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.

final video draft

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW_z4Y1bLOI&feature=youtu.be

i need to get my intro skit.
then the solutions and conclusion ect.

leaving... for now. (14I)

This week I went home for thanksgiving. It was crazy Tuesday trying to hang out with friends and pack for the long weekend. I wanted to say goodbye to all my friends but was unable too. Though the packing was hectic I was prepared for the weekend of food and old friends. So far I have done tons of work for my work at southern. My involvement this week was leaving southern. Mostly because there was two days of school and not much was going on except packing and leaving. I’m more nervous about my return because it will be two weeks of insanity and then nothing.

thankful (14B)

I am thankful for a great many things in my life. Going to southern and interacting with all the different people made me realize how lucky I really am. I have talked to many people and seen that life isn’t really as great as everything seems for everyone. And it has made me realize how lucky I really am.

First and foremost I am thankful for my family. They are all great, loving, and supporting. I know that no matter what happens to me they will love me forever. It was great seeing them over the break and look forward to spending Christmas break with them. Another thing I am thankful for is safety, a house, and food. There is nothing more necessary than have all of you basic need taken care of. Is the purpose of society and obviously something every American is thankful for.

Another thing I am thankful for is my friends. They are so great and supportive of me. They are also a lot of fun to be around. Next I am thankful for my opportunities and through that my education. I understand that many people even other Americans don’t have the same opportunities as myself. There is so much in this world to be thankful for it’s impossible to make a list and include everything. I am thankful for my world and the universe. I am thankful for everything in existence. I am thankful for the unanswered questions and the answered ones we know. I am thankful for my life and everything in it. It is an amazing chance I exist so I am thankful that all the things that were necessary for me to exist happened. There really is no possible way I can express all the different things I am thankful for in life.

relax (14A)

Thanksgiving break is a necessary because it’s a time to get a break before the final plunge. The last 2 weeks of college are by far the most stressful of the semester. While it’s important to relax over thanksgiving break it’s also important to stay on task. It’s also the time to begin studying for finals. This week I have hung out with friends watched TV, played video games, and slept A LOT, pretty much what anyone does to relax. However the fact that I have a lot of Spanish to memorize for Monday is not helping my stress level. I have also been stuffing my face with well, stuffing from thanksgiving. Also it’s scientifically been proven that petting animals relieves stress so I guess petting my cat has been helping as well. I have been listening to music and taking walks as well.

I saw the hunger games with my family Friday night. It was and extremely good movie and took my mind off everything that has been happening to me recently. I find that there is nothing better than sleep and a good movie to take you mind off stress. Waking up after 12-14 hours of sleep only to eat and watch a movie is the best. I watched TV with my mom and hung out with my brothers. It was really great catching up with everyone. However I won’t be totally stress free until the semester ends. Being able to sleep more than 5 hours at night was fantastic. I got advice from relative (all of which are in the medical field) on my education. This gave me some encouragement to continue on and finish my semester even though I have very difficult classes. Overall I have done many things this week to relax myself and it has been great.

investment (14V)

Google defines investment as an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result. Investment is relevant to college because college in itself is an investment. When you go to college you spend money on improving yourself and then in the future you can make more money. College is an investment in yourself.

This week I learned two new terms in chemistry:

electron affinity:  The energy change that accompanies the addition of an electron to an atom in the gas phase.

enthalpy:  A measurement of the energy content of a system.

dorm distractions creativity (13B)

Everyone has heard the term “work hard, play hard.” But what if someone’s playing hard while you need to be working hard? Not everyone has the same schedule and while some people may want to party in their dorm others may have an important project to do or a major test to study for. Now this seems like a pretty classic problem that occurs at all colleges, however in this project I need to tackle this in a creative manner. So aside from the statistics and boring facts and surveys I will make a fun skit with people from my dorms. This will hook people into my video and also illustrate creatively the problem and solution my video is about.

I plan to find different way to solve disputes about excessive noise, roommate problems, and much more. I plan to have numerous slides and different methods to describe my statistics from my survey and the different comparisons on what are the best ways to deal with problems in any dorm. However I will also cover the reverse, how to have fun while respecting that others have work to do. One such way to have fun is that you can listen to music without it shaking the walls.

Together with a wide array of means telling the statistics and results of my survey and interviews along with my creative skit on studying will accurately and creatively portray my problem solution video at a college level thinking level. Much of the editing will also add the creativeness in that it will smoothly and uniquely slide from fact to fact. I have so many ideas I can’t wait to get started on my final video project for Inquiry, but first I need to plan out my project and get people to act in my skit.

dorm distractions (13A)

Before I get into my plan on how to make my final video project contain college level critical thinking I will define what that is. College level thinking is when a high level of effort and intellectual thought goes into a task. It is not the level of thinking college student have, but are striving to achieve.

