Final Blog Post

I have learned a lot about myself over the first semester.  It is a lot harder to get good grades in college than it is in high school.  Sure you have less time in class but you also have a lot more work.  In high school my thought process was ok imp already in class ill just do my work.  In college it is a lot different.  Most of my work gets done in my dorm which can be a very distracting place.  There is a TV five feet away that has an Xbox 360 connected to it.  That is always very tempting for an 18 year old who has trouble paying attention.  Next semester I am going to try and stay more focused on my goal which is get very good grades. My biggest challenge in college so far has definitely been time management.  In high school I did not have to do much of this because my schedule was pretty much mapped out for me.  School, gym, work, and then homework.  I pretty much did this every day.  But in college it is a lot different.  I have to plan my own schedule of when I am going to do what.  In the first semester this got interrupted by spontaneous Conn trips or just being annoyed by friends.  Next semester I am going to try and do all my work as soon as I get it so I do not have to worry about getting my work done.  I know it will not be easy but I know I can do it.  I think my biggest achievement so far has been making great, lifelong friends.  The past four months have hands down been the best fourth months of my life.  We had a crew of about ten people who were always together and always having fun.  Although a couple of these kids are transferring next semester I will never forget them and will never forget the good times we have had.  I consider myself a nice and friendly person; this is probably why I made such good friends.  Like I said before a couple of the friends I made are transferring at the end of the semester and a few more are talking about transferring at the end of the year.  So I am going to have to make new friends next semester and year.  I know I won’t have a problem doing this, but at the same time I am already settled in and have friends I like.  I don’t want them to leave or make new ones, but that’s life.  My grades this semester have been good but not quite where I want them to be.  I got low B’s and a couple of C’s in my classes.  These are passing grades but I would like to have done better.  I always set my goals high because that is just who I am.  I knew that the first semester would not be the easiest grade wise because I had to make some major adjustments.  It was my first time living on my own without my parents.  This was a hard adjustment.  I also had to make all new friends because not a lot of kids from my high school go to southern.  All of these things took up a lot of time.  That was time I could have spent studying or doing homework.  However, the second semester I am adjusted to living on my own and still have some friends here, so I can spend more time getting work done and focusing more of all of my school work.

Final Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y5wrG5nFxw&feature=youtu.be

Learning Communities

I thought that the learning communities at southern were a good idea.  Making friends can be a very scary and difficult process for freshman at Southern.  So putting the same people in two classes is a good idea because it gives them more time to interact each other. This is very important because they these classes are not the easiest at southern and you will most likely need help in your classes.  Therefore it is a good idea put the same kids in the same classes so they can help each other try and pass the class.   We all may not have been the best of friends but the one thing we all agreed about and could bond about is that our anthropology teacher was not exactly the best.  Even though this may not be the best thing we could bond our, but this crazy teacher did bring us together.     The one thing I am going to miss about the learning community is the friends I made.  I do not know if I will have classes with some of these kids ever again so I could end up losing touch with some of them and I do not want this to happen.  Another thing I am going to miss is the lack of homework that we got in these two classes.  When we did get homework in anthropology it was always very little, such as readings from the book or write a paragraph about something.  In inquiry we did not get that much homework either.  Mostly all we had to do was blog three times a week. I also am going to miss making videos.  I will most likely not have to make a movie in any other class.  I find making videos a very fun and informational way of learning

My Life After College

Most kids are not thinking about what life is going to be like after college.  They are just trying to get good grades and get a degree.  I may think that I have a busy schedule now but once college is over its going to be a lot more hectic.  After college it would be very nice if I could hit the Powerball and win around 200 million dollars.  However I know that this is very unrealistic and most likely will not happen.  Plan B for me is to get a job.  My uncle is a very successful accountant at Price Waterhouse Cooper in Albany New York.  He is getting up there in age and is thinking about retiring from that job and open his own accounting firm.  For most people this would not be easy, but since he is so experience he could do it.  All three of his daughters are going to school for accounting and so is my sister.  So his plan is to either retire from his firm and start his own, or when we all graduate he would try to get us an internship at Price Waterhouse Cooper.  I am very thankful for this because most people do not have an opportunity like this.  Nobody knows what the economy is going to be like in four years and how easy it is going to be to get a job.  I am also going to need to find a place to live.  I am not going to want to live with my parents so I have work hard during the summers and save up enough money for an apartment.  I am also going to need some form of transportation.  My plan is to work hard during this spring and summer and hopefully save up enough money for a down payment on a car and then make payments every month.  

