Final Video Project:Nursing

INQ Final Assessment

As the syllabus describes:“This INQ section challenges students to immerse themselves in the college experience: juggle multiple tasks, be problem solvers, ask questions, take risks, grapple with difficulty, be creative, learn from failure, take ownership over their own learning, and apply abstract concepts to their actual everyday lives.” 

Coming into Southern Connecticut State University I had no idea what an Inquiry Class consisted of. As describes at orientation INQ is a class that is supposed to help you become familiar with the college experience: a transition course from high school to college life. I thought, “This class is going to be a breeze”. Little did I know that INQ would my heaviest workload class. Many would say Inquiry is a pointless class, but I don’t feel that way. I personally feel as if I found my college-level persona throughout this course and that INQ truly benefited me as a student. 

Throughout the course, students of INQ 101 Section 32N definitely needed to juggle multiple tasks! Most weeks consisted of a campus safari, two blog posts, online-readings and in-class writing assignments, and working on one of the three projects assigned throughout the course of the semester. The first couple weeks at school I was beyond stressed out with the amount of work all five of my courses has assigned. Time management was defiantly essential and what helped me to meet all of the requirements of this course. I personally, am a very organized structured person, but I had never experienced such a heavy workload all at once. Within the course we talked a lot about time management, study habits and organization which I feel truly benefited me as a student.

Individually I feel as if I have met all of the required course goals and achieved a specific set of college-level skills during the course of the semester, but it wasn’t easy! I honestly dedicated a lot of time and hard work into each and every one of the assignments assigned. One semester-long assignment I feel as if I truly benefited from was blogging. Finding my blogging voice really encouraged me to improve my writing skills. The first couple weeks into the semester I would stress out a lot about blogs. I did not fully understand what a blogging voice consisted of. I would spend sometimes more than an hour on just one blog (250+ words) and I knew I had to do something to improve my writing skills. Over the course of the semester I feel as if I really found my own personal voice within my writing. Now, for me writing a blog is a piece of cake and something I enjoy. I just needed to relax and understand that no blog could be considered “wrong” because it was my personal voice and personal opinion. Blogging is a place that I can just express my feeling about the assigned topic and share my writing voice with others. Looking back at the first couple blog posts and comparing them to the final blogs I have posted just this week, you can see a huge improvement in my writing and I am extremely proud of it. Blogging defiantly benefited and improved my writing skills as a college student.

Personally, I feel as if I have grown tremendously since the beginning on the semester. I have adjusted very well to living on campus and have made some pretty terrific friends. The beginning of the semester was a huge mental struggle for me. Moving on campus and leaving home was extremely difficult. I missed my old life at home, but I knew it was time for me to grow up and stay positive while adjusting to my new life as an on-campus college student. And that’s exactly what I did! I needed to stay academically motivated and focused to keep my grades up. I want to have earned at least a 3.5 accumulative GPA by the end of the fall semester. That is the biggest academic goal I have set for myself and will strive to achieve along with completing all my assignments and doing well on test, quizzes, and exams. I feel very accomplished at the completion of my first semester here at Southern and am very proud of how much I have grown.

There are specific assignments assigned throughout the course of this semester I feel as if I really benefited from. I have already elaborated on how I feel blogging, two times a week, throughout the semester exceptionally improved my writing skills. I have learned not to think so much about what I’m going write about and just, write it! Also, campus safari taught me a lot about what SCSU has to offer for their students. Many of the places I was sent out to find, such as the multicultural center, office of study skill enrichment, and the campus radio station, I would have not know were on-campus if I wasn’t introduced to them through campus safari. This assignment really helped me learn a lot about my campus and all the great and useful resources it has to offer for students.

Also, the three projects assigned throughout the semester, I feel made me break out of my comfort zone but in a good way. In the first project “Group Think” we were assigned to a group that consisted of 3-5 people in class and had to complete an on-campus group project. This project included aspects of creativity and time management/organization. Working with a group of people I barely knew and completing a project with them frightened me (breaking out of my comfort zone) as first because I am more of an independent worker, but it actually wasn’t that bad. It was really great getting to know new people and working together with them. For the second project assigned “Interviewing Around Campus” we had come up with INQ question and go around campus interviewing both underclassmen and upperclassmen and professors. My question was, “What motivates you to reach you academic goals?” I was very satisfied with my project and feel as if I completed the full assignment to the best of my ability. BUT…making a movie with PowerPoint didn’t flow as smoothly as I wanted it to, so in the third and final project assigned I learned how to use Windows Movie Maker. I am still in the process of making my final video project based on my major, nursing and feel as if it is coming along really well.

My overall performance in this class really taught me that hard-work, motivation, dedication, time management/organization, and creativity are very crucial aspects college students must possess to be a successful individual. There is no such thing as the “perfect college student”, but if you work to the best of your ability and stay focused and positive you should have nothing to be worried about. I feel as if I have grown a lot since the beginning of the semester and I am very proud to see how far I have come. I have not changed at all as an overall person, just as a student. I try to stay positive and focused at all times and try not stress myself out as much. A stress free environment is a happy environment, I always say. I will continue to stay focused and motivated and work just as hard, if not harder in all my classes for next semester as well.