I plan to do a few things to make the intellectual part of my project of a college level. One is I plan to make my own survey and give it to people in my dorm. Because my project is on dorm distractions it would be best to get first had data due to the subjectivity of the topic. Some of the questions I will be asking are:

1        1.      If you need to study/work do you need to leave your dorm in order to concentrate?

2        2.      Is sleep difficult to attain due to noise?

3        3.      How often do you encounter a serious distraction in your dorm? (i.e. loud music a party)

I will add more questions but these will be the basic questions I will ask people. I will then research possible remedies to problems encountered in dorms. I also plan to compare my southern statistics to other schools to see if southern is a good or bad place live.

I will also explore what to do in case dorm distractions arise. For one I will explore what to do if people are playing loud music or if you have a bad roommate matchup. Also where can you go in case things are out of control and you need to focus on your work. So all in all I plan to make my own survey and compare its data in a statistical setting and then come up with the best solutions to dorm distractions.

SPDC (13I)

On Sunday November 17 I went to the Symphonic Pulse Dance Company dance competition. The moves some of the people were capable of were insane. While all the teams did a great job I particularly liked when they had people from the audience come up. They were all good and it was interesting what dance moves people could come up with on the spot. I would recommend this event to people because it was extremely exciting and entertaining. The dance teams choreography was great and if I were to give the overall event a rating it would be 8/10 stars.

purpose (13V)

Purpose is a relatively simple word when used in general however it can become very complex. When you say the purpose of government is to protect its citizens it is a simple concept to grasp. When you say your purpose in going to college is to get better pay in life then everyone knows exactly what you’re saying. Purpose can also be hard to explain, such as what is your purpose in life? in general purpose is the reason or meaning of something.

This week I learned 2 chemistry terms:

alkali metals:  Group I in the periodic table.

alkaline earth metals:  Group II in the periodic table.

liberal arts pros 12A

There are many pros and cons to a liberal arts education, but in this blog I will talk about the pros. One of the biggest advantages to a liberal arts education is the ability to approach problems in life and work from different perspectives. In today’s constantly changing world people need to know how to change, and solve problems other than those directly related to their field.

Rebecca Chopp says:

“Liberal arts is founded on a whole person, developing a person athletically and academically. Liberal arts is going international. The 21st century is one of entrepreneurship and innovation. There will not be fixed careers. The liberal arts teaches you to think outside the box.”

(http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/two-views-on-liberal-arts/)

I completely agree with Rebecca Chopp, this new age has ushered in a seemingly endless supply of new inventions and ideas. It is absolutely necessary to obtain these skills in today’s world because employers want someone who can think outside the box.

Another bonus is that you know you’re in the field you will love. Instead of just choosing a career that sounds nice liberal arts schools allow people to explore different majors and in turn different careers. I always thought of these extra classes as a waste of time and a bunch of bull. However many of my classes this semester have sparked new interests in fields I had not yet been given the opportunity to explore. This has given me faith in the system of liberal arts and even made me second guess my major and career choice.

It also allows people a “buffer” year or two before jumping into their major’s classes. Instead of learning how to inject I.V.s into people I’m learning math and science for a deeper understanding of what’s really going on with people. It’s almost like a prep-period for when the real classes begin.

we are the millers (12I)

This past Tuesday I went to movie night at Procon. They played "We are The Miller's." which was a hilarious comedy about drug dealing and crossing over the Mexican American border. They serve popcorn and candy with drinks and the whole night was a really fun time. I would recommend going to movie night with some friends for an enjoyable night. My only complaint is that it’s in the middle of the week when work is at its heaviest. But overall a great time and cool movies lie in wait! But by far the best part about it all is that it’s free!

interdisciplinary (12V)

Interdisciplinary according to google is “of or relating to more than one branch of knowledge.” That pretty much sums it up. If you are interdisciplinary then you have a wide range on knowledge in a wide range of fields. You have skills in many areas in comparison to just one.

This week I learned some new chemistry terms:

Acyl Group: It is a functional group of organic compounds which is usually obtained by replacing the hydroxyl group (--OH) from any carboxylic acid.

Aliphatic: An organic compound in which the Carbon atoms are bonded together in the form of a chain. It does not have aromatic rings.

liberal arts. is it a pro, or is it a con. 12B)

Throughout this week’s reading I came up with a few important questions.

•  How is a liberal arts degree different from a less well rounded degree, such as HVAC?
• In what ways is a liberal arts degree useful and what ways is it useless?
•  Is it better to get a liberal arts degree, or a non-liberal arts degree?

Throughout this week’s reading many good points were brought up on why it is important to get a liberal arts degree, however the biggest question is when is it important. Everyone talks about how you will be a more well-rounded individual and will be able to approach different problems with a unique take or will be more empathetic because of the difference in education. The fact of the matter is companies and those hiring in today’s world want people to be able to do their job, and not many jobs require you to have a vast skill range.

