Let's start by discussing what it is you hope to get out of the coming semester; not just in terms of this class but overall throughout the semester both in your education and for yourself. Don't forget, 250 word post up by Thursday night and 100 word response up by Sunday night.
I’m hoping to do as well, grade-wise, this semester as I did last semester. I have finally achieved the 4.0 grade point average that I’ve been working for. So now I’m just trying to keep it that way. After all, I worked my butt off to get this far. If I stopped trying now, all my hard work would have been done for nothing. I’m also planning to look into study courses for MCAT’s. I figure it’s better to be prepared then to just wing it. I need to make sure I stay focused and on top of things if I plan to graduate early, which is what I’m shooting for. On top of that, I also need to start looking into med schools. Basically, I’m trying to achieve a ton of stuff and not stress myself out to the point of going insane. Other then that, I plan to keep my schedule the same as always. My life revolves around going to classes, school work, working out, being with friends, staying in touch with family, and of course, my monthly trips to South Carolina. I absolutely love going there. I get to see friends from home, and my boyfriend. Trips there keep me sane. They’re kind of like mini vacations to relax and regroup myself. I’m not sure what else I plan to get out of this semester. Whatever happens happens. Sometimes it’s good not plan every part of your life out. Ultimately, you cannot completely control your future. You can only guide yourself to the path you hope to take. This is something I have come to realize.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to stay sane this semester. Last semester I really wasn't able to balance my education and my personal life, resulting in a huge dive in my social life. The result of that was a stressed, miserable, person. I certainly got good grades last semester but I think I am more than capable of maintain those grades and making time to do things that make me happy. Also, I am hoping to focus more on my music this semester. I know this ties in with finding more time for me but I feel it worthy of highlighting. I used to perform out regularly and write daily. I'd like to get back to that. I also started interning at the Florida Aquarium and want to make as much time for this internship as possible. I am a marine biology major and understand the importance of working in the field before applying to graduate school. I know that this is a lot to take on in one semester but I believe adequate planning and scheduling will make all of these ambitions cohesive to the hours in a day. I have recently cut back in hours at my job to accommodate all the other facets of my life. What I would like to get directly from this course is an ability to write a professional argumentative paper. I feel this will come in handy in my field. As a bio major, I will be writing my fair share of lab papers.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'd like to get out of this semester the most is to continue to keep my grades at the level that I want them, but I also have some more things I'd like to do. First and foremost, I'd like to decide whether staying at the University of Tampa is the best thing for me currently. I'm doing well here, and I'm happy, but my older sister will soon be having a baby, and I'd like to be in New Jersey, where the baby will be, to watch it grow up. I know this may seem absurd to some, but I've always had very invovled family in my life, and it's helped me extremely in my life. So, out of this semester, I want to be able to see if it's best for me to be here or for me to go on back home to New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteSomething else that I'd like to accomplish, and yes this is in terms of the class, is to mold my writing skills. This may seem a little insane to some people at my age, but I really want to write a book, and I think that this semseter is as good a time as any to get started on it. This is now the second time I will be away from home for a long period of time. Not only have I been away, and now I know that I can do it, but the jitters of being away have lifted, and I can find a way to embrace my new surroundings, and put it all down on paper (or on a computer screen) and see where my writing takes me. One day, I will be known for my writing. That may sound as if I'm full of myself to some, but to me, it just means that I intend to work as hard as I possibly can in order to make what I want happen, and it's all going to start with this semester.
What I hope to get out of this semester is that I hope to finally be happy and enjoy life. Last semester was extremely hard and confusing for me. This semester I changed my major from Biology to Public Health and it was one of the smartest decisions I ever made. The classes I’m taking this semester finally fit into what I want my career to be. Last semester I had too much on my plate at once and it destroyed not only my school work but my personal life. I felt so bad destroying many relationships with people because I was just so confused and I felt like I was the only one who was going through that. I wish I could confront those people and tell them how sorry I am. I really hope to find new friends this semester who share the same interests as me and be able to have fun. I have always spent my life acting like an adult and I think it is time to relax and enjoy the little things. Next week my boyfriend is coming over from Germany and I can’t wait to see him again. I really hope that I will be able to learn again how to balance school, friends and a relationship. I know nothing worth fighting for is ever easy and I know this semester will throw some obstacles my way, but I will stay strong. This semester I see as a brand new chapter in my life and I think it will be the start of some very amazing adventures.
ReplyDeleteGoing into college, I expected the work to be difficult and making friends to be an easy task for me. However, I quickly learned that when placed in a situation with total strangers, I bottle up and keep to myself. Over time, I found a small group of friends that I can be myself around. Coming into this new semester, however, I am finding it difficult to balance my friendships with my schoolwork and I find myself procrastinating much more than usual. So my goal for this semester is to work hard to maintain decent grades and my friendships. Also, I need to work harder to earn better grades. Although my last semester grades were not terrible, I feel as if I could do better so I am devoting much more time to studying this semester.
