Campus Safari 10

Campus Safari #10 Attending an SCSU sponsored event.

Last week on Wednesday night I went to Caribbean night. Gabby was dancing in it so I wanted to go see her perform. I video taped her performance and she used it in her video. (I will post a link to it in the bottom) It was fun to get to see how the culture from different countries affects so many students that attend SCSU. They had someone play the steel drum, lots of fashion from different countries, and of course dance performances. SCSU really puts a lot of effort into their events and they are a lot of fun. Everyone should go to at least one event that they put on.

Gabbys Video

The Creative Dancer

Week 9 Blog 2

I am really enjoying the Twyla Tharp reading so far. I wanted to get a head start on it during the week that we had no class. I spend each night before bed reading a few pages or a whole chapter. I like her writing style how she takes what this believes to be true; the rituals of preparation, your creative DNA, and explains them in different situations.

When she begins writing I do not know how her stories are going to end in a point. One has her begin in a white room all alone, another has her waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go to the gym. And at first all I could think about when I was reading was "What does this have to do with being creative?". But then she uses her story to make a very interesting point about being creative.

She mentions a composer, a chef, a painter, and a writer that all have a certain ritual that they follow each day. She connects their rituals, and her own, to their creativity. It was interesting because it made me think of some rituals that I follow. At first I thought they were just corny, but now I see the connections.

I also liked the part of the reading, pages 26 and 27 that explain that sometimes you need to cut things out of your life. Movies, Multitasking, Numbers, and Background Music, could all take away from your creativity. So Twyla gives us all a challenge, Spend a week without one of the above. Do you think that you could do it? Would it make you more creative? It is something that I find interesting and I am curious about it. I think I will try it out. Try going a week without movies or any TV at all and see how I feel.

Her writing is different but I like it. I am interested to see if she will mention anything from class, She mentioned briefly the nature vs. nurture. But I want to see if she is going to mention the 10,000 hours or not. She might not believe in the 10,000 hours because she mentions how some of your creativity is in your DNA.

Midterm Grades

Week 8 Blog 2

So far I am very pleased with my midterm grades. I only got 4 of my grades back I am still waiting to hear from my Microbiology teacher what that grade is. Hopefully I will find out today. In all my other classes I have an A- or better.

I know that my Microbiology grade will not be as good as the others. I try very hard in that class but it is my most challenging class. Not only do we have lecture classes we also have a lab. Its double the work, double the exams, double the challenge. I do like what I am learning though. So I am very eager to get this grade back.

In high school I got good grades but never this good. I think the big difference was my mindset when I started college. I entered with the mindset of "If I do not get good enough grades I will not get into the Nursing Program." This is very true. The GPA that I need to get into the Nursing Program at southern is a 3.5 but with how competitive it is I actually need a 3.8. I know I can reach this goal if I set my mind to it.

I think the other reason that I am doing so well is how I manage my time. I know that sometimes I am going to have to stay home and get homework done instead of going out. I want to put my best effort into my work and get the best grade possible. I think that if more people did this they would also get good grades. I also write out to-do lists daily and try to stick with them as much as I can. It shows me what needs to be done that day and what should be done first.

So I do think that my grades reflect my time and effort put in. I try very hard and work for my grades, none of them were just given to me. I think that with the same amount of time and effort in each of my classes my final grades will stay as all A's.

Ambers INQ Creativity Video

Week 9 Blog 1

I am so pleased with how this video came out. I think that I made it creative, interesting, and informative. Compared to my last video this is a huge improvement.

Since this video had to be creative I knew that I wanted to do a topic that had room to make it creative. What better topic then the Study Abroad program that Southern has. This was a very fun topic to do. Studying Abroad is something that, I think, most college students have an interest in. I think that my video was informative. It tells you what you need to do in order to Study Abroad. It is a very easy process. It explains the cost, even though that would vary for each person. And it tells you how long you can go for. There are many options.