For example, my father is a computer programmer for traveler’s insurance company, and in reality they really only care about him being an excellent programmer and having good people skills in order to be a successful manager. He doesn’t need to know CPR or how to speak Russian. While yes it is good to have a wide skill range in some fields the majority of jobs today are specialized. Nurses need to know how to give someone an I.V. and math teachers need to know calculus.

Another reason a liberal arts education isn’t as great as its held up to be is the fact that college’s purpose is to train people for their careers. In middle school and high school people can and are immersed in different fields and subjects, and then when college comes they decide what they want to do and are trained for it. So while the liberal arts education is good for some, it is not always the best and most efficient system.

sick shmick! (11I)

Since we are at the start of the flu season I figured I would find the student health center here at southern. It is located on Wintergreen Avenue and is close to the residence halls. The hours are from 8 in the morning to 4:30 in the evening. I think this is one of the most important buildings on campus due to its importance. No one can do well at school when sick. It stops you from going to class and ruins your focus on assignments. If you're sick then this is the place to go to get better faster and get back on track.

Other's Questions (11B)

While looking through the different questions on everyone’s blogs I saw many good college level questions. But a few stuck out as great questions too me.

The first one was by “stepphhr”. What is the relationship between creativity and people who have the greatest tolerance of uncertainty or boredom?

I think this question is great because it is specific to what it wants. There are no ambiguous words so what is desired for an answer is clear. It is easy to connect it to the reading through examples. And most importantly it is relevant to the subject or topic at hand.

The second question I thought was great is by “Jacqueline Reis”. What is the overnight test? How does not having enough time to reassess your work interfere with creativity?

I liked this question because of its simplicity. While you can write a lot on the topic the answer the author is looking for is very specific and relevant. Again it is clear and leaves the possibility to add examples.

The third great question was by “Kelsey Laudano”. What ways can parents, teachers or employers hinder a person’s creativity?

I think this is a great question because it has all the requirements of a college level question and even more. It is relevant to the topic, it’s clear and easy to connect examples to. However it goes a step further and relates the class work to real life. It is something everyone has experienced and can relate to.

This week’s activities have definitely helped me predict future quiz questions. Not in a way that I will be able to guess what exact questions will be on tests, but how to approach readings and assignments from a deeper level. I will no longer think of questions in the sense of what the article said but how the topics relate to the real world.

innovation (11V)

Google defines innovation as the “action or process of being innovative”, which is a pretty useless definition if you ask me. Innovation to me depends on the context. If someone is innovative then they are creative and have original thoughts and beliefs. If something is innovative then it is new and helpful to the world. Innovative is a synonym to creative because both mean a new original idea or creation.

Two words I learned this week are:

Activity Series: A listing of metals (and hydrogen) in order of decreasing activity

Amphiprotism: Ability of a substance to exhibit amphiprotism by accepting donated protons.

What's the question mean? (11A)

Before I give 4 good solid critical thinking questions I think it’s important to define what a good question has. The first aspect is relevance. A good question needs to be very relevant to the article or subject at hand. Second is the balance of specificity and broadness. If a question is too broad and too open-ended it’s easy to answer because you can write just about anything on a broad question. Secondly if a question is too specific the answer may be skewed with bias, or limit the persons imagination when it comes to the answer. And finally the wording of the question needs to be specific. You can’t have a question that has the possibility to mean two things or is ambiguous.

So here are some questions.

#1 In the “The joy of boredom” article it talks about how boredom is the gateway to creativity. How does creativity come from being bored? (Hint: what does one do when bored?)

#2 In the “The joy of boredom” article it says creative people have a higher tolerance for boredom. Is this true? Are they more creative than others or are the just differently creative?

#3 Technological advancements are taking up more of our spare time that we would normally be “bored”. One of the articles claims that this is a problem and is lowering our creativity. Is this true? Provide a personal scenario that is relevant to the lack of “boredom” blocking or halting our creativity.

#4 One article listed innovations that the author was looking forward to. Were there any unrealistic expectations? Any there any useless or worthless innovations? Amazing or life-changing?

               Answer to #2:

               I would say that people with a high tolerance for boredom are not more creative, but in fact just have a creative mind. A big imagination if you will. Others however think in different ways. For example we recently read of a woman who was doing poorly in school. And when presented to a psychiatrist she was discovered to be a dancer. Just because she couldn’t think in a chair or invent a new device doesn’t make her less creative than others. It’s just makes her creative in different ways.