To end on a positive note, I am a very determined college student that strives to reach her goals; short term and long. I have no regrets, only mistakes that I have learned from. INQ has taught me a lot about becoming successful in my future and I am thankful Southern Connecticut State University made this course a freshman requirement. I learned a lot about both myself and the college I am attending and am very happy to see how far I have grown as a college student.

Thank you Mrs. Guarino for a great semester and for teaching such an informative course!

Me & My Group!




Stay Positive !

My Final Blog Post :)

I talked a lot about my personal, social, and academic goals for next semester in my pervious blog titled Successes/Weaknesses.

Briefly restating those goals for next semester; personally I am going to continue to stay both academically and mentally motivated & dedicated to my classes, assignments, grades, etc. After finding out my GPA at the conclusion of the fall semester I hope to obtain and/or exceed that GPA in the spring. I am mentally going to stay focused by taking care of myself. I am a very balanced and structured person, so by continuing to stay organized in my life I know I will succeed. I want and need to stay positive and focus on my future! I know all of my hard work will pay off in the end if I continue to stay motivated and alert in my classes. Doing well in college is very important to me and therefore the academic goals I set for myself are essential to my life as a SCSU student.

Socially, I am happy here at Southern. I want continue my college education here for all 4 years and earn my Bachelors’ in Nursing. I enjoy the company of the wonderful friends I have made here on campus, especially my really great friend Chelsea. We have become really close and she’s really helped to adjusting to living on campus. Southern is what many students would call a “suitcase school”.  This meaning, many of the students that attend Southern live close enough to home to spend their weekends at home. I really enjoy the balance of both living on campus during the week to stay focused on my school work and then going home on the weekends to work, spend time with family & friends, etc. I am going to continue with this weekly routine next semester and then decide at the end of the spring semester if I will be commuting next fall, or continuing to live here on campus. I truly feel as if I’m living the best of both worlds right now! (on campus mon-thurs to stay focused on my work/classes & home fri-sun to enjoy myself and work.)

My personal, social, and academic goals are extremely significant to my life as a college student.  

Successes/Weaknesses

Successes:

On an academic level I am very proud to say that I have successfully (almost) completed my first semester of classes at college! And I am very happy as to where my grades stand. Three out of the five classes I’m taking I have A’s in and my other two classes I am continuing to work hard to earn the grade I know I deserve. This semester, MATH 108 was defiantly my most challenging class and INQ was my highest workload class. Though I feel confident that after all my work (tests, quizzes, and assignments) are completed along with my finals I will have earned the grades I worked so hard for throughout the semester.

On a more personal level I have really adjusted well to living on campus. I continue to go home on weekends to work, but I am very pleased as to how my on-campus living experience has worked out. And I have decided I am going to continue living on campus next semester. I have made some really great friends here and my best friend Chelsea and I are planning on living together next semester and I am really excited! My attitude has extremely changed on a positive level since the beginning of the semester and I am very proud to see how far I have come in just a few short months.

Weaknesses:

Academically I feel very positive as to where my grades stand. The only weakness I feel I have is in my math class. My two test grades this week along with the final will make up a very large portion of my grade and I am a little nervous about how I am going to do.  Math is not my best subject, but I am going to continue to work hard the next two weeks to do my best in the class.

Socially, adjusting to living on-campus was very difficult for me, but after about a month I started to feel comfortable living here. I really tried to get involved on campus and take part in the “full college experience” (living on campus, meeting new friends, & getting involved in an organization on campus). I rushed for a the sorority Omega Zeta Pi for September and October but then decided it just wasn’t for me and I wasn’t fully committed to the organization so I decided to stop my rush period. I decided to define this experiences as a weakness, but in my eyes I view it as a positive weakness, oxymoron. I learned a lot about myself from the time I dedicated to the organization, so I was glad I gave it a shot and learned from my experiences.

But as of right now I am dedicating these last two weeks to my school work and spending what free time I have with the great friends I made on campus. This semester was defiantly a learning experience I will always remember.

A Great Group!

In the beginning of the semester Professor Guarino placed our class into “learning community groups”. I was placed in a group with Julie and Dana and later in the semester Alexis also joined our group. The first time we worked with our groups was on our first group project, “Group Think”. This project introduced us to the SCSU community and was designed to get to know our campus more efficiently. We were to choose 8 words from a list and take pictures around campus to describe that word and then make our project (pictures, paragraphs and audio) into a movie. We as a group decided to use Windows Movie Maker and Julie really helped me learn   how to use this program, which I found very helpful for our future assigned assignments/projects. This project not only introduced us to the Southern Community but was also an introduction to our next project, Midterm Story Telling Movie…

We did not have a formal written final, instead we were assigned a Midterm Movie which consisted of choosing a topic and asking a question in which 2 professors, 3 underclassmen and 1 upperclassman were to answer. My question was based on motivation and it was, “What motivates you to reach you academic goals”? This was an individual project, not a group project but we worked with our groups in class for feedback, technological help, etc… You could also meet with you group outside of class if you felt as if you needed more help with movie. It was comforting & nice to know that I had people, group members that I felt comfortable with enough to ask for extra help on my project if needed so. They really did come in handy and were extremely helpful, especially with technological aspects.