I think that the music I put in really goes well with the topic and keeps you awake. I know that my last video did not have music and that took away from it. I think that music is needed, especially with a creative video. Another strength that my video has is all the pictures of places you can go. It makes you want to visit those places. They show the beauty of the world around us. I have a lot more strengths then I had last video.

The only weakness that I think my video might have is that I did not videotape any interviews. I decided not to do that this time because my whole video last time was interviews, so I wanted to switch it up. I actually like how this one without interviews came out more then my first video.

So I think that everyone should watch my video it has a lot of information and it is interesting!!

Music On Campus

Campus Safari #6

Natalie and I went to the Campus Radio Station last Thursday. Her friend John works there so we sat in and listened to his show. The Campus Radio Station offers a lot of different choices for what you would want to listen to. We went there at about 12:30-1:30 and listened to her friends show. It was not music that I usually listen to but people playing the music knew everything about the songs. It was interesting to be able to sit in and watch the show. Its exactly like a real radio station, they talk between songs and introduce the next song about to be played. I would go back with Natalie again to see another show. It was fun to see what goes on behind the scenes. Everyone should check out the Campus Radio Station.

Waves Of Life

Week 8 Blog 1

As soon as I saw this assignment I knew which sculpture I wanted to post about. It is the sculpture found on the side of Engleman. I pass by this sculpture a lot. It reminds me of waves from the ocean. I love the beach and anything to do with the ocean that is why this sculpture really stood out to me. At first I liked it just because of that and because I thought that it looks interesting and pretty. Then I started to think of the meaning behind this sculpture.

To me this sculpture symbolizes the waves that we experience in our lives, the struggles that we have to deal with. In college this is very true, especially freshman year. You have to transition from high school work, high school friends, and living at home, to college work, college friends, and living in a whole new environment. This could be a wavy transition. I think that this sculpture symbolizes that.

It also reminds me that you have to think of everything that you are working towards while you are at school. At the end of every storm is a new beginning. That is what also is symbolized. This sculpture inspires me to try my hardest each day. To hold on when I get hit with each new wave of work. That is why I like this sculpture so much. If you have not seen it yet, you should really take some time out of your day and at least walk by it. If you do have some extra time think about how this sculpture could inspire you to keep fighting against the rocky waves that we call life.

A Night Spent with an Old Friend

Week 7 Blog 2

In order to relax and have fun on campus there are many things that you can do. Maybe go to a Zumba class with the girls, go get lunch with some classmates, go on a walk around campus, the list goes on and on. Last week I hung out with my friend Brandon Wood and how did we spend the night...playing video games of course.

Brandon and I have been friends since high school. We both graduated from Shelton High School. On Friday night he called me up and told me to come back up to Southern when I got out of work so we could hang out that night. So I picked up and bunch of snacks for us and then we played N64 for hours. It was good to get to relax with someone who I have known for a long time.

Sometimes I get stuck and just focus on my schoolwork that I forget about my social life. When all your thinking about is schoolwork, teachers, assignments, grades, it can stress you out a lot. So when Brandon called me up I knew that I needed to go. We did not talk about schoolwork at all. Instead we talked about old times from High School. We laughed about how when we were in High School we just wanted to get out, and now we miss it.

Everyone needs to take time for a night like this. Sometimes you just need to spend it with one other person, or a group of people, or even alone, it depends on what you prefer, and just not think about school at all. The next morning I felt refreshed and refocused. Now I'm ready to take my midterms and ace them!

SCSU Spirit

Campus Safari Pep Rally

Last week Gabby, Natalie, and I all went to the pep rally! They decorated it with the casino theme, gave out candy and glow sticks, and played a lot of music. I always liked going to the pep rallies that went on at my high school. I saw Alex walk out with the baseball team, Erica with the girls lax team, and Devin with the football team. (We cheered really loud for all of you guys!!) They gave away a lot of prizes. They had a dance off, and they had a huge raffle and you got tickets when you walked in the door. It was fun to show some school spirit. It was at the Field House on Thursday night at 7:15. If you missed this one you should check out the next one that SCSU has.

