final inquiry

Next Semester...

It’s hard to think about, but spring semester is just around the corner.  As I wrap up my first fall semester as a college student, I can’t help but look towards the future, and determine what I want to accomplish this second half of the year. 

As far as my social life, I hope to stay in touch with my friends from high school, as well as make more of an effort to make friends here, at Southern.  I also hope to make more friends who are commuters, as I will not be living on campus next semester. 

Personally, I would hope to become an even more confident person and student, and maybe start going to gym (random).  Also, I would like to become more independent from my parents, and hopefully find a part time job for the days that I do not have classes.    

Academically, I would like to say that I want straight “A’s”, but I know that I need to be more realistic with myself.  I want at least two “A’s”, although more would be gladly accepted.   Also, I would like to take a math class; I am hoping that a spot in one of the statistics classes will open up, because I think that it would be unwise to go a semester this early without a math class.  I would also like to talk to my professors more, because I am realizing now that they make or break your grade, so it is better to be on their good side then bad.  It would also be nice if I could go to every single class next semester, and not sleep in. Lastly, I would like to use my studying and homework time more efficiently, rather than being distracted by my TV or my iTunes.   

Thank You Southern

Considering that this is my first semester as a college student, it was pretty obvious that I was going to stumble a few times.  I was challenged with new obstacles, and was given various opportunities to shine as a student.   My greatest achievement in college so far is getting a 94 on my Biology midterm.  It helped me realize that if I put my mind to something, study till I can’t study anymore, and put all my effort into it, then the end result will be something that I can be proud of.  It also gave me the confidence in knowing that I will be able to take challenging courses in the future and do well in them.  On a less positive note, I also realized this semester that if I don’t like a certain class or subject, it is very hard for me to do my best, and put my best effort into it.  I also enjoy sleeping in, which resulted in me missing a few essential morning classes throughout these past few months.  I also learned how to make a blog, something that I had never even considered doing before.  This first semester has opened by eyes to opportunities, some that I have known about, like internships and on campus jobs, and some that I would have never considered, like school sponsored trips and free comedy shows. So thanks SCSU, I appreciate it. 

Inquiry Final Self Assessment

Inquiry Final Self-Assessment

            Inquiry class was introduced to college freshman as a way of giving new students an easier transition into the social and academic experiences that come with college.  The purpose of this class is to help strengthen students’ intellectual skills, while introducing them to the many new stresses that college will give them.  My personal experience with this Inquiry class has been one of success.  I feel that I have left this first semester more prepared then I ever would have been without this course. 

            There are 7 main requirements for my Inquiry class, Attendance both in class and at Co-curricular events, self-assessments, class participation, blog posts, campus safaris, and video projects.  I would say that I have completed all the requirements, and possibly have exceeded some of the requirements.  I have tried my best to stay on top of the various assignments, not only for this class, but also for all of my courses.  Inquiry class has taught me to know my limits, and work to improve my faults.

I am a person of many strengths and weaknesses.  Many of these positive and negative traits presented themselves several times this semester.  I am a very organized person, which proved crucial to the amount of assignments that were given to me, especially in Inquiry class.  I learned quickly that once I was given an assignment, I had to write the due date in my planner and also write myself reminders to work on it continuously, rather than doing it all the a day or two before.  Because of my organization skills, I have yet to miss an assignment.

            One weakness of mine is that I like to sleep, a lot.  I will admit that there were a few days this semester were I simply did not want to get up for class, so I didn’t.  I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have my Mom yelling at me to get up in the morning, and making me go to school.  I learned quickly that not going to class can affect your overall grade for the class, and I decided that it would be a smart idea to go to all my classes, even the ones at eight in the morning. 

            Another weakness of mine is that I let the environment around me affect my overall experience.  I am not too fond of Southern Connecticut State University, and I am hoping to transfer out next year, and I feel that sometimes just being on this campus puts me in an inefficient mood.  On Thursday’s, instead of doing schoolwork, I find myself thinking about going home that night and subsequently not get anything accomplished.  I think that is a big issue that I need to improve on; I shouldn’t let my environment affect the quality of my work.

            On a positive note, I do think that I am a very motivated person.  I know what I want to do, how I am going to do it, and the work that it is going to take to be successful.  I feel that by knowing what I want to do, it puts me in a better position than most students who have no clue what they want to do with their lives.  I feel as though it will give me an advantage in the long run, and help me to stay motivated even when I feel distracted. 

This first semester, I have had to rely on myself more than any other time in my life.  In spite of that, I have also learned that sometimes, it is o.k. To take advice from others, especially those who have been in your shoes before.  I have learned that I enjoy working under pressure, and I do my best work in a quite space, when I have nowhere to go and nowhere to be.  I also learned that could be friends with people that I would have never expected, that I can accomplish something if I put my mind to it, and put in the effort needed.  Lastly, I have learned that I don’t always have to rely on myself, that I don’t always have to do everything alone. 

In the future, I will most definitely take the skills that I have learned from these first few months of college, refine them, and become a successful college graduate.  I hope to become less timid when it comes to approaching teachers, socialize more, and making college a time to remember. 

My Learning Community.

This semester, I was placed in a “learning community”, which was something that I had never experienced before.  A learning community is a group of students who share two common classes, in my case, English and Inquiry.  We have common discussions, assignments, and class work.  When we are assigned a project, it is each of our jobs to provide feedback to our peers, as well as be open to their opinions.  We also brainstorm to created our own assignments, such as our final self-assessment in Inquiry class.  We have also learned about Southern’s campus together, doing campus safari’s and scavenger hunts. We also discuss various articles, current issues, and work together on relating things like time management and studying to our lives as college students.  We talk about what we hope to accomplish while at school, and what we aspire to be in the future.  We also have a senior peer-mentor, Katelyn.  She answers any questions that we have as freshman, and encourages us to become involved in our community, just like she has. 

Next semester, I am definitely going to miss seeing the same group of people on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  I am going to miss our discussions with Professor Sinclair (our English professor) and completing the various group assignments.  I am also going to miss the fact that every one gets along so well, something that I don’t see in any of my other classes.  This learning community has been a positive experience, and I am leaving this semester with a new confidence that was absent at the beginning of the year.              

My Ideal Life.

My ideal life…

I have been asked to read a blog post written by Keri Smith and in turn write about what my ideal life would be like.  Well, in a perfect world, I would have an enriching and lucrative career, and live a more than comfortable life.  I would be married to the perfect guy, and live in a beautiful house.  I would drive my “dream car”, preferably a Cadillac SRX (in black).  This seems so typical, but it really is what I see as ideal. 

I wouldn’t be faced with an ounce of stress, nor would anything in my life be challenging or difficult. All the big decisions that I would have to make would come easy to me.  My family as well as myself would never get sick, and nothing bad would happen to them either.  I would vacation whenever I wanted to and I would spare no expense to travel the world. 
           

 Even though I know that the idea of experiencing your ideal life is near impossible, it’s nice to think of what could be.  All I can hope is that I live a long, healthy life and accomplish all of my goals…and maybe a vacation every once in while wouldn’t be out of the question...

Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

Do you love those seasonal drinks from your favorite coffee shops, but can't exactly afford to spend the money on them? Well, if you're in the same boat as me, try this recipe for a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte...


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree (in a can)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1.5 ounces of brewed espresso

Directions:

• brew the espresso
• in a small saucepan, whisk pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and milk
• warm over medium heat, whisking consistently until frothy (do not let it boil)
• pour espresso into a mug and pour contents of your saucepan over it 
• enjoy!