We are now currently working on our Final Video Project in which we were to pick a topic that makes us stand out from the rest of the SCUS community and my project is based off of my major, nursing. I talk about what qualities I possess that makes me stand out and that will one day lead me to become an excellent nurse. We have met with our groups in class, discussed our topics, and helped each other brainstorm ideas for their projects. For Example: Both Dana & Alexis are basing their projects off their major and their future. Alexis talks about how she wants to become a singer, and even introduces us to her beautiful voice and Dana shows us the steps she took to decide what she wanted to do with her future. Through a daycare program offered at her high school she decided she wanted to major in elementary education and is very happy with her decision.

Overall, I have really enjoyed working with my group members throughout the semester and they been extremely helpful in many ways. Next semester I am going to really miss a group of great girls that I can turn to for help/advice on any assignment or project I have.

                                     

My Ideal Life

My ideal life would be to graduate from college in 4-5 with a BSN (Bachelors Degree in Nursing-Registered Nurse). My major is very competitive and I apply into the program at the end of my sophomore year. If I get accepted into the Nursing Program here at Southern that will be a huge accomplishment for me and I will be very proud of myself. After graduating with my BSN  I hope to get a job right away (through my clinical experience) preferably at Yale New Haven Hospital and my dream as of right now is to work in obstetrics (maternity ward/nursery). I love babies and I am fascinated with pregnancy, so I think that would be the perfect career path for me.

After finishing my education and starting my career as a nurse I hope to be around 22 years old. I plan on living at home for a couple years while beginning to save money & getting settled into my new job. I want to save enough money to be able to pay all of my own bills and loans off, get my own place, and get a new car. I want to get my own place for a year or two and hopefully by the time I am 25 or 26 years old I want to have met the man of my dreams and get married.  I want to have a big wedding on the beach and honeymoon in Hawaii or any beautiful tropical location. After getting married I want to settle down with my husband, move into it a beautiful colonial house in Wallingford or Cheshire CT, and start a family.

Growing up, I was an only child and as much as I did enjoy it that’s not what I want for my children. I want to have three children (two daughter & a son) if I’m lucky. And I know I want my first born daughter named Jillian Elizabeth after my grandmother. I cannot wait settle down, have children, and become a mother. But, honestly all I want in life is to be happy! Of course everyone has the plan for the future and it doesn’t always work out as planned, but as long as a get my BSN and start my career, marry a great man that will be a wonderful husband and father,  and have healthy children I will be happy & my ideal life will be complete!

                              

                       My Vision Board from the Beginning of the Semester

                                  Describes My Ideal Life Perfectly

A Thanksgiving Day & Feast!

Thanksgiving for me isn’t just about food. It’s about family, and the remembrance of what we are thankful for. My thanksgiving is always a hectic one! This year I got up around 8am, got ready and headed off to my grandma’s house with my parents. We visit with her for about an hour and then I went straight to the Carini Bowl (the annual Thanksgiving football game with my old high school Lyman Hall vs. cross town rivals Sheehan). The stands are packed with fans, alumni, band members, cheerleaders, parents and everyone else who comes to support the Lyman Hall Trojans! This year we won 41-3, a blowout game. After the game I went home, got ready and headed straight to my uncles house where my whole family comes together for a delicious meal.

At approximately 2:00pm right after the Patriots game ended with a victory, we sat down for our formal dinner feast! Our meal consisted of a roasted turkey, gravy, red-skinned garlic mashed potatoes, crunchy stuffing with pecans, cranberry sauce, tossed green salad, green bean casserole, and corn. It was phenomenal, absolutely delicious. I love having our family come together, enjoy a wonderful meal, and give thanks. Shortly after the meal, the pies were out and coffee was ready. We enjoy apple crumb pie, pumpkin pie, and lemon-meringue pie. YUMM! Our thanksgiving was a success, but it would be nothing without my amazing family, great food, and of course all of the football games. I am very thankful for many things in my life, and this was the holiday to celebrate that!

Final Video Project Draft :Nursing

Senior Leader

I was on my high school cheerleader team for three years, Sophomore-Senior year. I had been cheering since I was nine years old so when I didn’t make the team my freshman year I was beyond disappointed. I was upset for weeks and worst of all it wasn’t even based on my skills, it was all politics. When I made the team my sophomore year I was ecstatic! Coach Moir was a 22 year old English teacher at our school who had been cheering for over 15 years. She was beyond qualified and really turned our team around from what it used to be. But my junior year she quit for personal reasons and she was replaced with a “chaperone” coach with no experience in cheerleading. The captains turned into our coaches our junior year and it was just chaos taking full direction from our peers and none from our actual coach. My senior year, our “chaperone” coach quit and was now replaced by Coach Judy. She was nowhere near as qualified as Coach Moir but she knew what she was doing and did get our team back on the right track.