ReplyDeleteI think that this semester is going to be very self-focused. I am not going to worry too much about other stressors in my life, but throw all my work into school and bettering myself for the long run. In addition to this, I need to do some soul searching. I am a marine biology major, but I have absolutely no idea what I will do with that degree. I need to look into possible careers and think about what it is I actually want to do. I know that I do not necessarily have to have a specialization picked out as a freshman, but being so clueless scares me to death. I like to have my affairs sorted and set, but this is extremely difficult because there is so much that I want to do. This semester I need to look into different careers and start researching them as well as beginning to look at internships.
In terms for FYW 102 this semester I would like to improve my writing skills and work on some of the things I seem to miss when proof reading my papers. This semester I would like to achieve a higher GPA. I am not happy with what I received last semester and would like to raise it. I plan on making my study habits a lot better this semester so that I will actually be able to raise my GPA. This semester I would like to try and deiced what kind of major I want for myself. I am currently undecided. I am leaning toward a major in communications. Hopefully this semester with some of the classes I am taking it will better help me with my decision for a major. I am currently taking my second class that deals with communications and I am very interested in the class, it is a visual literacy class and I believe with the help of this class and one i took last semester I will hopefully be able to decide if communications is what I want. I am on the tennis team and right now we are in season I would like to make sure I am able to balance all my priorities while keeping up with the team. We have a lot of matches during in-season and they take a lot of time up with traveling and game time. I just want to make sure I keep up with my work load so that I am able to fulfill tennis and reaching a higher GPA. Hopefully I will be able to achieve all this for my spring semester.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to do very well academically this semester. Now that I am use to the college lifestyle, I have a better understanding of how to time manage, and put my priorities ahead of procrastinating all the time. Which is very easy to do when you don’t have your parents around. I am going to do all that I can to work to the best of my ability and achieve above a 3.5 for this semester. I would like to get an internship this summer with a Public Relations firm, so I need to get my academic standings up in order to show that I am capable for the job. Since I am originally from New jersey, I thought all I needed to fulfill my college experience was the warm weather and a pretty campus, however the more time I spend here I am realizing what really matters to me, and that’s my family. I am not sure if I am transferring after this semester, so I want to make the best of Tampa while I am here. I love all that Tampa has to offer, but I think I need to be closer to home in an environment that is more for me. In terms of this class I would like to better my writing skills, and continue to understand the proper techniques and strategies it takes to write a well-developed paper. Like I said I would love to major in Public Relations, and in order to do so I need to improve my writing skills.
ReplyDeleteThis semester I hope to continue to put forth as much effort as I did last semester in all of my classes. I was very happy with the outcome that came from all the hours I spent studying every week. I was surprised at how well I was able to balance everything that was going on in my life as I made my transition into college last semester. I had a lot of time that was devoted to outside activities but I also managed to do very well academically. I hope to continue to push myself in my studies as well as the other things that I am involved in. I currently hold a chair position in my sorority, so I know that I will have to make time for that as well. Basically what it comes down to for me is having good time management skills. I am taking 1 more class than I did last semester, which I will need to accommodate for while studying. It has also been a struggle for me being so far away from my family. Most of my family lives on the west coast, where I am originally from, and it has been difficult going from seeing them very frequently to hardly at all. It is just something I have to get used to and Skype has been such a blessing to my life. It also allows me to keep in touch with all of my friends from back home that went all over the country for school.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I hope to get out of this coming semester? For starters I would love to obtain my academic standings and defiantly strive for that 4.0 that I’m so close to reaching. I’m totally school orientated so putting my all into everything I do is a major high for me. In terms of FYW 102 I’m specifically looking forward to writing informally and formally so I can share my thoughts with you, Professor Breckenridge. There is always room for improvement in the aspect of writing techniques; so I’m really excited for this semester and can’t wait to see how my writing grows and matures.
ReplyDeleteComing to Florida from New York last semester was defiantly quite the experience. Last semester I was so excited to be at the University of Tampa and in a new environment that I was one of those freshmen who wanted to accomplish everything. I rarely had a moment to breathe between my studies, running for fundraising chair and establishing it for Extreme Elite, pledging a sorority and meeting new people. So this semester as I continue to keep my commitment to these things I want to take moments to stop and appreciate everything I am actually doing and achieving for myself. Being a psychology major and planning on getting my Ph.D it would be smart and nice if I could find an internship this semester to get a head start on my career. Basically I have come to realize that you have to keep motivating yourself to do the best you can do to accomplish what you want and this is something I promise I’ll always do.
This semester I hope to have the freedom to choose what I want to write my essays on. Last semester I was always given a topic and never had the freedom to pick my own topic. I find it easier and better to write on a topic that interests me because I’m more willing to research stuff about that topic. I also want to balance my workload better; last semester I found my self always rushing trying to finish last minute things especially on my essays. I would print them out and while I’m walking to class notice four or five mistakes; I would have to run back over to my room and fix them then run over to the library and print them out without being late to class. My main struggle last semester was comma splices so I’m hoping to get rid of them completely.
ReplyDeleteOf course I want a good grade in this course I didn’t come to college to fail out of my classes. I am prepared to work hard because I know this semester and this class wont be easy like someone high school classes were.