My Final Video Project

One of the hardest things to do when you’re making a movie is how is make it creative.  You want the video to be unique and your own, so this can be a tough process.  Some will spend countless hours brainstorming because coming up with a unique and creative idea can be tough.  For my midterm video I just interviewed people about what creative thinking is.  I like how this video turned out, but I know that I am a lot more creative than that.  I had a handful of different idea for this movie.  I thought about making a music video where I would write some raps and have my friends sing them, but I decided that this would be to hard and time consuming.   My next idea was to spoof a popular tv show.   I had to pick a show that most everyone watches or knows about.  The first show that came to my mind was Jersey Shore.  I was going to have some of my friends be the characters and get into fights about exercising or eating healthy.  There is also a lot of alcohol consumption on this show.  So I was going to use the characters as an example of what not to do if you want to stay healthy.  Although I have not completely ruled this idea out I don’t not think I will do this one. There are millions of different spoofs of this show on the internet because it is so popular and they are easy to make fun of.  One idea that I think would be fun and will get my point across is sort of a talk show format.  I could interview experts on health and nutrition while spoofing a talk show such as the view or The Oprah Winfrey Show.  

Project Proposal

For my final project I decided to do a subject that is not only very interesting to me, but interesting to almost every college student.  And that is staying healthy in college. This is a very difficult task for most people because this is their first time living on their own.  I thought about my options for this project and how I can narrow down what I was going to focus in on.  And I made the decision to focus on three aspects of college life that can cause kids to become unhealthy.  These three characteristics are; Eating healthy, exercising, and alcohol consumption.  Kids do not have their parents around to tell them what they should and should not be eating.  So some kids put on weight.  This is known as the freshman fifteen.   In my video I will talk about how to avoid putting on this weight.  Eating healthy is only half the battle.  You have to exercise a lot if you want to stay in shape.  Most kids do not exercise simply because they don’t think they have time or they aren’t motivated.  I will show how to make time and how to motivate you to go to the gym.  Drinking is also a major part of college.  Binge drinking can cause students to gain weight.  It will be hard for me to tell people not to drink in my video because I know how unrealistic that is.  I will tell them how to do is responsibly so it does not affect your health.

Useful ways of Making Friends

I read the top eight ways to build a relationship in college.  This was a good article because it is very relatable to our class.  Since we are all freshman we are still adjusting to college life and making new friends.  One of the points the article makes is that the first couple of weeks are so important to making friends.  The first three months of college are so important because by then everyone has already found a group of friends that they are comfortable with.  You do not want to be left out of the loop.  Go out and find a group of friends you are comfortable with.  This is why first impressions are key to making a lot of friends.  When you meet a person for the first time you should try to get to know them and take interest into their interests.  If you have something in common that could be a good ice breaker.  People do not want to be friends with people who are not outgoing and who are always complaining.  People do not like others who are just plain downers.  Another point the article made was root for the home team.  By this they mean to sporting events.  What is nice about attending a football or basketball game is that everyone has something in common.  It is also a place where you can yell and just be crazy.  Most people like others who are willing to wear body paint in 20 degree weather.  Also, joining study groups will help you make friends.  Once again everyone has something in common.  You need help in a certain subject.  I have been involved in a couple of study groups and they can be very social.  Everyone has a common goal and if you all achieve that together, you will feel at one with everybody in the group.

The Importance of A Second Language

This week’s readings for inquiry were about why it is important to learn a second language.  One of the articles I read was titled Why Learn A Second Language.  One of the points the article made was about how the child’s parents plays a critical role and having their children learn a foreign language.  Kids look up to their parents and want to be like them.  As a result most of them will do what they are told is best for them.  If a child’s parents encourage them to take a foreign language they probably will listen.  Learning a foreign language also opens up an array of different job opportunities.  One field that particularly likes to have people speak a second language is business.  This is one of them most competitive fields and if you know a second language you will most likely have a leg up on the competition.  If you want to expand your company overseas you will most likely need someone to speak the dominant language of that country if you want to succeed.  Knowing a second language can also help with meeting new people and making new friends.  If you move to a different country and do not speak the language you will have trouble making new friends understanding the aspects of the culture.  Even if you are just vacationing in a different country, it could pay off to know the native language.  It will ultimately make your stay more fun.  A few summers ago my family and I took a trip to Mexico for my sister’s graduation.  As a high school student I took Spanish.  Even though I was not fluent in it I could still have conversations with people and do the simple things such as order food or tell the cab driver where we needed to go. 