It came time to choose captains and I had really proven myself as a leader. When I didn’t get the position it was like my freshman year all over again, I was really upset because I knew how great I would have been and I had so many ideas for the team. The two captains chosen knew how upset I was and decided to make a position for me. I was the “Senior Leader” of the team. I was in charge of the team along with the captains, just without the title. I really did enjoy the position of senior leader, but I was still upset throughout the year that I did not earn the actual title as captain. Either way, being a leader of the team really changed me as a person. Cheerleading was my life in high school and I was 100% dedicated to my team. Even though I did not earn the title as captain, I was still a leader and my teammates still looked up to and respected me. My position taught me a lot about responsibility and commitment and I was honored to earn that title as “senior leader” from my peers.

A Number of Difficult Situations...

This entire semester has been a huge adjustment for me and I’ve been in a pretty difficult situation the entire time. I have been trying to adjust to life on my own away from my family and closest friends and trying to make new close friends on campus. I’ve been really dedicated to my school work and I have been working really hard to keep my grades up. I consider myself and good, well rounded student and that is why I wanted to get involved on campus so I could get a feel for the full “college experience”. I decided to rush for Omega Zeta Pi Sorority and I was beyond excited. I loved it so much and was so happy when I became a new member. About four weeks into my new member period I decided it just wasn’t for me and I stopped my new member period. I just had a change of heart and I felt that it was just too overwhelming and I did not have enough time for everything going on with sorority, my classes and school work, and my social life. That put me in a really difficult situation because I had become close with my other pledges and some of the sisters. I thought long and hard about my decision and hoped that I had made the right choice for myself. The last thing I wanted was to feel as if now I have TOO much time on my hands and regret my decision. When I finally made a decision I called my Big (my big sister) and my Mom (a sister in charge of the new members) and then told all the Iota’s (the new members). It was hard tell them I was no longer going to continue but afterwards I felt a sense of relief. I now have plenty of time on my hand but I feel as if I am not on a restricted schedule anymore.  I now look at my experience with Omega Zeta Pi Sorority as a learning experience that I will always remember. I don’t regret the time, dedication and effort I put into it, because I really did learn about through out the experience. It taught me a lot about commitment and time management and in the end it just wasn’t right for me. I do look back on the times I shared with the girls and the memories I have made and I do miss them sometimes, but I will always cherish those memories and I do not regret my decision. I wish all the new members the best of luck !

This week had been its own difficult situation:

The week before Thanksgiving break…

I had:

·         TO GET UP AT 5:45AM MONDAY MORNING TO RESISTER FOR CLASSES FOR SPRING SEMESTER!

·         A Math Exam Monday

·         A Scavenger Hunt in INQ Tuesday & Read 3 Articles for an in Class Writing Assignment (Thurs)

·         A 5 Page Movie Analysis on Crazy Horse in Anthropology due Wednesday

·         An Anthropology Quiz on Wednesday

·         A 6 page Psychology Study Guide due Wednesday & Test on Friday

·         And the Weekly Routine of Campus Safari (Thursday) and 2 Blogs Due by Saturday

I have been overwhelmed with school work this week and have been completely stressed out! I have gotten a lot of my work completed so I do feel a little bit of relief and accomplishment, thank god! This week has just been really intense and it’s really challenged me as a student to see how well I can handle the pressure. Especially because the nursing program is really competitive I have to be really dedicated to my work and be able to handle the pressure so I can keep my grades up. Overall, this semester as a whole has been really stressful, especially this week but I know it will all pay off in the end. And don’t get me wrong… I have really adjusted to living on campus and I really like it. I have made some great friends and I am really looking forward to another semester on campus.

But, as of right now all I’m thinking about is getting through this week and I’m looking forward to pretty much all of next week off. Time to spend at home with my wonderful family, great friends all while enjoying a delicious meal. YUM!

A Stimulated Mind

I believe to feel intellectually stimulated in a class, that class not only has to be one that you enjoy and holds your interest, but it also has to be challenging and motivating.

Class: Intro to Psychology

My psychology class takes place every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday at 9:10-10 with Dr. Leonard Santarsiero. I find the curriculum so engaging and interesting, but yet still challenging. I truly enjoy learning and understanding about why our mind and body work the way they do, and relating them to real world problems/experiences. This class defiantly holds my complete interest and really stimulates my mind.  Learning the basics of psychology actually helps me understand myself on a completely different level leading me to feel intellectually stimulated. I enjoy attending every class and listening to his interesting and intriguing 50 minute lectures. I feel that in that class I am actually learning information that I am going to remember and use for the rest of my life.

TOPICS:

Origins of Psychology

Behavior, Experience & Emotion

Motivation

Brain, Speech, & Emotions

Memory

Abnormal Psychology & Disorders (Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, OCD)

Theories and Perspectives

Sensation & Perception

Vision

Sleep & Dreams

Learning about all of these topics really helps me process information on a completely different level. I now have a full understand how and why our mind works the way it does. “Psyche” means soul & mind.  Our mind is triggered by a series of behaviors, experiences and emotions. Overall, I find psychology to be an extremely intellectually stimulating and a class I truly enjoy.

                            

Quote

live for the moments you'll never forget, with the people you'll always remember

A Common Study Place?

Everyone has their own place where they feel they get the most work done, a place where they feel motivated and inspired. And most importantly a place where they feel focused and have total concentration.  That place for me, is my dorm room. For most people, their favorite places to study on campus and get their work done are in their common rooms, the library, or the student center.  But for me I feel most comfortable right in the comfort of my door room.

