Orientation is an Event...Right?

                This post is supposed to be about an event that we have attended thus far at SCSU. But unfortunately for me, I haven’t been able to attend any events besides my freshman orientation. So I guess I’ll be discussing that for this post.

            Now first off, when I heard that that orientation was going to be a two day ordeal, and that I would have to stay at SCSU the entire time, let’s just say I wasn’t ecstatic about it. I just didn’t want to waste my time, especially during summer, at the place where I was going to be at for the next four years anyway. I think a lot of other freshman had this same thought process too.

            But then that day actually came when I had to go. I went to SCSU that day with not the best attitude to kick it all off, but I was doing my best to be optimistic. We were all put into groups and we started off with getting to know everyone. This was boring but then we started to get into some more interesting activities like talking about what college was really going to be like verses the rumors that we all hear. When my orientation leaders explained a lot of this it made me feel so much better about actually starting college. But then before we knew it we had to go to another boring lecture from someone important in the SCSU staff. This was basically how the rest of the orientation went, and I honestly hated it.

            I talked to my cousin who is a junior at SCSU about her orientation and she said it was only one day of boring activities instead of this huge two day thing. So in my opinion I think that the freshman that came into SCSU this semester was forced to go through a very pointless orientation. It made me a tiny bit more confident about college but overall I took almost nothing from the experience. I really think that SCSU staff should rethink the whole idea of orientation and just use it to give incoming students the minimum information that they need and don’t try to stuff in all these meaningless lectures and speakers that the kids won’t care about or listen to.

My Midterm Plans

            So for my midterm project I have chosen to talk about time management and motivation. These definitely seem like the most important subjects that we have read about so far. I think that the questions that I plan to ask will give a very diverse set of results. It will be very interesting to find out what my fellow students have to say verses what some of the faculty have to say.

            I chose to ask a question about time management asking if you think that most freshmen are really managing their time to the fullest extent. Personally I thought that most were doing a good job of keeping their schedules in check. But after doing an exercise in class and attending college for a few weeks I’m starting to realize that many students seem to just be hanging on by a thread. I actually have found that almost every hour of my time is taken up by something that I am doing during the week, and most of those hours are spent doing productive things. But it seems that many students have a lot of time in their schedule that seems to be spent doing nothing or doing things that are not productive. So it should be pretty interesting to see what other students as well as faculty members have to say on the subject.

            The other question I will be exploring has to do with motivation. I chose this because to succeed in college I think that you need to be genuinely motivated to want to learn in order to graduate. It seems a lot different from say high school where you are motivated by your parents and teachers pushing you. In college there really isn’t anyone there to push you to do your best so most of the time it’s up to you. This makes me wonder if other students share the same thoughts about this. I know that I have somehow found a new love for learning in order to motivate myself. It almost feels like I’m a little kid just starting school again, eager to learn all that I can about the world. So I definitely can’t wait to hear about different motivators for other people.

            This project actually has me pretty excited about gathering this information. So with the help of the articles that we have read so far I believe I will be able to formulate a great video about motivation and time management.

Blogs i actually like?!?

                The two blogs that I found very interesting to me this week were The Paintball Blog and Single Tracks (a mountain biking blog). I found these blogs interesting because they both offered me a lot of knowledge on two of my favorite sports. They give well written posts about many different aspects of each sport. Some are teaching the reader things about the sport and some are just entertaining bits of information.

                The Paintball Blog is a blog that is written by many different people. They are professionals who know the sport of paintball very well. In the past I actually used this blog to learn new tips and tricks when I was on a sponsored paintball team. This blog definitely helped me progress as a player and it also has helpful hints for the more recreational paintballer.

                Single Tracks is a great blog that I just discovered today. It is on mountain biking and it has a great design to it. Mountain biking is another sport I love and this blog can basically tell you anything you want to know about it. It has a section for beginners and for choosing which products to buy. Also, I really like how this blog uses many pictures to help show what you are reading about. For some of the articles there is even a diagram to explain what is being said. This blog is a new discovery to me but I plan to refer to it often from now on.

                These two blogs are just as different as they are alike. They are blogs about two completely different sports. Also The Paintball Blog doesn’t really have pictures at all, where as Single Tracks has at least one picture per post. But the thing that makes them alike is the fact that they both offer serious information as well as entertaining information about each sport. I think that is what ultimately draws me to them. This will also draw other people who really aren’t into either of these sports. These posts are interesting and exciting to read, which will grab any reader’s attention.

Amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIQWg6M2J10

Does this make me a Hypocrite?

                In my last post I talked about time management and how I feel that most people have their own schedule and they don’t plan to change it. This week talking about time management in class more and doing the activity on estimating our time spent doing things my opinion that everyone had their own plan that works changed. Out of 168 hours in a week many were having thirty to forty hours unaccounted for. This obviously means that either they really don’t know how long they spend time on activities, or their time isn’t being spent wisely. As for me I actually couldn’t account for only four hours of my week. So I know that I am doing fine but I definitely feel that maybe those articles could help other people.

                Managing your time is probably the most important thing in college with all the work and the rest of your life. Finding a schedule for you is so important and it needs to be done quickly before it’s too late. But apparently a lot of other students aren’t using all of their time wisely. Now this doesn’t mean that I am suddenly agreeing with the image of mapping out every hour of every day for you. Because I definitely don’t do that and my schedule works for me perfectly. But if students just sat down and thought for a moment about what they needed to do that day or for the week and they write some of the important points down I think that would help a lot of people who have a lot of wasted time in their week. For me writing all my assignments in a notebook works perfectly, and for everything else I set alarms sometimes to remind myself that I need to do something at that time.

                Every student can be successful, but they need a strong schedule to back them up. I felt that the students who have a lot of wasted time should take a look at those articles that we read last week if they hadn’t to get some ideas. The activity in class really opened my eyes to how other students manage their time, and it showed me that I’m doing a pretty good job for me so that definitely reassured me too.

My Schedule? or YOUR Schedule???

                So we are reading about all these different methods to manage our time and schedule in college. Well I do agree that everyone should have some type of plan from week to week on what they need to get done and when they can have fun. I also do believe that reading these articles will help some people who are having issues with managing their schedules now that we are all in college. But for me I can honestly say that these readings really won’t change the way I go about doing my work from week to week.

                I think that by now most people probably have some form of their own schedule that they follow for every day. Personally I have my day planned out before I even wake up. I don’t need to sit down and write everything that I will be doing down in a book. I’m sure many others would tell you that they either have a written schedule for themselves or they choose to keep it mentally. There probably a few students who don’t really have any schedule set in stone for themselves, but I can guarantee that if they needed to they all have the knowledge to create one.

                Overall, I’m just saying that reading these articles, watching the video, and taking the quiz may be somewhat helpful to other students. But I’m sure that most, including myself, will agree that we already have a plan and it works for us, so we don’t intend to change it anytime in the near future.

Outcasts United, By Warren St. John, a novel? or an essay?

           Outcasts United by Warren St. John was a very informative novel in my eyes. I realized, while discussing the book, with a friend that Warren St. John is a reporter for the New York Times. When I heard this the way the book was written made a lot more sense to me.

            I did enjoy the book but some of it seemed to go on and on about useless things. Like when he was telling the stories of each player and Luma they seemed to go on forever. I feel that St. John may have put in a little too much research into the book. If the book had contained a little bit less research about each character I would have enjoyed reading it more, and I would still have got the same feeling about each character. So I feel that Warren St. John should have tried to not allow his two main styles of writing clash together in this book.

            On the other hand, the book was very uplifting and inspiring to me on more than one level. The obvious one would be the fact that this story really shows you how happiness can be found in such simple things. Also that when people come together, no matter who they are, they can accomplish anything they put their minds to. But the other reason I was inspired by this book is because I play soccer myself. So I could connect to almost every soccer related situation in the book. I could picture myself in those kids’ places for just a second, and it really drew me into the book more.

            One question that I would have for Mr. Warren St. John would be did he think that it was really necessary to the book to add in so much background information on each character and why?

Change is Scary

       So I’m a commuter this year at southern, and I could go on and on about how finding a descent parking spot is my biggest challenge. But if I did that I’d be lying to everyone who reads this. Honestly, the biggest challenge for me is adjusting to a school where I know absolutely no one. My whole life I have been a shy person and I always depended on my friends to be there for me. I am still an independent person who can definitely hold his own but not having someone there to talk to about this new college experience is tough.


       People who know me will say that I am an outgoing and happy person. But what they don’t know is that the only reason I seem that way to them is because I am comfortable with them. Don’t get me wrong, I can easily become friends with just about anybody. But going out and talking to some random person is not my strong suit.

       Coming from a high school, where I was friends with just about everyone, to a college where I know absolutely no one is pretty scary. Even though I am sure I’ll make new friends over time, it is still somewhat of a lonely experience in the beginning. But I’m an optimist and I think that as this whole college experience progresses for me I will meet many new and interesting people and have the opportunity to build friendships with them.