The Dangers of The Internet

I recently read the article Social networks: how young is too young?  This article had some very good points in it.  I agree with the article when it states that even though there is an age requirement for social networks such as Facebook and Myspace, there is not a way of stopping someone from lying about their age.  The internet is a dangerous and confusing place; there are a lot of things that children should not be exposed to at such a young age. Children may also post things that could put them in danger.  They could post their address and where they live.  They could also post their phone number or other ways to contact them.  Posting pictures could also be a problem.  If someone posts a picture of them at a place that they always hang out, someone could easily go to this place and stalk them.  There is also a danger of writing on your friend’s wall.  If a social predator sees that your friends with this person, they could find where they are hanging out and find you through them.   Another point that the article made is that if children are exposed to the internet too early in life, they may become addicted to it when they are older.  This could affect the children’s brains and relations.  Children should not be serving the web when they are young, they should be reading a book or exercising outside.  One thing in this article that shocked me was how young the kids are that are using social networks.  38% of kids between 12 and 14 have some sort of online profile.  This is a very shocking statistic.  When I was 12 all I cared about were sports and my school work.  The last thing I was worried about was the internet.

Healthy Choices

The nutrition tips for college student’s article had some good and bad points.  A good point that the article made is that you should include a serving of vegetables and fruit at lunch and dinner.  This is a good tip because if you want to stay healthy in college you will need to eat vegetables and fruit.  That’s common sense.  One thing the article mention that I did not agree with is that it is acceptable to eat a slice of pizza for breakfast.  I’m like most of America and my favorite food is pizza. However I would not recommend eating pizza for breakfast.  You need to have a well balanced breakfast full of protein and grains.  If I wrote the article I would have said for breakfast you should eat egg whites, fruit, or certain cereals.  Another good point this article made is that you should avoid fried foods and bread.  Fried foods are some of the unhealthiest foods you can eat.  They are cooked in grease and full of fat and calories.  I would not recommend them to any college student.  You should also try to stay away from large amounts of bread.  Bread is full of carbs and can be very unhealthy if you abuse it.  However, in small amounts such as sandwiches it can save you from eating a lot of fat and calories.  If you substitute a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for slices of pizza that is going to be a good choice.  It is very hard for me not to think about food.  It is almost impossible to get it off of my mind, so, I also found the healthy alternatives section to be very useful.  I am also looking for ways to avoid going to Conn, and it gave me some good options for things I can do instead.  

Southern Football

One thing I’ve have always been interested in is sports. I grew up playing any sport I could.  Baseball, basketball, soccer, football, it was the best.  I would play hard in every sport because I played for the love of the game.  As I grew up I found out that being a high school student is not cheap.  So, I could not play these sports anymore.  However, now that I am a college student and do not work that much, I have more time for other things.  So I decided to focus in on sports again.  I am nowhere near the shape I need to be in to be a college athlete.  But, I have been following the southern football team very closely.  I have a handful of friends who are on the team and they have been keeping me up to date about the game I could not attend.  Our team has only one loss to division two opponents this season.  That was to our rivals UNH. It would have been so crazy if we won that game.  Their quarterback is a transfer from Louisville, which is a division one school. However, you cannot win every game.  Our last game was last weekend against Stone hill.  I was very upset I could not attend this game.  It was our homecoming game, and those are always the best game.  But, I had to go home for work.  On top of that my town got 18 inches of snow, and the roads were too bad to come back Saturday afternoon.  The owls have a bye this weekend, but next weekend is a pivotal game.  If we win we make the playoffs.  This is very exciting for all of the football players, and all of Southerns fans.   I cannot wait for next week’s game!