Growing up, I was an only child so I am used having my own room to complete my work in the environment setting that I accommodate for myself. When I’m writing an essay, completing a project, or even making note cards to prepare for a test I like to do it by myself 100 % in peace & quiet. I cannot have any distractions. The TV stays off, I don’t listen to my iPod, and I pretty much need almost complete silence to get my work done to the best of my ability. Coming into college, I was a bit nervous and hesitant about my rooming situation. I was wondering if my roommate was going to be loud and distracting because then I would have had to find a different study space, but I lucked out.  My roommate is barley ever in the room, and though I like her as a person and truly enjoy her company I am able to get my work done right here in the cozy dorm room, which reminds me of my room at home!

 I would consider myself and good student, who works hard and receives good grades, so why would I want to change or expand my horizon to different places study. Though my study place is not cool, it is effect and it’s what works for me. Though, I am interested to hear about some cool study places on campus, because I’m sure many students have unique study locations where they feel the motivated or inspired, or even just a place where they feel comfortable completing their work/studying. My study place may not be unique or out of the ordinary, but it’s just right!

My Study Spot

Grade Inflation Discussion

In class on Tuesday November 2^nd, we discussed the article Grade Inflation in American Education. We had to come up with an INQ question based on this article and my question was: Do you think that grade inflation in American education is “fair”? And even though that question may be broad it has a higher meaning. Some questions that stood out within the class were…

-Why do students feel as if they deserve a higher grade when the effort is not there?

- Does the term “above average” still have the same higher meaning if America is beginning to inflate student’s grades?

These two questions seemed to be up for a bit of discussion within the classroom. Many students agreed that is it not right for students to feel as if they deserve a higher grade when the effort is not there. Teachers have been telling us since we were in elementary school that they do give grade, we earn our grades and have to work for them. So it is not fair for schools, colleges, and universities to start tacking on a .333 to every students GPA so they can look like more of an “attractive student” than they truly are. This question then ties into the second question, does the term above average still have the same higher meaning? I would say no. If the American education system is going to start inflating student’s grades then no one is really going to be able to define above average anymore. Students cannot feel if they just do what is expected of them (homework, attending every class, and participating in class discussions) you need to take it a step further to truly become that “above average student”! So I believe if all schools throughout the United States do start inflating students grades the term above average will no longer have it’s true meaning. How will you be able to tell the difference between the student who earned that 4.0 GPA or the one that it was given to? You can’t.

This article really did catch my attention which is why I previously blogged about it two weeks ago in my blog post titled Weekly Reading & Article Controversies. There you will find an even more elaborate opinion and problem I have with grade inflating in America. My issue stand clear: overall it is blatantly not fair!

Stressed Out?

stress: the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another, strain. Subject to undergo extreme pressure or strain, as from their job.  The verb stress means “afflict with hardship”.

Everyone has their own personal way of dealing with stress. Some of the most common stress relievers include: yoga/meditation, getting a massage, deep breathing, taking a long walk, exercise, stress balls, spend time with friends, laughter, taking a vacation, doing a hobby (painting, gardening, etc), sleeping well and eating a balanced nutritious diet. All of these stress relief techniques are opted to helping one clear their head and in the end, feel stress free.

On a daily basis I tend to feel stressed out, but I have been a lot better in dealing with relieving my stress lately. One thing I love to do to relieve my stress and clear my head is having a positive outlook on any and every situation that has been stressing me out lately.  Another thing I love to do when I feel stressed out is go to the gym. I exercise and work myself really hard to let all my anger/stress out. I feel exercise works really well with relieving my stress. And also, I take a weekly yoga class to help clear my head and feel a sense of calmness & relief. I feel the best way to relieve stress (for me) is by surrounding yourself with people you love and who care about you. Have a good time with them, go out and enjoy yourself! Laugh until you cry and just forget about all of your problems. Spend time with those important people in your life, and I can guarantee you will feel stress free!

My absolute favorite PLACE to go to feel 100% relaxed and stress free is the beach. The beach is my sanctuary, my home away from home. Ever since I was little I have so many wonderful memories surrounding the beach. It’s beautiful scenery gives off such a relaxing vibe and I always feel a sense of calmness and relief when visiting.

By picking a place to feel stress free, you are going beyond stress relief techniques and surrounding yourself with total relaxation and calmness. You know you will always have that place to go to when/if those techniques don’t work.

Everyone has their own personal ways with dealing with stress, so what’s right for you?

                                                         

STRESS

RELIEF

Accepting Advice.

Advice.

 an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action or conduct

 Many people love taking advice from people and find it very helpful, but me I like to make my own decisions because I feel as if I know myself best. I would say asking someone for advice is going outside of my comfort zone because it is not something that I feel comfortable doing.  I want to face my fear of advice because I know sometimes other peoples input can be very helpful in your decision making.

