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!

My Leadership Position

Believe it or not, I played sports in high school.  Actually, I played A LOT of sports in high school.  Though I dabbled between track, basketball, and lacrosse, there was always one sport that I focused most of my effort on, field hockey.  I started playing on varsity half way through my freshman year, and realized that I wasn’t too bad at it.  My senior year, I was voted captain, and it was my first time being in a leadership position. 

            I am usually a pretty quite person, so having to lead people, both at practice and in games was something completely new to me.  Though I was foreign to the concepts of leadership, I embraced my new position and tried my best to step out of my comfort zone and become a good captain. 

            I would lead the warm-ups in practices as well as before games, I organized pasta dinners and team parties, and I directed plays on the field, and loved every minute of it.  Even though I don’t think I would ever take another leadership role again, I enjoyed being in charge, even if it was only for one season.  I feel like if I was put into a position were I had to lead a group of people on something that I wasn’t completely familiar with, the results would be dreadful. But hey, someone's gotta be the follower.

A Difficult Situation.

My assignment this week is to write about a difficult situation that I have faced so far at college.  Well, it feels like every day I am being faced with a new obstacle, usually something that I have never encountered before and am certainly not used to.  I think that’s what college is about, facing new challenges and reaching new successes.

The most difficult situation that I have been in so far was during the week of midterms.  I was faced with the over-whelming task of studying the mountain of Biology index cards piled upon desk, along with more exams and assignments from my other classes.  I somehow managed to get a solid 5 or 6 hours of Biology studying in before I realized that it would be impossible to flip another index card. 

I took the exam with confidence, I knew that I had studied all that I could, and felt like I had a fairly strong understanding of the material that I was going to be tested on.  The exam grades were posted online the following Monday, and I was anxious to see what I had gotten.  I hurried to my computer, only to find that I had received a “D” on the midterm. 

I was heartbroken, and felt more discouraged than I ever had before.  I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I knew the material, and that the grade, which had been placed before me, did not match up to the effort that I had put into that class.  I was curious what I had done wrong on the exam, so in the following weeks, I stopped by my professors office and asked to look at my exam.

To my surprise, there was a “94” at the top of my paper.  My professor had entered the wrong score online, leaving me in complete shock, and excitement.  I no longer felt discouraged or disappointed, and it gave me a sense of accomplishment knowing that my hard work had, indeed, paid off.

quote.

Art History...

Art History; I know for a fact that “fun” isn’t the word that first comes to mind when you read that.  Lets just say that I was pretty much shoved into taking this class, I don’t like it, and it sure does not like me.  I have never been an artist, or a historian, so this course has been a challenge for me, to say the least. 

So why am I writing about a class that I dread you ask?  Well, Art History has given me a challenge, one that I have yet to face in my 18 years.  It has not only thrown me into the obstacle of memorizing the countless portraits, buildings, and sculptures of our past, it has provided me an even greater task.  This course challenges my knowledge on a truly intellectual level. 

I am used to being given a list of things to memorize, then doing it, but I have never been given something, which I have never seen before, and have been asked not only what it is, but also why it is.  My art class makes you go beyond memorization to a deeper thinking, one in which you must go beyond what a work of art is, and examine why it is, what makes it a Greek Vase, or a Roman sculpture, or a Byzantine painting. 

It seems simple from an outside perspective, but it has taken me time to develop into that critical thinker in which my art professor strives for us to be.  I feel that though I am not entirely interested in the course that I am gaining knowledge that extends beyond a piece of artwork.  Thank you, Art History, for being both the greatest and worst thing that has happened to me this semester.  

**portait above: Laocoon and His Two Sons  (Greek Hellenistic Period 1st Century CE)

my quiet place.

I would love to say that I found some exotic place around Southern’s campus in which I find relief from the hectic and lively community, but the truth is, I like the library just fine.  When I need to get homework done, the last place that I want to do it is in my dorm room, where the distractions of a television, roommates and their friends, and noisy neighbors lurk around every corner.  I would much rather take a stroll down to the library, grab myself a desk, and get to work.  In fact, this very blog, and almost all my previous entries, have been written within these four walls of the Hilton C. Buley library. 

I will usually spend at least 4 hours in the library each day, in between classes, and after dinner.  It seems to be one of the only places were I could be most productive and efficient.  I enjoy the fact that most of the other students who study here are in the same boat as me, they cannot seem to find a place were there a no distractions, so the environment here is very quiet and focused, making it the perfect location, at least in my opinion, to do all of my assignments. 

As dorky as it sounds, I even have my own spots that I study in.   If I am trying to pass the time, I will lounge in one of the comfy chairs on the second floor.  If I need to complete a lot of math homework, I prefer a round table with a lamp on it, usually on the ground level.  For times when I have an array of assignments to do, like right now, I grab a desk, typically on the third floor, and get to work.  

(ignore the fact that i look like a mess...)

stress relief

Let’s face it people, everyone is stressed now a days.  With all that is going on in our lives, it seems impossible to just sit back, relax, and de stress.  Everyone has their own ways of relieving their tension, some turn to yoga, or a good book, or even going out with friends.  Personally, I think shopping is my way of relieving stress.  Whether it be taking a trip to the mall, or browsing dozens of websites, shopping, in a weird way, makes me feel calmer.  Granted, spending a bunch of money isn’t the smartest idea, especially if you’re a broke college student like myself, but hey, what ever keeps me sane.  For those who find browsing through racks of clothing more stressful than peaceful, WebMD researched some other effective ways to lift your mood, here are a few...

write.

let your feelings out.

do something you enjoy.

meditate.

exercise.

grade inflation

There is an epidemic hitting our nation.  It’s not a deadly illness, but something that might prove even more fatal to our nation than any bacteria ever could.  It’s the topic of grade inflation, from our nation’s secondary schools up to colleges and universities.  Giving students higher grades than what they worked for, or deserve, is a slippery slope that this nation cannot afford to go down. 

I was unaware of this topic until I read a recent article.  I was shocked at the idea of this happening in schools, and was wondering what institutions would make such a mockery of education.  That is, until I thought about even more.  I realized that not only did my previous high school inflate grades, they did it A LOT.  I thought of “curves” and a warped GPA’s were common place to me, until I realized that it shouldn’t me the norm to so many of us.  My school was just another culprit of this recent outbreak in the educational system. 

The article goes on to expose some of the universities who have been tapping on points to their students GPA.  Their excuse?  To make them more attractive to companies in this ever so aggressive job market. 

These extra points can be found in public schools, also.  Schools tap on points to their students grades in order to look more appealing.  They are teaching kids at a young age that it is o.k. to put in little effort, because they are going to succeed, even when they do not deserve. 

So what is the long-term result of these grade inflations?  What are these privileged students going to do when they start working and realize that they cannot prevail on a mediocre effort?  I feel that this is going to lead to a spoiled America, a country which half-asses everything, and still expect to succeed.