook them for dinner. This new freedom can either benefit or have a negative effect on students. Those who benefit from this freedom will choose to eat healthier than they might have at home, because of the wide range of healthy options the dining services provide. Students who don’t benefit from this freedom will eat unhealthy foods everyday and may gain the dreaded “freshman 15” which is the average weight a student may gain their first year in college. In my video project, I want to talk about the healthy options Southern’s Dining services provide for students and the not so healthy options and how students can benefit from this freedom and escape/overcome gaining excessive weight their first year.

In order to make my video take on college level thinking, I need to make sure I have facts and supporting evidence to support my ideas during this project. Outside research on the dining services here at Southern will be needed to provide information to those who watch my video on how to eat healthy and adjust to dining hall food smoothly. I also need to create a video that is well thought out and has a beginning, middle and end. This project is not something I can start last minute and still expect to receive a decent grade, I need to work continuously on it until it is due. In this project I need to think outside the box and create a video that isn’t just facts about Southern’s Dining services, I have to make a fun and interesting take on this topic. Also having ideas and facts flow together and doesn’t confuse the audience is another way to include college level thinking within my video. These facts and evidence supporting my ideas on the dining services will help me prove my thoughts. Creating a professional and well put together video will make this video college level material.

Since this is the last grade I will receive in Inquiry this semester, I want to do very well and make sure I am creating a video that displays college level thinking. If I follow the points I just described that can help me create a college level video final, I believe I can do very well on this project and receive a good grade if I put the time and effort into this project.

12I Trip Downtown!

Today, saturday November 16th, my friends and I decided to take a break from the normal conn hall dinner and take a trip downtown to grab some food. We waited across the street from the Wintergreen building and caught the 5:30 B bus and headed downtown! The city bus took us through New Haven and dropped us off at the green located near many delicious restaurants. We decided to eat at Shake Shack which is about a block away from the green. As we walked in the smell of burgers and fries filled our noses and we were ready to eat. After we finished our meal we walked around downtown and did some exploring and then stumbled upon a Walgreens where we picked up a few things we needed for our dorm. When we were ready to head back to campus, we walked back to the green and waited across from Chipotle for the B bus to pick us up and bring us back to campus. It was a nice break from the normal dining hall food and to have a night in the city!

12V Interdisciplinary Perspective defined

An Interdisciplinary Perspective refers to a comprehensive knowledge of skills which a student can use to find and evaluate information about two or more disciplines . In college learning this skill is very important. In order to become a successful college student, one must understand how to combine knowledge of two topics and reflect on both. This perspective lets a student look at both sides of a topic and understands each perspective.

Two words I have learned this week are pretentious and norms. Pretentious refers to characterized by assumption of dignity or importance,especially when exaggerated or undeserved. Norms refer to a standard, model, or pattern.

12B Questioning Innovation

Question One: Why is a liberal arts education beneficial to college students?

Question Two: Should other countries adapt a liberal arts education program into their universities and colleges?

Question Three: How is innovation and a liberal arts education related?

Answer: Innovation and liberal arts are very closely related. In a university setting, a liberal arts education for first year requires students to be innovated, meaning being introduced to something new/making changes to anything already established. A first year student enrolled in a liberal arts program, they must adjust to this new way of learning. Liberal art education requires students to think more deeply about the material they are learning about. This type of education asks that students think critically and expand as far as they can with a specific topic to decode underlying meanings and discover a deeper understanding. Since innovation is all about learning and adapting to new things, being part of a liberal arts program enhances this ability. Within a course requirement in liberal arts, students are required to take classes that they normally wouldn’t take for their intended major. This then expands their knowledge to other topics and subjects that don’t necessarily relate to their major. For an education major for example, taking a biology class doesn’t really relate to being a teacher but, knowing more than just basic subjects which you would teach makes the individual well rounded. Becoming a well rounded individual is very important in a liberal arts education program. Learning a vast amount of information ranging from science to reading and much more build up knowledge that a student can take a could apply it to a future career

Innovation and a liberal arts education go hand in hand. Together innovated students learn and develop so much though a liberal arts program. The opportunities and the skills students learn to think critically about what they are learning creates students who will form into well rounded individuals.

12A Importance of a Liberal Arts Education

Before coming to Southern I had no idea what a Liberal Art education was or that it even existed. The readings that were assigned for this week though, helped me discover how important and beneficial a liberal arts education is to students. Liberal Arts is defined as a “humanistic discipline: studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)”. A University which requires all students to be enrolled into an Liberal Arts program are preparing students to be created into well rounded individuals who will know a vast amount of information. This type of education allows students to take classes they wouldn’t normally take. This can be very beneficial because these classes can open up new opportunities that students wouldn’t normally be opened too. Liberal art education also teaches a student how to think critically. Students develop the strength to expand their intellect which allows them to begin to think for themselves, not what their teacher wants them to think. Liberal arts education programs allow students to form their own opinions, values and beliefs that are not forced from parents and teachers. College is all about learning independence, and a liberal arts education teaches students how to think independently in their studies which they can then apply to their everyday life.