Midterm Reflection

Week 7 Blog 1

So far this semester I think I have been working very hard. Every assignment I try to complete earlier then the due date and to the best of my ability. And all my hard work has been paying off. I think that all my grades for my midterms should be very good. Of course for each student, we are all going to have multiple set backs but also many successes.

My major set back was in Microbiology. We had our first lecture exam and our first lab exam. I studied for these exams for hours. I spend so much time and energy into being prepared. It payed off with my lecture exam. I got a 79 on the exam. Usually I would be worried about a grade like that. But the class average was a 71 so I was above average with it. Then we took the lab exam. I felt great afterwards. I thought I had aced it so I called my parents to tell them the great news that I thought I did well. Unfortunately a week later I was very disappointed. I had gotten a 64 on this exam. It made me want to shut down, but then I remembered the mindset book. I will not ruin this semester by having a closed mindset. I am determined to learn from this mistake and improve for the next lab exam that we have.

My best success is in my math class. In high school me and math never clicked. So knowing that about myself I started this semester knowing I was going to have to focus in my math class and not just blow it off. In order to meet that goal I sit in the front of the class and answer and ask questions throughout each class. This really pays off. We have weekly math quizzes and I have aced every one. Then on the first math exam I got my grade back and it was a 107. I was ecstatic. This just shows you that if you think that you do not click with a certain subject then you just need to work harder.

For the second half of the semester I intend to focus a lot more in Microbiology because it is my hardest class right now. I also need to make sure that I continue to focus on my other classes too. I know students that center all their attention in one class but then forget about their other classes. That cannot happen to me. In order to meet these goals I decided to do what Erica does. In class one day she mentioned that she has 3 calendars. This way she sees in 3 different places when her assignments are due or when she has exams. I did the same thing. I have one in my back pack that I carry around each day, one on my desk that I see while doing assignments, and one on my wall in my room that I pass as I walk in or out of my room each day. This has really helped a lot. (Thanks for the advice Erica!!) I think that if any other students have that problem of forgetting when assignments are due they should really try this out.

Ericas Blog

Campus Safari 1

Campus Safari # 1

I met with my Microbiology teacher, Margaret Das, at her office hours. I had to ask questions about the exam we just took and also about how to get the extra credit for the exam. Her office is in Jennings 233 and her times are JE 233 Mon: 12:10-1 pm, Wed: 12:10-1 pm, Thur: 4:10-5 pm. also in DA 124 Mon 8:10-9 am, Wed 8:10-9 am. First I introduced myself because my Microbiology class is a lecture. Then I asked her where to find good articles about Microbiology and she gave me a lot of good websites to visit. Then I asked her when we will be getting our exams back and she told me next week because their are so many exams to grade. I am glad that I went and visited this teacher. Now she knows that I am very conscious of my grade and I want to learn and do well.

To Fail or Not to Fail, That is the Question

Week 6 Blog 2

Failure is a prominent idea in the book "Mindset". It is explained by both of the mindsets, Growth and Fixed, and how they would respond to failure. The different is immense. In the Growth mindset failure is a push to do better, a push to learn from your mistakes. With the Fixed mindset failure is a dead end. Once you fail in the Fixed mindset, then it shows that you are not naturally gifted.

For me it is difficult. I think of myself with a Growth mindset, but at the same time failure is difficult for me with some things. I am going to explain two different situations that I have been in, in one I show the Growth mindset and in the other a Fixed mindset. In high school I swam on my schools swim team. I was not very good but I always had a good time and pushed other people and myself. Also at practice I would always be trying to improve, so that I could drop time at the next meet. This shows how I would have a Growth mindset. On the other hand at school if I get a bad grade on an exam I studied very hard for it makes me upset. I want to do my best but I still failed. This shows a Fixed mindset.