Chase rules. (10I #4)

             This week I interviewed my R.A. Cam. He said that while there are many great benefits to being and R.A. such as free housing cost and a great experience to put on a resume, it also comes with a lot of hard work. They have to work the front desk, and while that’s not necessarily hard work, it is time consuming and required night shifts on occasion as well. They need to inspect rooms and make sure everything is up-to-code. They need to be sure everyone is getting along and that roommates aren’t in severe conflict. They also need to attend various meeting and be familiar with all the current codes and regulations. 

video (10A)

               I would give myself an A- on my midterm video post. While I believe it was well done and it did fulfill all of the requirements and I ran into many problems but only a few errors here and there. I think my video flowed, had a beginning middle and end, and most importantly kept the interest of a viewer. I did have some technical errors. One of them is that for two of the interviews there was no sound for some reason. Also I had to switch video makers because the first one was giving me problems such as not fitting things together properly and making a mess of all the material in imported. Overall though I overcame the technical issues and made a pretty good video. I clearly explained both the benefits of intramurals and the benefits of playing intramurals at southern.

               It was the proper length of time and had 3 student interviews and 1 staff interview. The interviews were hard to get because many people said standard things like “sports are fun” or “exercise is healthy”. You know the stuff everyone on earth already knows. I think I had a great intro, listing all the different intramurals southern offers, why southern is great to play intramurals and finally what benefits (besides fun and health) it brings to individuals involved.

               If I had more time the only revision I would make is spelling. I made a typo that I only noticed after it was submitted. While nothing is ever perfect I think I portrayed my topic well and included all of the requirements successfully. An A- is a fitting grade for this reason. There were only a few minor mistakes in my project and because of the many problems I ran into, both technical and in finding material, I feel it came out very well.

creativity (10V)

Creativity to me is the ability to have original ideas or create something original that has some use or relevance to the world. Everyone is creative in some way and it is my personal belief that everyone is equally creative. For example if you are a master painter you’re probably not as creative as most when It comes to inventing devices or having deep insights (mentally) about the world.

This week I learned two new words in chemistry.

Actual yield: the amount of product obtained in a laboratory experiment

Wave: A signal which propagates through space, much like a water wave moves through water.

a blessing or a curse? (10B)

               Everyone has their own side of creativity, some can draw well, others can sing, and some can play sports. However creativity is not necessarily unique to every individual. There have been many great painters and many great composers. I personally find myself to be a very philosophical person. I think deeply about the things that interest me. Many times that I share these thoughts people don’t understand me; this may be because I’m either a poor communicator or that my thoughts are too deep for people understand. I think it’s a combination of both (however I like to think it’s just the latter).

               Many people have realizations about their lives and the world, but I seem to have more than most along with the exploration of these thoughts. What mostly provokes my thoughts and deep insights is music. If I listen to the rights songs while relaxed I just think about well, infinite thoughts about anything. I had thoughts about the afterlife, if there is one, to why I did something as kid. I’ve had insights on why people shouldn’t have regrets, and how many factors go into the world being the way it is. I find thinking about life both enlightening and relaxing.

               That being said I don’t consider myself smarter or better than anyone because of my “talent” if you will. Instead I see myself as unique. When I took a personality test I found out I have the rarest personality on earth. In the descriptions for my personality it talked about how in my head (or rather people with my personality) I see things and understand many abstract concepts; however I cannot convey or illustrate them properly. In my classes I find myself having great insights about the lesson or discussion but when it comes to explaining them to the class I am unable to clearly explain myself. It’s both a blessing and a curse.

http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html

thinking chemistry (9A)

               Critical thinking is a skill that everyone needs. Critical thinking is something used every day; it is a tool use to evaluate different things. When you go shopping you use critical thinking to decide what’s healthiest, tastiest, and most cost effective. In arguments and debates it is use to assess the validity of each argument and what has the most evidence. All in all critical thinking is used to make logical decisions in life. There are many things that are involved in critical thinking.

Critical thinking is useful because it can help people understand complex abstract concepts. It helps people be more creative and solve problems more efficiently and effectively. Critical thinking helps people overcome such logical barriers such as egocentrism, sociocentrism, unwarranted assumptions, relativistic thinking and wishful thinking. Each of these blocks logical thinking in societies and in individuals. Once someone masters critical thinking they will chose the right side of arguments, be more creative, and most relevant to college become better problem solvers.

In order to think critically you have to let go of all biases. Once you have done this you need to become secular towards all sides of any given issue or problem. Once you have a completely open mind you can think on a level few can think on. You will be able to solve difficult problems and do so creatively.

In college I have had to use critical thinking for two major problems. First is time management, I have used critical thinking to take time from classes I’m doing well in and put them towards those I’m struggling in. And secondly is in my chemistry class. It has many abstract concepts and the math is very difficult, so I have use critical thinking to solve the difficult problem and mental blocks chemistry has presented to me.