       Before this semester started I was so worried that I wouldn’t have anyone to discuss homework or projects with. I had this vision of me just going to class everyday not talking to anyone and then going straight home to do my homework and get back to the life I’m used to. But I’m seeing that it doesn’t need to be like that at all.

There's Articles for Sucess?!?

       These articles seem to have a very common thread of telling the reader how to become successful at something, in my case college. They all make very important points that I strongly agree with. I definitely aim to plan out all of my college life as far ahead as I can. My goals have already been set by myself and my family; and I intend to meet those goals. As far as I’m concerned those goals are well within reach at the pace that I am going right now. These articles reinforce that thought so I will continue to map out my college experience, and then work as hard as I can on it.

       The articles have also helped me observe first hand that getting a higher education really is the most important aspect to being successful in your own life. A regular education can only get you so far whether it is in a big corporate company or a small business. These articles give the reader a sort of truth that only a firsthand experience can give. It is great because the topic that you are gaining information from is one that applies to every human being.

       If anything after reading the articles it just reinforces an idea that I have already had for myself in college. That idea is to be as successful as I can be, and to reach all the goals that have been set for me. They also show that to have an easier life in the future meeting my goals is definitely a big essential.

My thoughts on College...

        College means a lot to me at this point in my life. Yes it means all the usual things like me having a better chance at getting a better job in the future and lots of debts to pay back. But it also means a lot more to me right now. College is something that is going to put me on the level of adulthood that I want to be on. Being educated in an advanced way makes me feel better about myself. College is also helping me find my love for learning all over again. I realize that I, as a student, will be bombarded with mountains of work while in college. So I have almost forced myself to try to enjoy it again, like I was a little kid back in first grade just itching to learn the ABC’s for the first time. Sobasically i am expecting that college gives me more back then i have to give it.


       College has a strong effect on me on a social level. It has only been a couple days and I realize that I am going to make many new friends over the next four years. I have always been more of a shy person so college is a welcome change to that shyness. I am almost forced to make friends witch I am starting to like a lot.

       Lastly, college stands as a huge goal for me for more than one reason. My parents never went to a four year college and they both turned out very well off. This really gives me the confidence that if I can make it through a four year college then I will be able to do even better than they did. Also, as a personal goal I want to prove to myself that college really isn’t all that scary or hard. I want to pass every class that I take and prove to myself that I really can obtain a higher education. This is what college means to me.

All About Mike

Caring     

Sensible

Persistent

Athletic

A clip of me riding my bike:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/126548/

Team Player

What these words mean to me...

These five words can give you an idea of how my mind and personality work together to create me. I’m usually the kind of person who cares more about other people than me. My extremely close family members are the ones to blame for that trait. The photo under the word caring shows just some of my big, loud, Italian family. They all care about each other so much that it really rubbed off on me and I now incorporate it into my social life as well.

     Alright, so next the next word is sensible; which is not to say I am a “worry wart” but just more of the one who knows when to turn on and off the crazy. My parents did a really good job at teaching me right and wrong so I can really tell when something is not the best idea. Friends tell me all the time that usually if I say something is a bad idea; it really is a bad idea. The photo I chose is one of the pranks that I actually approved from my friends, which we ended up going through with. By the way the prank was that we put my best friend’s moped on his bed which is on the second story of his house one night while he was at work.


     The next word holds a very important place in the definition of who I am. This is probably one of my more annoying traits. But anyway, usually when I come up with an idea or activity that I would like to do, I will make it happen no matter what. For example I came across a video of a giant slip n’ slide online and thought it looked like a lot of fun. So the next day I got some friends together and made one!


     The word athletic is more of a default label that I carry with me just because I like to participate in a few sports. Obviously from the picture you can tell that I enjoy to mountain bike. Some of the other sports that I play are soccer and paintball. I’m always riding my bike and I played soccer since I was three years old. Also paintball has brought me as far as gaining sponsorships and playing in tournaments against professional players. So I guess all that makes me pretty athletic but not in a jock type of way.


     This last picture is of last year’s varsity soccer team at Guilford High School. This shows how close of a team and how much of a team player I am. I am a team player for more than just sports though. I am always open to new things and suggestions when I am with a group of people. When it comes to family my parent’s suggestions of ways for us all to bond are always accepted by me.

Just another clip of me spending time with some of the people that matter the most to me:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=423627619156