More Than a Game

Next weekend’s Giants Patriots game seems like just a normal regular season football game.  However, it is a lot more than that.  This is a very exciting game for the state of Connecticut because we are right in-between New York and Massachusetts.  Therefore the majority of the state is either a Giants or Patriots fan.   This is the first time since Superbowl 42 that these two teams are playing each other.  The Patriots were 18-0 and about a two touchdown favorite.  However the Giants were not afraid.  The Blitz the whole game and sacked Tom Brady multiple times.  They ran the ball effectively and controlled the time of possession.  They played to the Patriots weaknesses and won the game 17-14.  Although that was four years ago, the Patriots are looking for revenge.  Another reason this is an important game, is because both teams are in the Playoff race.  The Giants are in first place in their division, but they have the Philadelphia Eagles Breathing down their neck.  The Patriots are tied for First place in their division with the Buffalo Bills.  So whoever loses this game could be in a lot of trouble in their divisions.  The Giants have had a moderate schedule through the first eight weeks of the season.  However, their next five games are going to be very hard.  They play the Patriots this week, then their next four games they play the Eagles, Packers, 49ers and Saints.  All five of these games are not going to be easy to win.  Plus, they have four more divisional games to play this season (every division game is always a dog fight).  The Patriots schedule does not get easier either.  They will have to play the Bill and Eagles after the Giants so they really need to win this game too.

Lorraine Warren (Safari 12)

On Wednesday October 26^th I went to the Lorraine Hawkins presentation about ghost hunting.  This took place in the Lyman Center on campus.  She talked about how she has been ghost hunting for about 60 years.  I do not think she could have faked having a sixth sense for 60 years.  There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she is the real deal.  One thing that really interested me was that she was a big part of the Amityville Horror.  She and her husband Ed went into the house and tried to talk with the demons.  This only made it worse off for the Hawkins.  They would have demons appear at their own home.

Goals for Part Two of The Semester

Over the past few days I have been looking on vista for my midterm grades.  This has been a very scary process.  Everyone wants to do well so that is why it is a very nerve racking process.  The first midterm grade that was posted was in my anthropology class.  I received a B which I was very happy with considering that I do not understand the class. I also got a B on my math midterm.  I was satisfied with this grade but I know I could have done better.  The next grade that I got was in my Inquiry class.  I got a B- on that midterm.  I will usually never complain if I get a B, but I know that I could have easily got an A in this class.  I slacked on a couple of the blog assignments, especially the campus safaris.  I also forgot to put pictures in a couple of blog posts and this brought my grade down as well.  In my computer science class I received an A on my midterm.  This class has come very easy to me throughout the first semester.  I completed all my work, and studied hard so I felt like I really earned this grade. Hopefully the class stays easy.  My microeconomics grade was not so hot.  I definitely need to try harder or get help from my professor.  For the remainder of the semester I want to set some goals for myself.  In my Inquiry class I want to do all of my blog posts, especially the safaris because they should be an easy A.  In my microeconomics class I want to do well on all my quizzes.  Easier said than done, I will study for all my quizzes and if that does not work I will stay after and get help.  These are the only set goals I have for a specific class.  But my overall goal is to do better in all of my classes.

Credit Cards.

Doing something out of your comfort zone is never easy.  That’s why it is called a comfort zone.  There isn’t too much that is outside my comfort zone.  I consider myself a pretty outgoing guy.  But what I did was apply for credit card.  I figured that I am eventually going to need loans for a car or a house so I wanted to work on my credit score.  Most people would think this is a pretty simple and care free task, but credit cards in general can be very scary.  They have their benefits like booking a hotel.  They are also a good replacement for cash.  If you’re at a store and you do not have enough for something you have to have, you can just use your credit card.  Also one of my biggest fears is not paying attention while I’m pumping gas and putting in more gas than I can afford.  This is where the credit card comes in.  Although all these things are good, there is much more to it.  I took business classes all throughout my high school career and they warned us about the risks of having one.  If you are not responsible with it, it could ruin your life.  if you do not pay your bills on time it will negatively affect your credit score.  This will result in higher interest rates and possible denial of loans.  You also have to make sure you do not lose it.  If you misplace is or by accidentally lose it, someone could steal it and purchase items in your name.  You are also risking identity theft.  This is what scares me the most.  Getting your identity back is a long and difficult process.  This is why I am so worried about getting a credit card.  I have not gotten the card yet but I know I will be responsible with it.