Sonia the wise (9I)

This week I saw Sonia Sotomayor answer a bunch of questions thought up by the students here at southern. One of the questions asked her who her most important role model or supporter was. Her response was that they all were important and she wouldn't have succeeded without all of the people that helped, advised, and supported her along the way. This struck me and I realized that everyone, no matter how small, plays a role in everyone’s life. And even the simplest remark or easiest action can impact a life for the better, or worse. From this I thought that I would try to make more of an effort to be a part of others’ lives, no matter how insignificant my role.

critical thinking (9V)

According to Google Critical thinking is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, partially true, or false. Critical thinking is a process that leads to skills that can be learned, mastered and used. Critical thinking is a tool by which one can come about reasoned conclusions based on a reasoned process. This process incorporates passion and creativity, but guides it with discipline, practicality and common sense.

So in my own words it’s a method of thinking that has certain specific guiding aspects.

This week in chemistry we learned the following terms.

Subatomic particles- Electrons, Neutrons and Protons.

Rare earth metals- the Lanthanides.

Chems a.... Challenge (9B)

               In my INQ class I have a good solid starting grade. I feel that if I continue to do my work and keep participating in class that I will end up with an A at the end of the semester. I have no real complaints about this course and there haven’t been anything surprising in terms of the amount of work and set-up of the class.

               Second is sociology. Again I have a solid grade and have been doing everything I should be doing in the course. And again I feel that at the end of the semester I will have an A in it as well as INQ. While the material is not what I expected the workload and difficulty align with what I thought the class would be like.

Next is Spanish. I’m not doing the greatest in Spanish, and although language has always been difficult the cause of me not doing the greatest is not entirely my fault. However I know if I work a little harder and get slightly better test grades ill end up with a solid B or higher for my final grade.

Now for stats, I have a much lower grade than I’d like to have. However I know that with a little extra effort and a little luck ill end up with a solid b at the end of the semester. I’ll be honest its difficulty took me by surprise; I figured it would be much easier. But life is all about the adjustments so will a little change I’ll be fine.

Lastly is chemistry. I always knew it would be difficult based off of stories and rumors but it truly is the hardest class I’ve ever taken. This class will be my only real challenge in getting the B I want. However he drops our lowest test grade so if I do good on the next two I’m sure to get the B I need.

Midterm video

http://youtu.be/xDpJDAKgTDM

majors expo (8I)

This week I attended the major’s expo in the Adanti student center. The reason I went was because I want a backup major in case everything I have planned well, doesn’t go according to plan. I am currently in the pre-nursing program. The competitiveness of the program is extremely high so just in case i don’t get into the program. Are there less intensive medical majors I can go into? I looked around but nothing interested me so I came to the conclusion that if worse comes to worse I will transfer to a different less prestigious school. That being said the expo was a great success.

mastery (8V)

               Mastery to me is knowing everything there is to know about, well whatever you’re a master of. If you are a master of molecular chemistry then you know everything there is to know about it. If you are a master runner then you know of all the techniques and exercises to improve your speed. To truly master something requires all of your energy and focus to be directed at that task or knowledge base.

Two chemistry words I learned this week are:

The dissolving substance in a solution is called a solvent.

The dissolved substance in a solution is called a solute.

Memiors (8B)

“Always looking up, never overlooking downsides.”

Throughout my life I have always been extremely optimistic. My mom even complains that I say “it’ll be fine” too much. I have a philosophy that everything works out for the best eventually. “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it is not yet the end” –Patel. This being said I am not ignorant to difficulties in life. I think that if you recognize difficulties then you can overcome them and make things right in the end. Everyone has their own philosophical take on life, mine is that you are born to make as many rights out of the wrongs in life as possible. This is making the world a better place. Even if the difficulties you face are simple such as raising a proper nice family, or complex like being president and trying to solve the world’s problems, it’s important to fix the wrongs you see.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s memoir was probably chosen as a book for freshman because it is full of inspirational stories in her life. It is about her many struggles as a child but then overcoming those to hold one of the highest positions in the U.S. government. Many freshmen have many problems and struggles and it’s daunting to think of actually succeeding at overcoming them. This book inspires people with current struggles to prevail and overcome their problems. It also makes you think about how overcoming struggles adds to the value of life. If you come from nothing and make it to the top is far more impressive then starting at the top and staying there. Sonia Sotomayor is an example of someone who started at the bottom and made it to the top. It was chosen as our common read because it is both inspirational and educational on the benefits of overcoming challenges such as college.

posting mastery (8A)

               First ill start by defining what I think goes into a good blog. One of the most important things in a blog is flow. It has to have a beginning middle and end. The sentence order should make sense and not switch topics without a transition. Second is the relevance. Every part of the blog needs to relate and build on whatever the topic is. For example if you need to talk about mastery you should not talk about sleeping, because I’m pretty sure everyone has mastered sleeping. Lastly is the personal touch. A blog after all is a personal writing so you shouldn’t leave out yourself. Whatever the topic of the blog, you should relate it to a quality or experience you have had. If an essay contains all three of these aspects then it deserves an A.