The only people I usually do go to and ask advice is my family and a few close friends. I feel as if the person needs to know me almost as well as I know myself to give me the positive feedback I am looking for.  For me, asking for advice is a big deal and people close to me know that, so when I do go to them they know I must be very indecisive about something on my mind. I did not want to get too personal when going outside of my comfort zone and asking someone for advice. I have become really good friends with my hall mate Jenni so I decided to ask her for advice on what I should do about on-campus housing for next semester. I know myself best, and I know how I am feeling about continuing to live on campus next semester OR becoming a commuter, but I really feel as if it would help to get advice from a friends who is in the same predicament  at me. We are both indecisive about continuing to live on campus next semester so she knows exactly how I am feeling and that is why I feel comfortable asking  her for advice.

After talking to her, I actually did feel a sense of relief. Her words of advice really did help me in coming to make a decision. I have talked to my mom about commuting next semester and she said she supports my decision no matter what I decide to do as long as I am happy. But I wanted more structured advice than that, which I why I knew turning to Jen would really be helpful in making a decision and it was. She told me that she has thought about it really hard and that she is going to pay her on-campus housing deposit due October 29, 2010 and from there she is going to continue to think it over and make a full decision when the semester comes to an end in December. We really love being hall mates and have considered becoming roommates next semester so that would be something to really look forward to! But as for right now I am going to take Jen’s advice and pay my on-campus housing deposit so I do not feel rushed into making a decision. I still have time to think things over and she told me she is here for me whenever I want to talk and that really meant a lot to me.

Asking for advice really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and it was actually really helpful! Going out of my comfort zone was hard at first, but afterwards I felt a sense of relief and accomplishment!

Midterm Success!

I came into college being extremely nervous about the workload and the level of difficulty the work would consist of. Though, we are already halfway through the semester and midterm grades have been posted! I was nervous, but also excited as to how I was doing in my classes. I know how hard I have been working these last couple months to achieve good grades, so I knew that my grades should be everything I had expected them to be…..and I was right!

My midterm grades consisted of:

English  A-

INQ  B+

Anthropology   A

Math 108  B

Psychology  A

Overall, I was more than satisfied with my midterm grades. The first semester of school has been a hard adjustment for me so I am very proud of myself that I did not let my personal problems get in the way of my school work & grades. I really try to focus on my assignments and complete them to the best of my ability so I know I tried my best, even if do not receive the grade I wanted on an assignment/class.  As I have posted in pervious blogs I am a very organized, structured person so what has been working best for me is a schedule. I am very big on time management, so every day I sit down and take a look at my planner and plan out the assignments I have to complete for that day/ week. I also make a daily schedule or “to-do list” to know what I have going on throughout the day and when I will allot time to complete my assignments. I try to focus day by day on assignments so I do not overwhelm or stress myself into thinking I have too much work and not enough time.

Some specific goals I can set for myself for the remainder of the semester consist of:

           

-continue to manage my time/schedule

-improve my INQ grade and earn an A

-continue to try my best and work my hardest in math (not my best subject)

My final goal is at the end of the semester when I retrieve my final grades is to have earned at least a B+ or A’s in all of my classes. Next semester my classes are going to be a lot more challenging so I want to try my absolute hardest to earn an excellent GPA this semester.

 And….as long as I at least earn a B in math I will be happy with myself and know I did try my best and work my hardest because it is a very challenging class for me.

I am very happy with my midterm grades and proud of myself for working so hard!

Midterm Movie: Motivation !

I am so relieved that my midterm project is finally complete! It took alot of time and effort I thought but it was fun in the making, and now that it's over I really am proud of my project as a whole. I did do my project in Powerpoint (which probally was a huge mistake) because I cannot upload it to my blog or youtube successfully. Im am sorry about this inconvience, but I did learn alot about different students and professors on campus about MOTIVATION.  Motivation is key to success and I believe my project adresses it to the fullest extent. I will try to show my video in class so you guys wont miss out ! And again, I am sorry about this inconvience.

Weekly Readings & Article Controversies

After reading all the articles assigned for the week, I found that Have College Freshman Changed? Students are Different Now & Grade Inflation in American Education really caught my attention and related very well to each other. These two articles are up for extreme debate.  The articles summarize controversial educational topics that colleges are beginning to face on a daily basis.

“Are social, academic and financial pressures on freshmen becoming more intense?” And does that have an effect on how college freshman have changed? I believe so. The article states that college students today are less mature than they were and often not ready for the responsibility of being in college. Students today cannot cope with the stress today and have a “lack of resistance” and I myself being a college student fully agree with that argument. I too sometimes get overwhelmed and just feel too stressed out to want to complete my work to the best of my abilities. Is it the parents fault for babying their children and protecting them from life’s obstacles? That may be the problem; I have noticed an increased number of students who don’t really know a lot about independent responsibilities because they are so used to their parents taking care of everything for them.

“…the college experience itself is not more intense today than it was during the past 10 years. What is believed is that many students are often not prepared to be young “adults” with all the responsibilities of life.” College professors today have to explain what it means to be an independent college student before we can even begin to teach. Independence and responsibility needs to begin at an early age so that college can actually be a passage to independent adulthood.