Majors Expo (safari 10)

On October 19^th I attended the major’s expo that was held on the third floor of the adanti student center.  It was held in the ballroom and was very interesting.  Although I have already declared my major I thought it would be fun to check out what Southern has to offer.  Me and a couple of my friends who are undecided on their majors decided to check it out.  We looked around and found the psychology table.  I have always been interested in psych so I grabbed three very useful pamphlets from the stand and took out feeling accomplished and able.

How my Project is Going

Time management on a big project is very important.  You have to make sure you have enough time for everything.  This is one of my first big projects of my college career, so this is a test drive of how I should spilt up my time.  Interviewing people did not take that long.  I spent about an hour doing that.  Brain storming is a never ending process.  I am always thinking of ways to make my project better.  That part of the project is always on going.  Gathering quotes and articles is never easy because you always have to read and dissected them.  And then you have to make sure they fit well with your project.   Finding music is the same way.  You have to make sure that the song fits with the project and flows well with everything else. Naturally I did not have trouble transferring materials to my computer because I am using my webcam to take all the videos.  Learning how to use the video software took a little longer than I thought it would.  I thought windows movie maker would be easy to use but I was mistaken.  I asked my sister who goes to Uconn if she could help me.  She denied me.  I then asked my other sister if she could help.  She couldn’t because she had projects of her own to do.  I finally asked my best friend if he could help me because I know he is a master of Imovie.  He was very helpful in that process.  So far the whole process took about 5-7 hours.  I plan to most likely double that because I want a good grade on this project.  What I could have done differently on this project is take the videos more seriously.  The first video took about an hour to do because we had so many takes.  We could not stop laughing.

Problem Solving

Overall my project has been going very well.  Whenever I asked people to interview they have always said yes and have been very cooperative.  I have three interviews done and they have all gone well.  One of them we had about 40 bloopers.  But, regardless we got it done.  In the next interview we pretty much free styled it which worked a lot better than having a set script.  My third interview also went very smoothly.  We just did it on the spot, which once again worked a lot better than having it scripted.  The editing process is what I’m having trouble with.  I’m pretty new to windows movie maker so the editing process has been a little difficult.  I asked my sister about what to do and she told me she did not know because she is not good with computers.  So I asked my other sister if she could help me.  She told me no she had too much work to do.  It must be a twin thing.  Yes my sisters are twins and do not look anything alike.  It is weird. So I asked my friend Robert what I should do because he is pretty good with my computers.  He helped me add my music in my introduction.  I also needed to cut out all of the bloopers from my movie.  He also helped me with that.  I do not know what I would have done without him.  I am also having trouble with my time management for this project.  I forgot that I was going home last weekend and forgot to interview some of the people I wanted to interview.  I know I still have a lot of time to interview people but I would have liked to get some of the work done last weekend. So I will have to go twice as hard this week.

My Critical Thinking Project

My Critical thinking project is going pretty well.  My First interview took about an hour to do because we had to do about thirty five takes.  We kept laughing while we were filming.  Although it took long it was pretty funny going back and watching all the outtakes.  We finally finished and I edited out all of the bloopers.  I thought about adding music but it was late and I was tired.  So I decided that I would add music some other time.  The next day I interviewed someone else.  We did not have as many bloopers at the first time but it was still pretty fun.  One problem I am having is using windows movie maker.  I have only used Imovie and that was just a couple of times.  I do not really know how to do much.  Especially the special effects part of the project.  I’m not really sure how to add pictures or writing, but I am sure eventually I will figure it out. Another problem I am having is getting professors to interview.  With all my projects and homework to do it is tough to find free time during their office hours.  And getting them to talk on camera is also a challenge. Most of them say they don’t want to be on camera, or they have too much work to do.  A couple of teachers told me that they will answer my questions but they would not go on camera.  So I will probably just end up quoting my teachers.  I am also having problems finding a student leader to interview.  Everyone has busy schedules and the last thing they want to do is have some freshman asking them questions after a long day.  My schedule is also very booked.  I have to go home this weekend so that is valuable time that I could be using to interview people.

What is Critical Thinking?