One post that contained these three aspects was http://garrettsblogs.blogspot.com/2013/10/7-b-failed-motivation.html . It had a clear opening and closing statement along with the “meat” in the middle. He was on-topic and most importantly he related it to a personal experience.

A second post that deserved an A is http://deejellis.blogspot.com/2013/10/7b-college-so-far-nothing-but-failure.html . In this blog she not only relates college to herself but herself to other people which I really liked. Secondly she had goo order in that she started by saying what was happening and ended by saying what she was going to do. Lastly it was relevant to the topic she was asked to blog about.

While there are many good blogs and many styles of writing blogs I think that the three basic principles of flow, relevance, and the personal touch are the key to a great post. While it is not very difficult to include these three aspects, it is harder to do them successfully. Those people who post like this post like masters.

Midterm project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKF5z8e7F54&feature=youtu.be

I will be adding the interviews along with a video of an intramural sports event.

Nursing acceptance (7I #12)

            This week I attended my majors meeting on what classes and requirements there are in order to get accepted into the nursing program. I learned that you need at least a C+ in all of the prerequisite courses for them to be counted, along with the fact that you need at least a 3.0 GPA to apply to the program. They also went over what classes to apply for next semester and the application process as well. While these are high expectations I know that if I keep my mind to it I will succeed in getting into the program.

fighting for the finish (7B)

                So far this semester I’m doing pretty well in the majority of my classes, however I’m not doing the greatest in chemistry. Since we go through a chapter a week and need to remember all of the information and methods to solve the various math problems I find myself struggling to keep up with the information. While I am not failing the class (as far as I know) I certainly need to bring my grade up in order to get into the nursing program. In order for the program to accept it I need to have a C+ or better and I would guess I have a C- or D+ which is far below the grade I am used to getting in my science classes.

               This week I have spent an extra half an hour a day on studying chemistry. However I won’t know if this strategy will help me retain the information until after my next test. However it should allocate more time for my brain to process and retain more of the information I receive. I also went to his office hours for extra help in order to further understand the class materials.

               I am not the type of person to give up on things I have started. Once I start something I push through to the end no matter how long or difficult the task is. One example as proof that I don’t give up is that I am an eagle scout. This takes years of effort and hard work. In the end my final service project took about a year to complete. Other than my education I have never spent so long on any given task. I will fight to raise my chemistry grade until I have at least a B in it. I will fight till I succeed and that’s all there is too it.

societal failure (7A)

               In today’s society failure is strictly forbidden. If you fail a test everyone is disappointed in you, and if you succeed, oh well that’s the expectation from birth. Kids are not the only ones able to fail at something. Adults too can’t do anything wrong at work of they will get fired. This world, at least in America has turned into a world of tests. If you succeed (or pass) the tests you are given you succeed in life, if you fail them you fail at life. I think this world has developed into a place where failure is not an option. For example is school if you fail just one test it can ruin your whole grade for the semester. This leads people to want to be successful at everything the first time.

               

               Parents are so afraid of their children failing that they become over protective. While this creates their success in certain areas kids can grow to rely on their parents too much. Also if they never fail then when they are older and do fail for the first time they won’t be able to cope and will just crumble apart at their disappointment of themselves. This is one downfall of society’s lack of tolerance for failure.

               

               Another problem with today’s view on success and failure is that everyone needs to be successful very quickly. Everyone is expected to get it right the first time. “We would estimate, very roughly, that a master has spent perhaps 10,000 to 50,000 hours staring at chess positions”. This quote is about how it takes years of diligent practice in order to truly master something, yet in our society you’re expected to master chemistry or statistics in a few short months. In my opinion failure is not allowed in society because it is not possible, one cannot “make it in life” with any failures under our current system.

failure without learning (7V)

               Failure to most people is not succeeding at a given task. While this is technically the definition of failure it is not totally correct in my opinion. If you don’t succeed at something but learn from your mistakes then it is not a total failure, however if you fail at the task and don’t learn anything then the whole task was pointless. To me failure is being unsuccessful at something but simultaneously failing to learn anything at all.

            

               This week in chemistry I learned the following terms:

Internal Energy- The sum of the kinetic energies and potential energies of the particles within a system.

Kinetic energy- Energy of motion.

mindset level: Grit (6B)

           Throughout this semester in my INQ class we have read an assortment of articles ranging from delayed gratification to note taking strategies. But for this post I will compare mindset to the grit test. Mindset is where if you think you can do something you will be more likely to succeed at the task. For example if you think you’re going to fail a test you will probably go in and fail it, but if you have some confidence in yourself you are more prone to do well. This also goes for if you think intelligence is something you can grow on, rather than it being a set aspect about yourself.

