Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Final Blog!

                    



So far during my experience here at the university I have learned that I am very good at prioritizing. Coming into college you are faced with a lot of temptations that can really steer you away from what really needs to be done. Like parties, socializing, or procrastination. Surprisingly, compared to most I was good at knowing that when it comes down to it, my school work comes first and then everything else second. At this point I believe I have learned enough about myself to know that if I keep my priorities in check and do what I need to do first and not what I want to do. Then my college career can go very smoothly.
Some of my biggest challenges that I have faced so far this year were time management. When school first started I was so overwhelmed with everything. I had to balance all of my cheerleading practices, which were 5 days a week, all of the welcome weekend activities, and meeting new people that I would be with for the next four years. It was hard for me to stay awake in classes and even study for quizzes. I would have to say that I was not using my time wisely when it came to doing my work and that was something that over time I have learned to work with. I have been using my time wisely lately. Like doing my work early so that way I am not waiting to the last minute to do things and I am also making sure I do things that need to get done first before I go out and socialize.
Some of my biggest achievements so far would have to be overcoming being distracted from my studies. I was under the impression that I would have time to catch up on my work whenever I would think about putting it off. But then I realized that Southern is much different than high school. Your grades are based off of either exams or the very few assignments that you do throughout the semester. So whenever I missed an assignment my grade would go down in that class. It took a lot to realize that I need to really focus on my work because I am paying all this money to get an education here, I mind as well utilize it and work hard for a good grade.
                I have created a habit in order to success with my studies. For instance, in the beginning I would do my homework in the Adanti Student Center, because I thought it was a good place to do work and convenient because if I wanted food it was right there for me to have it. I had learned very quickly that, that was not the best place to do homework because people would constantly stop and talk to me distracting me from my work, till I just decide not to do it or put it off. So I created the habit of doing my homework in the library right after my classes. So as soon as my last class is done I go straight to the library where I would complete all my homework that was assigned to me that day. In the upcoming semester if I keep up with going straight to the library right after class to do my work I will be in good shape with completing work on time and time management.
I have spent most of my time focusing on my Anthropology class this semester. I was assigned to a very difficult professor. I spent most of my time studying and asking her questions and reading over notes constantly. It’s one of my hardest classes I had to take this semester. I am unsure what the result of me studying so hard will turn out to be. She is a different type of grader than most. And she is not big on sharing your grade with you, so I am hoping for the best as well as the rest of the students in my class.
So far this semester my grades have been average. The only one that I could be possibly struggling with is Anthropology because it is such a hard professor to understand and deal with. Even though I try my best to do extra studying for that class I am still unsure on how my grade will turn out. In my English class I had learned a lot about how to write proper essays and read articles or stories and find deeper meanings. In communication I learned a lot about interpersonal communication between different types of relationships. In Inquiry we are learning how to survive through college and in Anthropology we learned how humans evolved into what they did. I am learning a lot from all of my classes within and outside of the subject.
I believe I am doing very well with achieving goals I have set for myself in the beginning of the semester. It took a while for me to get there but I am doing a very good job on maintain the habits I am doing to keep progressing. I am not exactly where I thought I would be in this semester but I am pretty close which is better than nothing.
I aspire to be a in the marketing department of the Disney Company one day. I want to be able to create advertising and ideas in order to make the company even more appealing to its audiences. In order to get there not only do I have to do well with my studies. I also have to find a way to stay focus and keep prioritizing the way I have been doing to get where I want to be.
For next semester I would like to make sure I stay on track with my studies. I want to make sure that whenever I need help I ask the professor for help or see a tutor. I want to be to get good grades from working hard in my classes. I will achieve this by continuing to go straight to the library after classes to make sure my work from those classes are done. I will also prioritize my academics, social life, and extracurricular activities. I have learned so much about myself since coming here to Southern, and I plan to make sure I stay on track and do what I need to do, to complete the goals I have set for myself.
               

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Accomplishments and Failures of this semester..




Throughout this semester I have grown so much as a student and as a person. I never thought by coming here to Southern that it would have made such a huge impact on my life so fast so soon into to the school year. Although it is the ending of this semester I have reflected back on what I have accomplished and what I have failed at, and I would say I have gone through a lot!
                               

              In the beginning of the semester I was a cheerleader on the cheerleading team. I had practice pretty much every day, along with football games that were mandatory to attend. It was hard for me to find time to balance my school work, studying, cheerleading, and time to have fun and enjoy the college life, not to mention I am a commuter of forty five minutes. As you can tell I have had a lot on my plate right off the bat of coming into college. Personally I have no idea how I got through each week living like that. I would probably say I got literally 5hrs of sleep each week from everything that was going on around me. Eventually my work began to slip because I would forget to do homework assignments or just begin to fall asleep in class just because I was up the night before trying to catch up with missing work.
                Even though I had some bad experiences in the beginning of the semester I can honestly say that I have grown from that. I now have dropped cheerleading and have realized that I need to put my school work and myself first before I can add anything else to my plate. I have learned to balance my social life and my academic life more than ever. School has taught me to be more responsible with things and to treat each task given to you like you are in the real world. High school was much different than coming to college. Professors are much more efficient and stricter about assignments so I make sure that I am always on time and put time and effort into my work in courtesy to them
                All in all, this semester has taught me a lot. I am more efficient with my work and have learned what my priorities are and what are not. It was hard getting to this point because you are blinded by the distractions of partying and other social aspects of college but now that I have found what I need to do to get through successfully in college I plan to use it throughout the time I am here.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

What to expect for my final Blog!






My final project I would say is coming along very well. Reflecting on things that I have worked on not only in this class but my other classes, I would say I have come a long way. I do not believe that it will be hard to finish this project considering all we are doing is talking about what I have done this semester this far. I have already got half way through with this project. Instead of doing a video I figured writing would do more justice and for me to get what I want to get across. I believe if I were to do a video my final would be more interesting but considering that I am going to be typing 600 words, there is only so much I can do to make it interesting. The only thing I would find interesting about it is the fact that I have come a long way with time management since the beginning of the semester. In the beginning I was on the cheerleading team having to balance practice pretty much every day and then school and homework. Which really took a huge toll on me, so by eliminating cheerleading from the equation I have found that I am so much better with balancing my time. I find myself being able to meet deadlines on time with assignments given and also studying more efficiently when it comes to quizzes or exams that are given. I am no longer waiting to the last minute to study. So something you can expect in my final is growth. I have grown so much as a student being here and you will really be able to tell through my final blog.