9.26

Campus Safari 2 (#9)

This week, I went to the Club Fair on campus.  Two booths I checked out were the Best Buddies booth and Delta Phi Epsilon.
  I've always wanted to be in a sorority as long as I can remember, so DPhiE was my first stop.  They told me they were one of the most prestigious sororities and did the biggest, most successful charity events.  I was told they were having a rush event that night, so I decided to attend.  It was fun, but I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to pursue a sorority this semester.  I feel like I do not have the time or time management skills yet to commit to a sorority.  I do, however, plan to shop around sororities and attend more rush events in the spring.
   After I left the DPhiE booth, I went over to the Best Buddies booth.  Best Buddies is an organization that pairs a student with another mentally impaired student and allows them to become best friend and bond.  They try to create opportunities for people with special needs.  I decided to check out this booth because I've heard a lot about this club and all of the work it does. 
   Overall, I thought the club fair was a good experience and helped me figure out how to become more involved on campus.

A Quality Blogs

The first blog that I thought was a blog worth an A was Kelsey's College Confessions.  Her layout and background is really appealing and easy to look at.  Her font is also really easy to read and is pleasing to the eye.  I really liked her blog post about the professional make up artist because it's a really interesting career and I look at some of the author's youtube videos and really enjoyed them. It seems like Kelsey puts time and thought into her blog posts, and therefore, I think she deserves an A!

Another blog I liked was Merril's Thoughts.  I liked the masculine font and background and the pictures he used helped break up the writing and make it easier to look at.  I read his CC campus safari post, and it made me feel better about having to do this myself.  He said his CC was really willing to help him and answer his questions.   Merril's writing seemed more formal to me, and like he takes his blogging seriously, and that's why I think he deserves an A.

Tori's blog was my favorite that I looked at.  It looks like she put so much extra time and effort into her blog, posting artwork and other things.  Her title also stuck out to me as interesting and creative.  She also takes the time to make creative titles for each individual posts, rather than Blog #4 and Safari #1.  I read her blog on taking a new language at SCSU and I thought that was something brave to be taking on her first semester at her first year at college.  College is hard enough without throwing German into the mix! I also thought it was cool that she was joining the German club, she's definitely determined to learn!

Professional Blog Analysis

The first professional blog I chose was Code Blog: Tales of a Nurse. (http://www.codeblog.com/)  I picked this one because I plan on being a nurse and that's why I'm in college in the first place. It's interesting to see how people who have been in the field for years and years see nursing as opposed to my view of it being something so high above me and glorious and my most major, significant goal.  This blog is interesting because any nurse or doctor or patient, etc can submit her stories to the site and they may or may not be posted.  It's a compilation of many different nurses' tales of the ER, OR, Psych Ward, or 'Carnivals' as they call them.  The main author is a woman named Gina who has been an intensive care nurse for 13 years.  Since it's a compilation, the writing styles vary quite a bit.  I read a few posts and skimmed through some more and to me, it seems the purpose of the blog is to entertain people who can relate to the stories people post.  Doctors, nurses, paramedics, even patients can get a laugh out of this blog. 

The second blog I explored was from a professional sky diver. (http://ukskydivingadventures.blogspot.com/)  I decided to look for a skydiving blog because it's something I've always wanted to do and I thought it'd be interesting to see things from the point of view of someone who does it almost daily.  This blog is run by UK Skydiving Adventures and seems to be more of an advertising blog.  They want you to come to their company to go skydiving and post pictures, stories, events, and specials to try to get you there.  They also post uncensored customers' reviews on their experience with the company, which I thought were informative and sometimes humorous. If anything the blog made me want to go skydiving even more than I did before, but I probably won't be going to UK to do it. :0)

Campus Safari 1

For my first campus safari, I visited the Fitness Center at SCSU.  I decided to sign up for a 1 semester membership after I suspended my membership at my gym at home.  It's 60 dollars a semester, so it equals out to be slightly higher than most chain gyms around CT, but the classes are included.  The gym I went to at home charged more (a lot more) for the classes I took but they offer what seem to be about the same classes at the fitness center.  They have zuma, yoga, cycling, boot-camp, "Buns, guns, and abs", kick-boxing, and much more.  I spoke to a few girls as they walked out of the cycling class and they told me in between heavy breaths that it was extremely challenging but I should try it.  This class runs Monday and Wednesdays from 4:00 - 4:45.  They have a good selection of machines, but not many of each.  There's 2 stair-steppers, a few ellipticals, a few more treadmills, and 4 bikes.  They have a lot of free weights and other things in what I consider the boy side of the gym so I didn't venture over there.   The Fitness Center is open every day.  Mondays - Thursdays : 7 am - 10 pm, Friday : 7am - 8pm, Saturday : 9:30am - 4:30pm and Sunday : 2p - 7pm.  

Analyzing Readings, Part 2

 

After reading "Change Course", by Steven Weinberg my perspective about my college experience changed a little.  He discussed how college is never what one expects and you have to allow yourself to go with the flow and not force the path you projected for yourself.  I know that right now I think I'd like to be a nurse, but I'm willing to follow other paths if I find something that I feel is more suited for me.   When you go into college you want the best professors, the newest, most exciting classes, but you can't always get that.  You might not get the famous professor that everyone talks about or be able to avoid the professor that takes attendance every class and assigns piles of homework, but you'll leave a different person regardless.  You gain wisdom and lifelong friends and a career and countless memories.  College may not be all the great things you expected it to be, but it will be other great things that you never before considered.