“In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits.”

“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.”

(http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html)

Grit is essentially your perseverance level. If you have a lot of grit you stick with things until you succeed. Angela Duckworth talks about the grit test and how those who are “grittier” that others are more likely to succeed at challenging tasks.

“At the elite United States Military Academy, West Point, a cadet's grit score was the best predictor of success in the rigorous summer training program known as "Beast Barracks." Grit mattered more than intelligence, leadership ability or physical fitness.”

(http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/grit/angela-duckworth-grit.html)

Now to compare the two, Grit is the result of your mindset. If you have the mindset that you can and will complete something the chances of you finishing it are much higher. However if you believe that something is impossible, the task then becomes impossible to you. If you have the correct mindset throughout your life then you will be successful it whatever you attempt.

Stress :S (6I#3)

One of the health centers biggest concerns is stress. This is because stress itself isn't bad, but because it leads to illness and has many detrimental side effects. Some major stressors of freshman include- leaving home for the first time, forming new relationships, the desire to succeed, and managing finances. All freshmen will encounter at least one of these stressors. Stress can weaken the immune system making people more prone to illness such as colds or the flu. Other symptoms include: feeling fatigued, being disorganized, changes in eating habits, and forgetfulness. These can lead to poor grades and poor health which is obviously not wanted on campus.

persistence (6V)

Persistence to me is the will to keep going without giving up, no matter the road blocks you come across. When I get a bad grade on a test I don’t despair, I simply look over what I did wrong and study harder for the next test. Some people see they failed at something and just wither away from the task. These people don’t have persistence. Those who push through to success, those who work to get what they want rather than take handouts have persistence.

This week I learned 2 words in Spanish.

Abburirse: means “to get bored”

Instalarse: means “to settle down”

Forever alone (6A)

When I was in eighth grade I attended a parochial school with a class of 8 kids, and 6 of them graduated. These were the same eight people I had known and been friends with since kindergarten. We all had known each other and didn't really have friends outside our school. Naturally I was nervous for high school because it was always explained as a scary “sinful place” and that I would have 300 kids in my class instead of 6. That the rules were very different and I was going from the top of the totem pole to the bottom.

Only one kid from my school was going to attend the same high school as me. We had one class together and I had no other friends or acquaintances. I not only had this but my older brother Jared who I have always been very close too left for college a few days before I started high school. I felt so out of place when I sat alone at lunch the first week or two and my life seemed to have turned upside down. My grades went from As and Bs to Cs and Ds. I was no longer the smartest kid in my grade but was now below average with no friends. What made making friends really hard was that everyone knew each other from our towns’ public schools.

Of course it all worked out but it was not easy. At the end of high school I had a GPA of 3.1 and many friends compared to the virtually no friends and 2.7 GPA freshman year. Today I’m proud the way I came out of that experience. I’m stronger, more social and have infinitely more confidence in myself. I’m no longer the timid alone boy; I am now a strong independent man.

evolution of strategies (5B)

When I did my time study I was for the most part not surprised. I was proud that I was spending about 35 hours a week on homework and studying which is the recommended amount and was happy that I had about 45 hours or socializing and relaxation. This seemed to be above the class average for both categories. I consider both of these to be great successes in terms of what I want out of college; however I think I get more sleep than I really need. I sleep on average 10-11 hours a night. And while that not the highest in the class I still feel I could be doing more useful things instead of sleeping so much. This is my one downfall during my first few weeks. And I think the problem is I don’t think before I sleep. Most times if I feel tired I just go to bed, even if my alarm is set for 11 hours later. Sometimes I feel tired but it’s really just been a long day and I’m more “pooped” than legitimately tired. When this happens I spend hours awake trying to fall asleep simply because I’m not actually ready for bed yet. This is a small goal I want to achieve in the coming weeks. In the past 4 weeks I have been experimenting with different study habits and work strategies. This week I have analyzed how they have worked and whether or not I will continue them. And now I need to dismiss the failed parts, continue the good, and figure out new things to replace the failed parts. This is what I need to do now but I will use this strategy of evolving for future problems as well. So now a question to the reader, in your own life what is something you need to evolve around?

Football! (5I#5)

This week I attended the football game VS. Merrimack. The game was a close 40-34 but we came out on top. In high school I loved attending the football games with friends. It was always a great time and an opportunity to show pride in our school. Going to the college game with some friends reminded me of high school, just hanging out with some friends showing school pride. Although the game was exhilarating the best part was socializing with friends. While I miss the high school games, I look forward to attending many college football games with my new friends.

Agency (5V

An agency put simply is a place or group that offers a certain service to people. Most people think of government agencies but when you see its definition you see that many things can be defined as agencies. At southern there are many groups that help students become successful. An example is the writing center. These groups can be defined as agencies because they provide a service to people. The writing center helps students on essays or other writing assignment that they are struggling on.