”Liberal education isn't about studying things that have no immediate use. It is about creating habits of action that grow out of a spirit of broad inquiry.” This statement from the article Why Liberal Education Matters says directly why a liberal arts education is important. Many students look at this type of education and think that its just busy work. Students also think that classes they have to take that they don’t want to take have no immediate or everlasting effects on their future. But they are very wrong. These classes that are part of a liberal arts education are very beneficial because they help students create habits of thinking critically of their classes and opens them up to new opportunities. A liberal arts education allows students not only to study what their major requires them to study, but allows them to learn about other majors, which makes a well rounded student. I didn’t realize till this week how important a liberal arts education is to a student and their future. I am glad I attend a University which provides students with a program such as what is in place.

11V Innovation and Education

Innovation - the act of process of introducing new ideas, devices or methods

Innovation is an important term college students should be familiar with. In education innovation brings new ideas and ways of learning to a student’s attention. Innovation requires a student to think outside the box and create new ideas and a different perspective of things.Throughout a student's school work they should be using innovation to create original assignments and ideas in order to get a good grade.

A couple words I have learned this week are Tautological and Superfluous. Tautological refers to needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy. Superfluous refers to more than is wanted or is sufficient. Learning new words is important to expanding my vocabulary throughout my college experience!

11B Good Questions, Great Answers

Creating questions that are in depth and detailed is a whole new world to first year students such as myself. As I read though some of my classmate's blogs I found some really well written questions and answers. On Karla Franchesca Nowak’s blog (http://fnowak30.blogspot.com/), she created a perfect example of how to create a question and how to answer it thoroughly. Her question was, How do people expect us to become creative, if we are raised under circumstances that hold us back from creativity? She starts by giving her opinion on the question which is very important. Professors don’t want you to just summarize what the articles were about, they want you to think and relate to the question and the articles to answer the questions fully. She goes into more detail to talk about why creativity is so important especially to younger children who may not excel in school but excel in the arts or dance. She does an excellent job of putting everything in her own words and not summarizing from the readings. The only thing I would suggest if she were to rewrite this blog is to add a quote or a specific idea directly from an article to back up her opinions. All good writing includes supporting details to their own ideas.

Creating strong questions that may appear on a test was very helpful. This assignment put me into the seat of a college professor when they are creating questions for an exam. Now that I know how to create questions just like one of my professors might do, I can create my own questions which I think would appear on an upcoming exam and test my knowledge to answer the question. This is a good technique to use because it prepares you for a vast amount of questions you may encounter on a test, it helps you study and it helps you practice creating well written answers that would get you a good grade. Know that I learned how to create good question, I will use this to study for exams that I will have in the future!

11A Inquiry Based Questions

Question One: How can college students incorporate a creative mindset within their schooling?

Question Two: How can ”micro-boredom” affect a college student in a negative or positive way?

Question Three: How can boredom increase creativity with college student?

Question Four: What are ways college students can cultivate more creativity? How can this be important for their future?

Answer: College students can cultivate more creativity by stepping back and becoming an outsider. By stepping back a student can reevaluate the situation and see what needs to be improved. For example, when a student is writing an essay, the student shouldn’t just simply answer the question, they should think outside the box and think critically and creatively about the essay topic even if it becomes difficult. In the article Creativity, Education and the Gift of Stress the author states that “For years, educational researchers have been telling us that difficulties and obstacles in the learning process can actually encourage greater depth of learning and retention of knowledge.” By facing difficulties, student can create measurable challenges that will propel them forward instead of staying in the same place educationally. College students can exercise more creativity by working in a group to maximize innovation and also to create new thoughts independently. As stated from the article How to Cultivate Eureka Moments, "Group interaction appears to play a key role in innovation".

By learning the skills of creativity early on, you can apply them to future situation in college and also in a future job or career. Most students think that they are only going to learn what they need to know for their intended major while they are in college but they are not completely correct. College does indeed prepare you for your future career but it also teaches you skills that can be taken and used after a student has graduated from college. The skills of motivation, dedication, hard work, creativity, innovation and many more and learned in college through essays, assignments and difficult tasks. The future is unpredictable and by learning the skills of creativity early on and throughout college, college students can be better prepared themselves for the unknown.