So what am I, a Growth or a Fixed? I think it is possible to be a little of both. Now that I am aware of this I will be more conscious of learning from my failures and not letting them stop me. In the book "Mindset" on pages 42 and 43 it explains a Fixed mindset and how she moves from having a Fixed mindset to a Growth mindset. This is an inspiring story. It makes me think about how everyone should always be trying to better themselves. If people stopped thinking about how they are "naturally" better then everyone else so they do not need to try, then our world would have more success. Failure should be a push to learn and improve not to give up forever.

Pushing my Comfort Zone

Week 6 Blog # 1

Last week I actually went ahead and did something that pushed my comfort zone a lot and it connects to this assignment really well. I went to my Microbiology teacher's office hours. Microbiology is a really challenging class and we just had our first exams last week. With our exams our teacher lets us get up to 3 extra credit points. I attempted to get them by finding articles online about Microbiology and explaining how they connect to our class. I did not get any of the extra credit points. So for the next exam I wanted to know what kind of articles I am looking for, so that next exam I do not miss out on those points. I went to my professor during her office hours.

I was nervous because this class is a lecture and I knew that she did not know who I was. So I went in and introduced myself and told her that I am very happy that I am in this class because of how interesting it is to me. Which is the truth I was not just trying to suck up!! Everything that we learn in this class is interesting. So then I sat down with her and explained how I want to do my best in her class, and asked if she could explain the extra credit a little more in detail to me. So she did, she gave me a lot of tips to point me in the right direction. She was very nice and seemed to be happy that I was taking the initiative to meet with her about getting a good grade.

I am glad that I went through this experience. This is my hardest professor but now that I have met with her I see that she just wants us all to do our best. This pushed my comfort zone because in high school I always connected with my teachers very well. They would take the time and meet with me and I always got really good grades. Now in college I need to make sure that I make a point and connect with my professors. I need that connection in order to do really well in my class. I suggest that everyone meets with their hardest professor. You could go and just introduce yourself like I did and then tell them your happy to be taking their class. Its as easy as that! And it makes a really good impression!

Campus Safari 2

Campus safari # 2 Library

In my Wellness class we were talking about the book called "The Gift of Fear". This book is about connecting your senses together so that if you are in a bad situation you know to leave. People always need to be aware of their surroundings. It is more centered towards women but men should read it too. It connects to my Wellness class because the main point of the class is to learn how to live a happy and well life. I skimmed through the book and it was very interesting. I think over winter break when I have more free time I will read it. It really is a good read for college students because we are in new situations everyday. We need to know what to do if a situation seems to be changing from a good time to a situation where you could get hurt. At the library the librarians were very helpful. They pointed me right to where my book was.

Mindset My Psychology of Success

Week 5 Blog 2

I am enjoying the book Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. I like how it explained the two different mindsets, Growth mindset and Fixed mindset. Growth mindset is, in my own words, when you know that you are in control of how intelligent and skilled you can become. While a Fixed mindset is, in my own words, thinking that you are born with how intelligent and skilled you are and you can not change that.

 I feel like most people would want to believe that they have a Growth mindset while in actuality they have a Fixed mindset. In our society I think that people look at talented people and think, "They were born like that and theres no way I can be as talented as them." When in actuality if you read bibliographies of movie stars, musicians, singers, sports stars, ect, most talk about all the time and effort that they put into their work. We as a society need to move away from the Fixed mindset. 

The way that I think that this connects with motivation is with the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that we talked about. Intrinsic has to do with motivation coming from inside you, such as wanted to learn something because it is interesting to you. While extrinsic motivation is motivation from the outside, such as money or a grade that you could get. Intrinsic motivation is related to the Growth mindset and extrinsic motivation is related to the Fixed mindset. 

So now think about yourself, do you think that you have a Growth mindset or a Fixed mindset? If you have a Fixed mindset what can you do to change that?