freedom

               Freedom. This word reminds me of a famous quote I once heard. “Freedom!- is the fatuous jingle of our civilization, but only those deprived of it have the barest inkling re: what the stuff actually is.”― David Mitchell

I always thought I had a great deal of freedom in high school. I had a car and could be out pretty much as late as I wanted, within reason that is. But when I hit college I learned that there was even more freedom to be had.

2 words this week: Done and freedom.

In done with school and free of work, for the time being that is.

final post.

               Going into college I thought it was going to be just a little bit harder than high school, but with a lot of added freedom. Well after my first semester I can honestly say I was half right. I had a lot of freedom and spare time but college was MUCH more difficult than high school. However I think I did an ok job for my first semester.

This semester has been a very eye opening experience for me. It was a huge deal to move out of my house and into my dorm. At first living on campus was very difficult but as time went on I got used to it. This was one of the many challenges I face this semester. There was no trick to getting used to campus life and I had to just push through the ordeal. My second biggest challenge like most was school. This semester I had very difficult classes. I had a schedule that most sophomores and juniors have. I had statistics, chemistry and Spanish. While I definitely could have gotten better grades I do think I had a challenging semester in comparison to most. That being said you can always work harder at anything you do.

               I would say I managed my time very well. While I did not always complete my work to the best of my ability I did complete all of my work. I had about a b- average this semester for grade which could have been better but what’s done is done. I need a 3.4-3.5 GPA to get into the nursing program and am on my way to getting it. If I do well my next 2 semesters I know that I can get into the program, if I don’t change my major that is.

This semester I was ok a time management. While I did all my work I spent a little too much time relaxing. I would often procrastinate until the last minute and this was a serious problem for me. I felt I fit in very well socially anywhere I went I found friends. While to some this may seem normal I came from a private middle school to a high school where everyone already had their “groups”. It was nice that everyone at southern was in the same boat and no one really knew each other. It was the first and easiest time I’ve ever had to make friends.

Next semester I need to concentrate on my work. I spent way too much time spacing out and watching Netflix rather than studying and doing my homework. That being said I have less to worry about. This semester everyone was focusing on schoolwork but also on making friends and getting acquainted with college life, whereas next semester people will only need to really focus on schoolwork. This is important to understand because it gives me the foreknowledge that next semester won’t be easier work but I’ll have, theoretically, less to focus on.

This semester was as much about making friends and doing school work as it was self-discovery. It was a chance to explore who I really am. Everyone has a mask they wear around everyone. At home I’m one type of person and when I’m with friends I’m a different one. Going to college I was able to wear my true mask, or if you will not wear any mask at all. This allowed me to say who I was to all of southern because everyone’s going to fit in somewhere. And I fit in with a group of people and I’m glad to say I was myself.

final video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP6lXEcfQik&feature=youtu.be

multiculture (15I)

This week I went to the multicultural center. It was a great experience to see all the different clubs and organizations available there. It’s a great way to see past racial and language barriers and I would suggest everyone to go there. It was truly an eye opening experience. It has many programs that are informative of diversity in the southern community. I think diversity is an important aspect of college life and is the multicultural center is a great place to learn about it. Race can be a controversial topic sometimes and this place educates us on acceptance of others.

corrections. (15A)

               This week in INQ class I presented my Final video draft. I had put in my statistical part in on slides and added music. After it was showed I realized that I needed to break up the slides and spread them out so that there are fewer words on each page. There were also a few typos that needed correcting.

               Before I went into the class I knew I had to add an opening skit to A, introduce the problem and B, add a bit of fun and creativity to the video. I also knew I needed to add an ending. A section to show what to do with problems that arise along with something to summarize the video.

               I know what I need to do to make my video polished and in depth with my topic. I have a plan on how to complete it and am sure I will get an A on this project. For my intro I am going to do a skit where some on my floor is blasting music as I attempt to study. I will then confront them about it and finish studying. Then I might make another video on roommate problems. However I will see how long the first skit is before I do that.

For the ending I will add slides explaining the do and don’ts of solving dorm problems. This is the most education part of the video as it will explain everything one needs to know to have a great experience in the dorms.

autonomy (15V)

According to google autonomy is “freedom from external control or influence; independence.” This is relevant to college because it is the first time many people have the amount of freedom they have in college. It is important to not be overwhelmed by newfound freedom because you may crash from being overwhelmed.

This week I learned two new terms in chemistry.

Distillation:  This is when you separate a mixture of liquids by heating it up.  The one with the lowest boiling point evaporates first, followed by the one with the next lowest boiling point.

Electrolysis:  When electricity is used to break apart a chemical compound.

a plan to pass (15B)

With all the up and coming finals one of the most important things to do is plan. If you go into the week and a half of finals with a plan on what to study when, you will be more successful than blindly going through it. To make a plan you need to know your finals schedule.

My finals schedule:

•         Wednesday I have Statistics at 12:45-2:45 and Spanish at 5:15-7:15.
•         Thursday I have INQ at 10:15-12:15 and Sociology at 3:00-5:00
•         Then I have Friday off.
•         Monday I have Chemistry at 12:45-2:45 and then I am done with school!

Then I have to prioritize my exams. Chemistry and statistics are my most important and will also be my most difficult. For this reason I will study Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for my statistics with a little bit of Spanish mixed in. Sociology is open notes so there isn’t a lot of studying to be done for that class. Then Friday Saturday and Sunday will all be towards studying for chemistry. I will work on my INQ final project a little bit each day until it is done.

For math I am going to do the online study guide our professor put up on blackboard and make sure I know and understand all of them. Then I will make my “cheat sheet” that we are allowed to make and put all the formulas and methods on there. I will also put the final practice and the answers and work on it. This will ensure that in case I forget anything I am able to remember it from my sheet.

For chemistry I will just be cramming all of the possible information I could possibly learn in one weekend into my brain. It is an infamously difficult test but I’m sure if I study my hardest I will pass.