I never really thought about critical thinking until I got to college.  Naturally I always did it, but never realized.  The article I picked tried to define critical thinking. “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action” (Scriven).  It talks about a bunch of concepts I never thought about.  People have been doing it forever but the concept has been around for 2500 years.  Another thing the article talked about critical thinking will change based on how motivated you are.  “Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’, vested interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however pragmatically successful it might be” (Scriven).  The more motivated you are the harder you will try to achieve your goals.  The article also explains what critical thinkers do.  They ask important and concise questions. After gathering information they sort through it and find the main ideas.  They have an open mind about everything and are not afraid to say yes.  They can communicate positively with others.  It’s easy to say critical thinking is just deep thinking.   However it is so much more.  This quote breaks it down to two parts.   “Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior” (Scriven).   Overall, what I have learned is that there is not just one definition for critical thinking.  There is also not a right definition. Critical thinking is whatever you make of it.

"Defining Critical Thinking." Critical Thinking Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2011. <http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766>.

How to Get Rid Of Your College Related Stress

My favorite thing to do when I am stressed is exercise.  Exercising is a good way to get rid of your anger.  Most people actually prefer to work out when they are mad or stressed, because it makes them exercise harder and longer.  I went to the fitness center and warmed up on an elliptical.  What’s nice about the ellipticals at the fitness center, are they have TVS in front of them that you can watch while you work out.  I did about ten minutes of this and was finished with my warm up.  Mondays I exercise my Biceps.  So I started with bicep curls.  If you want results you should do atleast three sets of ten reps.  After about an hour or so in the fitness center, I was done lifting weights.  Now it is time for cardio.  I run about two miles after every workout.  One of the best parts of running is it clears your mind.  All you can think about is how much running sucks.  Another thing I like to do when I am stressed or upset is watch a funny movie or a funny show.  Funny movies always make me feel good about myself because I realize that everybody has problems.  A funny movie I would recommend is Step Brothers.  For those who have seen this movie they know what I am talking about.  This movie is always good for a few laughs, no matter how many times you’ve watched it.  A show that I would recommend to relieve stress is Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  This is hands down my favorite show.  It is somewhat relatable, and Danny Devito is a riot.  If you do not like either of these programs I recommend watching some standup comedy.  I have never met anyone that does not like stand up.  You cannot go wrong with the blue collar comedy tour, or Daniel Tosh.

A Guide to Staying Healthy

Trying to stay healthy in college can be very difficult.  There are so many students that if one of them contracts a virus it could spread rapidly throughout the campus.  There are steps you can do to try and avoid getting sick.  One of them is frequently washing your hands.  One of the most common ways people get sick is having dirty hands then they touch their face.  This is especially true for people who wear contacts.  I have gotten sick multiple times by not thoroughly washing my hands and then taking out my contacts.  It is also very important to eat healthy.  The saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away isn’t just catchy.  It actually works.  I know it is hard when you are tempted by Conn Hall Pizza and student center burritos, but if you want to stay healthy you need to get a good balance of fruits and vegetables. If you are a college student you should also try to exercise every day.  The Fitness center is only $60 a semester and it is worth every penny.  There are a lot of machines in the facility, and also a lot of work out classes.  If you are not interested in that then I would suggest doing cardio around campus.  Cardio is great for clearing your sinuses and it will keep you in good shape.  Something I also recommend is taking daily vitamins.  I take four every morning; fish oil, vitamin c, One a day men’s, and a calcium pill.  All four of these serve a different purpose.  The Fish oil is to help keep my cholesterol down.  The vitamin c helps my immune system, the one a day men’s is to help prevent prostate cancer, and the calcium pill will help me build strong bones.  All of these different routines not only help you from getting sick, but they can also help you get better when you’re sick.

 

SCSU Health Center (safari #3)

This weekend I went to the Southern Health center and asked them about some common health problems that college students are faced with.  I asked them about certain eating disorders college students can go through.  They told me that most people know about the freshman fifteen.  Kids are on their own for the first time and can eat what they want whenever they want.  They also told me that a lot of kids who live on campus will not get the proper amount of nutrients.  You should make sure you get a proper balance of fruit and vegetables.  They also recommended taking daily vitamins.

What is a Genius?