The second article I read was "Off Campus Life" by James Burns.  It highlights the importance of reading newspapers.  I would agree with this article because I think it's extremely important to be an informed citizen.  If a group of people are talking about a current event and you have no input or idea what is being discussed, it makes you seem less educated to other people.  The article recommends that you chat with your professors.  I think that if you talk to your professors on subject outside of the class or connect real world issues with the classes subject matter that they will be more likely to remember you and it can help differentiate and set you apart from other students.  Knowing what's going on in the world outside of your own personal life makes you a more well rounded person. 

Response to readings

After reading "The Hunt for a Good Teacher" by Stanely Fish and "Don't Alienate Your Professor" by Carol Berkin, I had a lot to think about in regards to my experience at college.

I thought more about how you're going to get out of college what you put into it.  If you work hard and dedicate yourself to studies and learning and bettering yourself, you will come out better, smarter, and a harder worker.  If you go through the motions and pass classes by the skin of your teeth, you're not cheating anyone but yourself.

The first article, "The Hunt for a Good Teacher" made me realize that I need to take an active roll in my own learning.  I need to research and look into professors before I sign up for classes.  I need to ask my friends, my RA's, my advisers, and anyone I can get my hands on about the professors I'm thinking about taking.   I need to drop classes if the teachers aren't teaching.  I can take classes I tested out of to refresh my writing and math skills to prevent getting a bad grade and lowering my GPA.

The second article I read, "Don't Alienate Your Professor",  helped me understand how to present myself an act in classes.  I shouldn't appear to want to head out of every class I'm in.  I shouldn't check the clock constantly and start packing up my bag 5 minutes before the sessions over.  I am lucky to be in the classes I'm in and I should act like it.  I should laugh at the professors jokes, pay attention, and show that I want to be in class.  

I've already learned from my own experience that sitting in the front row really does help.  I learn more.  I understand more.  This plays off the ideas that the second article gave me. 


All in all, these articles helped me consider how I need to act and present myself in college and to my professors. 

College!

            College to me is a very exciting and fun opportunity that I am lucky to have.  Going to college for me is going to help me get closer to the goal of working as a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit.  For the time being though, it helps me grow as a person and into a more independent adult.  I have already found myself growing and changing in the short time I’ve been here.  I pushed myself way out of my comfort zone and made myself take the leap of leaving home and living on campus by myself.  I have an anxiety disorder so leaving home is an especially difficult task for me but so far I’ve found myself happy and relaxed.  College is helping me move past some of my anxious tendencies.  I’m excited to meet new people from a wider pool of people, rather than the 200 people I graduated with and have known since 1^st grade.  (Who also happened to be clones of one another, with a few exceptions)  I’m worried about the workload at SCSU.  I have never had very much work in high school, especially during my senior year.  I haven’t written a paper over 3 pages in my entire life.  I’m scared of going to suddenly be required to do incredible amounts of work and that I won’t be able to keep up with it and retain a good GPA.  My GPA is really important to me because I still need to get accepted to Southern’s nursing program to meet my goal.  Most people need to get into college then go with the motto “C’s get degrees” but I can’t do that.  I have to have a near perfect record to be considered into the very selective program.  Overall, I’m equally excited and nervous to my college life to get settled and learn what it’s really like!

All about Sam McGowan !

5 Words to Describe Me

• Friends
• Understanding
• Fun-loving
• Sleepy
• Happy

Friends - 

My friends are the most important people in my life.  I always put my friends first and love to be with them all the time.  I have 3 extremely close friends within a large group of good friends. 

We love to go out, stay in, drive around, and hang out in town together in our entire group.  Most of our parents are friendly as well and some are very close friends.  I have had my core group of friends for as long as I can remember, I didn’t jump around from friend to friend like most people do in high school.  My closest friend is named Morgan and is to the far right of the above picture.  I moved next door to her when I was about 15 months old and she was about a year old.  We have been inseparable since then.

 I would consider myself a very understanding person.  I always put myself in other people's shoes and try to figure out how my actions and words may make them feel.  If I feel like I accidentally hurt someones feelings or said something wrong, it will honestly bother me for weeks.  

I love to have fun.  I rarely am home alone and not out enjoying myself with friends.  Over the summer we had tons of bonfires and beach trips and sleepovers to get in all the fun we could before college started.  We all got a lot closer and enjoyed eachother's company all day every day this summer.  

I absolutely love to sleep.  I look forward to sleeping all the time.  I usually don't even sleep late, but I cannot wait to get into my bed every night.  There's no where I feel more safe and happy and comfortable.  I hate sleeping out because I enjoy crawling into my own bed at night.  I may still have some lingering symptoms of mono and that could explain this, but I do not mind at all!

I pride myself in being a very happy person.  I try to see the best in every situation.  I understand that I am incredibly lucky to have everything I have.  I am a 18 year old girl from Connecticut.  Life couldn't have been any easier for me and I try appreciate that every second of every day.