The main controversy surrounding grade inflation in America is students are studying less and not working as hard but are being handed high grade point averages. Law Schools throughout the country are retroactively inflating its grades, tacking on 0.333 to every grade recorded in the last few years. The goal is to make its students look more attractive in a competitive job market. If you can get a higher grade without studying at all, why bother studying very hard? This is not all fair for the students who strive to do their best and work their absolute hardest to earn the grades they worked so hard for. “Academic grade inflation has also made its way down to the secondary school level, where failure is simply not an option under "No Child Left Behind" and failing student grades are usually considered a weakness on the part of the teacher's ability to connect to the student rather than poor student motivation and achievement.” True academic excellence in American Education should be earned, not handed to them.

These two articles controversies complement each other very well. Is it because children today are babied more by their parent while they are growing up that they cannot cope with the stress and amount of work given to them. The result of this problem is that students GPA are not as high as they were in previous years and therefore colleges are beginning to raise their students GPA’s to make student look more efficient than they actually are.

Free Choice: Structure & Self

I am a very structured, organized person who likes their days, weeks, and months planned out. I am not a “go with the flow” type of person & I also do not have a lot of patience therefore I do not like waiting around for things to happen. That is when I begin to get stressed out; when I feel that I’m overwhelmed and do not have control. I want to be in control of my life to the best of my ability at all times. I feel a sense of satisfaction when my schedule is consistently in order and when tasks or to-do list are completed.

Though the “free choice blog” has no structure, I feel as if I can reflect on how on my focused sense of self can relate to the huge adjustment process I have chose to become a part of; college.

College is a huge adjustment process that I am still in the mist of getting used to.  Because I am the structured person that I am, I am not a fan of change. Even though we are already half way through the semester I feel as if I am still in the adjustment process and am still getting used to my new life on a daily basis.

In the beginning of the school year my main focus was myself and my happiness. I personally needed to take the time to adjust to my new life and reflect upon who I really am. I chose to live at college because I wanted to be a part of the “full college experience”. Therefore I needed to give up the comfort of my home and my old lifestyle and make the most of why I am here. I wanted to meet new people, do well in my classes & keep up my grades, and get involved on campus. I needed to do this for myself. I want to prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to, even if it does take me out of my comfort zone.

Today, about 6 weeks later I am truly satisfied with myself and how far I have come.

In just a short period of time I truly feel as if I have adjusted to my new life in such a positive way and I am so proud of myself for never giving up on such a great experience.

I have…

*met such great friends

*feel satisfied/good about my classes and grades

*been managing my time successfully

*adjusted to my new living environment

*been able to manage my school work & social life

* gotten involved in an organization I am extremely excited about!

I do feel as if I am a student that is a part of the “full college experience” and I could not be happier. Though day-to-day I am still adjusting, I am keeping a positive attitude to make this process much easier on myself and it has been working!

A Wonderful Peer Mentor :)

Reflect on the role of the peer mentor in the INQ class: what works?

What does having a PM add? What have you learned from your PM?

The first day I walked in INQ I had no idea what the class even consisted of. I had heard by rumor that INQ was somewhat like a second English class, & that the same students in my English class were in my INQ class as well. I soon found out the true reasoning behind why most freshman students are required to take an INQ class. Through your INQ class you learn about your SCSU community, how to get involved, and how to manage your time & your new life during your freshman year. College is a huge adjustment and can be extremely overwhelming for some students. That is why this class was designed: to help students adjust to their first year experience and take advantage of what Southern has to offer.

Kaitlyn Hoffmann is our INQ classes Peer Mentor. She deals a lot with how to get involved on campus and how to make the most out of what Southern has to offer for students.  

Definition:   Peer- a person who is of equal standing with another in a group

                    Mentor- a trusted counselor or guide

 Just like us, Kaitlyn is a student here at Southern Connecticut State University (our peer) & though she may not be a freshman, she too had to endure the nerve-racking transition from high school home life to COLLEGE. She explained to our class how difficult the transition was for her during freshman year…before she got involved. Once she got involved she had a new outlook for what the “college experience” is truly like.

As a mentor she guides us in the direction we want to peruse with confidence and encouragement. At the beginning of every week she always informs the when upcoming events will be taking place, if we are interested.  I feel her role is revolved around school spirit! But at the same time she brings an informative, structured role to the class room. She encourages us to make the most out of college by becoming a part of your SCSU community.

Having a peer mentor I feel lightens up the mood of the average “structured” learning environment. Her presence adds a lot to the class, but in a relaxed non-overbearing way. She consistently keeps the class up to date with events taking place on campus, which I personally appreciate and take full advantage of.

For Example: This upcoming weekend is Homecoming and she asked the class if we would like to participate in the banner contest. We came together as a class and brainstormed great ideas and used a lot of creativity to make an awesome banner! It was fun to see the class come together and get excited about what we created. If it wasn’t for Kaitlyn’s great idea for the class to get involved in the contest, our class would have missed out on a great boning experience that also incorporated creativity as well.  

I honestly and truly enjoy having Kaitlyn be a part of our class as our Peer Mentor!

Kaitlyn showing off her SCSU Spirit!

picture by Kaitlyn Hoffmann

Does Your Blog Stand Out?