For this assignment I had come up with an interesting question and ask kids around campus.  My question was what is your definition of a genius.  The first person I asked gave a straight forward answer.  His name is Joe and he is from Maine.  He told me that a genius is someone who is innovative in a good way.  Like Vince Lombardi or Phil Jackson.  The second person I asked was a young man named Kevin.  He told me a genius is someone who is the best of the best.  He gave me the example of Fabio who is arguably the best model of all time.  The next person I asked is Mitch.  His definition of a genius is someone who is wicked smart like Albert Einstein.  I then ran into my good friend Digby.  He gave me a similar answer to what Mitch said.  Digby told me it was somebody who was very street smart, such as his dad.  I went back to my dorm room and asked my roommate Jadon what he thought about geniuses.  He said people who are ridiculously rich like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Donald Trump.  He said people who have that much money must have done something right.    I was getting tired or interviewing people, so the last person I asked was Robert.  He told me that his definition was of a genius is someone who excels in multiple academic fields, such as math, science, or history to name a few.  After talking to all of these people It hit me, they were all right. There are a lot of definitions for a genius.  It can be someone with a very high IQ such as Albert Einstein.  It could also be innovative sports figures like Vince Lombardi or Phil Jackson.  Even People like Fabio can be considered Geniuses. 

 

Time Management

During my time management study that I conducted the past week, I realized that I have a pretty good amount of free time.  Distributing this time can be very difficult.  I have class every morning and then one afternoon class.  So I will try and get all my homework done in-between classes. I probably spend around 20 hours a week on homework.  What I undoubtedly spend the most time on are these blog posts.  In my other classes I have not gotten that much homework.  In my math class the homework is optional, so if I have blog posts or anthropology homework I don’t have to stress about getting it done.  I also have not gotten any homework in my microeconomics class.  So therefore my homework load has not been bad.    After my afternoon class I am done at around five.  After that I will go to the fitness center in the student center for about two hours.  After that I will come back to my dorm room to watch some TV and cool down from my workout.  After hanging out in my dorm room till nineish, I will go to Conn Hall and grab some food with friends.  After this we will go back to one of their rooms and have fun.  This is usually my daily routine.  However, getting all my work done can be challenging.  I can get distracted very easily.  I could go on Facebook or twitter and be on those sites for hours.  I could also wander to hulu can catch up on my favorite TV shows.  I could also turn the TV on and watch Sportscenter.  One thing I need to improve on is keeping track of what is due when.  Sometimes I will forget to do my anthropology homework because I did not write it down.  To improve this I should buy an agenda from the book store. 

Me and My CC (Safari #4)

I went and had a conversation with my CC Willie about what it is like to be a Community Cordinator.  He told me it can be a lot of work dealing with disrespectful kids but it also has a lot of perks.   He told me his favorite thing about being a CC is free housing.  Another good thing is that he gets his own room.  He does not have to deal with an impolite roommate disrupting his privacy.  He also told me that being a CC will pay off in the long run because it looks very good on job resumes.  

My Definition of Success

Success can be defined in many ways.  My definition of success is achieving your goals and overall being happy with how you accomplished them.  Whether it is getting a good grade on an exam or getting a promotion at your job, you should be happy with what you achieved.  However, you should also be happy with the way you achieved greatness.  Greatness should not be handed to you.  You should have to stumble upon it yourself.    If you look throughout history, some of the most successful people have had to work day and night to be where they are now.  The Beatles did not become one of the most successful bands of all time over night.  It took a lot of blood sweat and tears that got the Beatles to the top of the charts.  When the Beatles were a struggling band they were invited to play in Hamburg Germany.  What was special about this gig was they had to play for eight hours a day for a week.  This ultimately made them a better band because they could not just play their best songs; they had to learn to master all of their songs. 

One of the most successful athletes today is Derek Jeter.  He was not just handed five World Series rings and the title of captain of the New York Yankees.  He had to spend his free time as a kid practicing baseball to get to where he is today.  He was drafted by the Yankees straight out of high school.  He started in the minor leagues when he was only 18 years old.  It was his first time living away from home so naturally he was scared.  His First season in the minors, he struggled and thought about quitting.  He had always excelled in baseball, so this was a new feeling for him.  Instead of giving up when the going got tough, he then remembered how much he wanted to play in the major leagues.