Two words I learned this week are:

La taza which is Spanish for cup.

La lata which is Spanish for can.

5A Steps to success

Starting out college everyone is nervous. This is for many reasons but most of all is the warning given out by everyone before you arrive. Everyone tells you it’s so hard and that you are all on your own to complete everything. Not only that but if you don’t make it you will have lots of debt and nothing to show for it. Everything adults and teachers tell you is about how you have insane workloads and no one to watch your back. But in reality it’s just the next step to independence. Just like the jump from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school, college is just the next step. Yes there is more work but it’s not nearly as bad as I was made to fear. In high school you’re in school 6 hours 5 days a week. From this you have maybe 2 hours of homework each night. So you’re working approximately 35 hours a week. In college it’s just a little higher workload but with reversed roles. What I mean is you spend 15 hours in class rather than 15 on homework. The biggest struggle the first few weeks of college is adjusting to the swap and actually completing the work despite the many distractions. During my first 4 weeks of college I have completed everything I have been assigned, however not everything has been to my satisfaction. Sometimes I have had too much work and had to rush through some assignments at that last second. To fix this problem I plan to work ahead. This way I feel less pressure when I get multiple big assignments. Other than this I feel confident that I have been doing well for a freshman. All in all the different workload in college is simply another step in progressing through the world.

Quietly educated (4I #25)

For 95 percent of the time my dorm is quiet. However on occasion someone is having a few rowdy friends over or playing loud music. And some of that time I have work to do. So where can I go to be able to focus on my work? Well the library. It’s quiet because everyone there is in the same boat as me. Everyone in the library needs a place to focus on their work. Not only that but according to the rules you have to be quiet. It’s close to the dorms which is valuable and just about everyone knows about its excellence in being able to provide a quiet workplace.

Half-baked when born (4B)

Nature vs. nurture. Many people like to believe they control their lives and that life is really what they make of it. But in reality this is only half of the truth. See, there are more factors than just willpower, and the drive to be successful to true success. When we are born we are born with a certain “manual” attached. You can’t read it but you have to follow it. Genetics determine a lot about whom we are and who we will be. Once In an interview a famous psychologist said the following:

Interviewer: When nurturing children, how much nurture is enough?

Psychologist: “just enough”

You see there is no set amount of anything humans need in order to be successful, what we need to do in order to be successful is part of us as we are born. But like a half-baked cake there is still work to be done. This is where nurture come in. When we are being raise from the moment of birth to the time we go out as independent adults we are being developed, the other half of the cake is being baked. The marshmallow test is a fun activity and may have some correlation to success however it is certainly not a certain prediction. Correlation does not imply causation.

Now to relate this to nature vs. nurture. While a part of us is set when we are born we have years to change and develop the rest of our personality. Just because we don’t have patience when we are 4 years old does not mean we won’t later in life. On top of this there are other numerous factors that need to be taken into account. One is the child’s hunger at that time; if a child is full because he just ate he will be less likely to eat it than one that hasn't eaten in a few hours. Also in regards to shaping their future the socioeconomic status of the child’s family is important. If their parents are successful the chances of them being more successful are higher that if the parents are less successful. So my question is, "How much nurture is needed?"

Just keep waiting, waiting, waiting. (4A)

Nobody likes the doctors, but why? I mean in the end they tell you how healthy you are, or unhealthy. No one likes to get shots, get their finger pricked or any other of the necessary tasks so the doctor can send you on your way. But in reality the only complaint I really hear about the doctors on a constant basis is the wait. Is your doctor’s appointment at 10:30? More like 12:30, but in the end its worth waiting for. To know how healthy you are after a few hours wait is worth it to me. Like doctors appointments there are many things in life worth waiting for. One of which is a college degree. Because in the end you’ll be making more money doing what you love instead of making meager money doing a random job you found.

Many people believe Americans don’t have delayed gratification, however this implies that we are more impatient then the rest of the world, which is false. While Americans do hate to wait, it’s an irrelevant statement because everyone hates to wait. When you go to the doctor you don’t want to hear “your test results will be in ten years from now”. They want to hear immediately that they are all set and don’t need to worry about their health. Basically Americans are not particularly impatient, but people in general are.

In my opinion delayed gratification isn't something society can have a great deal of impact on. While we live in a fast paced world that certainly justifies delayed gratification, I think the real problem lies in the day to day life of people. I also don’t think society is willing to slow down in order to reinforce one psychological concept. To me it’s up to the individual and family values to teach people delayed gratification. If a family teaches patience, then their children will have a better sense of delayed gratification. I also would add that technology plays a small role in this psychological ideal. People complain that the internet is “laggy” or that it isn't fast enough for their tastes, however other that this I see no reason technology would influence delayed gratification.