Today in class we looked over some student blogs to find out what truly makes a blog stand out from another. An attention catching title, unique pictures, interesting links, a good length (short, sweet, and to the point), and a blog that is both distinctive but personal. And most importantly give your blog a theme. That is what makes a blog stand out from the rest. By giving your blog and theme  and adding all the attention catching details, it will keep your readers/followers on their toes wondering what the next post is going to be about, and what message is it trying to portray. Should there be an underlying message within in your posts, or should you get right to the point and ask INQ questions within your blog? Maybe tie together both to make you blog unique.

Creativity and word choice are extremely important when writing each and every blog post. They need to grab the reader’s attention and pull them into the post. Writing posts that your followers can relate to is also something every writer should take into consideration. The language or voice of the blog needs to flow and tie together to keep the attention of the reader. Posts can be both sincere and informative but most importantly there needs to have a strong, obvious effort to make your blog stand out! Do not let your blog get boring. Have fun writing your posts; make your blog personal but also fun in an informative way.

Relating to other students blogs and getting ideas from their posts can really improve your writing skills, and to make you post stand out! I read through some of my classmate’s blogs and I found that both Michele’s Blog (A Whole New World) & Jessica’s Blog (My World) exemplify my ideas of what I like to incorporate into my blog to make it unique.

Michele’s Blog really related to mine because her titles are interesting and catch the reader’s attention right away and that is exactly what I try to do with my blog as well. Also, her style of writing related really well to mine. You can feel the passion in her writing; she puts the extra effort in her post to make them excellent. Michele’s pictures are also really great and I too always try to find pictures that relate my blog posts for the week.  Jessica’s posts are really fun and exciting to read. But at the same time they are also very informative, which is what I try to incorporate into my blog as well.

It was interesting but fun to read through some of my classmate’s blogs; to find out who has the same style of writing as me and who puts that extra effort into making their posts great every week. Effort and creativity: that’s what makes a blog standout!

                          

What's Your Major?!

As the mid semester will be approaching very shortly, I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by! Midterm advising is about to begin and students are starting to think about Spring registration and what classes they want to take, or need to take depending on their major choice. Many of my friends have not even declared their major yet, but I have…

Major: Pre-Nursing.

I am not completely considered a “nursing” student until I have completed all my pre-requisites and required courses to apply into the program at the completion of my sophomore year. The nursing program here at SCSU is extremely competitive, which is why I as a pre-nursing student have to stay focused on my grades and completely dedicated to my school work.

 I chose nursing because I love the anatomy and physiology of the human body and I also really love helping and caring for people. My aunt is a nurse and she is my inspiration. I love hearing about her position at the hospital and all the different patients she has dealt with. Nursing such a fascinating and exciting career and today nurses are in great need. Becoming a nurse in today’s economy will be such a rewarding accomplishment. This career choice is what I am passionate about and I will accomplish my dream of becoming an RN (registered nurse). I specifically want to become a maternity nurse and work in the maternity ward, dealing with not only the newborns but caring for the mothers as well. Pregnancy has always been is so fascinating to me. I always get so excited when someone I know gets pregnant. I love following their pregnancy and reading their baby books that show you the growth and development of the fetus week by week. I know nursing is a tough major but I am 100% dedicated to the career choice I have declared and I will not let myself down!

Because nursing is such a competitive field of work today, I do have a backup plan just in case I am not accepted into the nursing program. I know I want to work within the medical field no matter what I do, but I know for a fact one day I will become an excellent nurse. If my goal cannot be achieved here at SCSU I want to graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Public Health and then go on to become an ultra sound technician. I would work as an ultra sound tech and then continue to work towards my degree as an RN. Both Nursing and Sonography are fascinating career choices and though I do not what my future holds for me, nothing makes me happier than knowing I will one day have a career I am passionate and excited about.

          

SCUS Nursing Informational Website

What Motivates One May Not Motivate Another…

My Midterm Digital Storytelling Project is focused on motivation.

Question: What motivates you to reach you academic goals at college? And how committed are you to those goals? Meaning are they just a goal you would like to reach or one you are going to fully commit yourself to and strive to achieve.

I came up with a broad idea about basing my project on motivation because I feel like everyone comes to college for a different reason and everyone comes with their own personal academic goal. Whether that goal is to get accepted into your major by applying into their program (Nursing or Education) or managing a 4.0GPA, student’s academic goals all differ from one another for various personal reasons. Throughout the process of my meeting with my INQ professor and peer mentor got a better idea of which direction I wanted to peruse. I want to find out what motivates one to reach their academic goals.

Psychology plays large role in my project because what motivates one does not motivate another. The actual definition of motivation from a psychological perspective is a satisfaction of needs or expression of psychological/physical drives. Motivation comes from within! And the characteristics of motivated behavior include: motivation changes from day to day, individuals are on a different motivated level, and environment/surroundings can affect motivation more or less. I am going to try to include some of these psychological motivated behaviors when I begin my interview process with my psychology professor and students around campus this week.

I feel as if I have a good start to my midterm project and I have a lot of great brainstorming ideas. I went from such a broad idea, not knowing what I really what aspect I wanted to focus on to feeling as if I have a satisfying beginning to my project that I am happy with. I look forward to the interview process to find out what motivates people and how much one person’s academic motivation may differ from another’s. Let the process begin!