One of my biggest goals is to write a really good short fiction story. I’m in fictional writing now and that’s one of our last assignments. I’m really excited and nervous for it. I’m excited because I love writing creative stories but I’m nervous because I’ve never written a long short story before so I don’t know how I can extend them.
To Corey
ReplyDeleteYea I completely agree; last semester was crazy. There was so much homework. I was constantly being asked by friends to come hang out but I had too much work to do! I was always stressed going to bed at night feeling like I didn’t even make a dent in all the work I had. Music is something that you want to spend more time on but for me its watching movies and writing stories and screenplays. I always loved doing that kind of stuff. Its always good to have high expectations for one semester that way if you actually complete them you wont have to do as much next semester. I think that the way the class is going so far we will be able to write a really good argumentative essay; it seems like the professor teaches hard but extremely well. And I agree this will come handy in my college career too because I am a writing minor.
First off, I want to be able to have a good balance with school and some type of club/group/organization. I have to get involved in something, except nothing really looks to interesting to me so far here. I need to apply to other schools as well, because I'm debating on transferring into a school with a certain music program that UT doesn't have.
ReplyDeleteI grew a lot as a person last semester. I figured out that it's pretty hard to trust people in this world. I learned who my real friends were too. In that sense, I want to learn more about the big college stuff: what kind of work I want to do in my desired field, what internships to go apply for, study abroad options, and working while in school. I don't want to miss out on the cool things that college offers.
I see so many kids that can't get their head around the upcoming weekend. To be frank, I'm focused on what will happen when I leave here, whether it's this May, or in 4 or 5 years. I want to learn and acquire basically what it takes to get the job I want.
@Schowanec - I understand the balance thing. I've been looking to work, however, I always worry that as soon as I get a job, I'll have issues balancing my school work and my job. I've never been too good at that. Do you have any idea what perticular club/group/organization you're interested in? If you don't want to spend too much time on something, you can always volunteer with PEACE because you don't neccessarily have to become a fully active member to volunteer with them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, out of curiousity, what music program are you interested in? I'm a musician (I use the term loosely because I don't think I'm all that good, but it always interests me) and I think if you're interested in music and need to go somewhere else to get to do what you want to do that's really cool that you're going for it.
This semester, I hope to raise my GPA to a 4.0. I had a really hard time adjusting to college last semester, and I did not do as well as I had hoped to. I work a part time job as a photographer at Busch Gardens here in Tampa, volunteer in Plant City as an elementary school tutor, and volunteer for Metropolitan Ministries; all of this I do on top of my 17 credit hour load here at the University. It was very hard for me to balance my life with all of this going on. However, I have gotten off to a much better start this semester, and I really want to make it work this time. I recently changed my major from Chemistry to English Secondary Education. I believe this was a change very important to my success. I am actually doing something I love now; instead of doing something someone else wanted me to do.
ReplyDeleteIn this class in particular, I hope to better improve my writing skills. I am very interested in writing, and I want to become as good at it as I can possibly be. I have been struggling through some of my own books for a long time now. I am looking forward to enhancing my writing skills so that I can have more ideas for my books. Also, I am hoping to become an English teacher someday, so the things I learn in this class will be crucial to my education. I hope to take what I learn in this class, and teach it to my students in the future.
My goals for FYW 102 are very simple: achieve an A in the class and improve upon my writing skills. I feel that this goal can be easily attained, as long as I focus on my writing and apply the skills that I have previously learned to the projects and tasks at hand. I did enjoy my FWY 101 class last semester. I found that it taught me essential skills in the areas of critical thinking and writing. I feel that these skills will allow me to succeed in FYW 102 and help me achieve my goals.
ReplyDeleteOverall, my goals for this semester are to maintain balance between my academics, my athletics, and my social life. I found that last semester I was able to do this quite well; my grades were very high, I was able to succeed on the tennis team and, on top of that, I was able to sneak in a few nights out here and there. I have a feeling that this semester will prove to be more difficult to maintain this balance. I say this because I have now signed up for the Honors program here at UT, tennis season has just started, and the warmer weather will pull on my desires to spend more time at the beach, pool and going out for example. I feel that this semester will teach me many life lessons revolving around time management. I know that patience, perseverance, and dedication will definitely be required of me this semester.
Comment to Kathleen,
ReplyDeleteI defiantly agree with you on improving my writing skill I also feel that I obtained good skills from my FYW 101 and that the skills will allow me to further achieve my writing goals in FYW 102. I did not achieve an A in my FYW 101 last semester but I do hope to accomplish that this semester. Balancing different activities can be hard and I know as well since we are both on the tennis team, it is hard to make sure to maintain everything and have productive time management skills. Hopefully we will both be able to stay on task and focus on what things need to be done.
This semester what do i have to do? last for the past tree semesters i have been fooling around passing my classes border line. i have been on an of academic probation therefore i have been that close of being expelled.
ReplyDeletethis semester i have to put back my life on track i am not saying it is impossible but i wont to get a 4.0 this semester i know i can because my mother told me that was a joke i know i can because i have been very successful in high school.
my goal for this semester is party hard and work even harder.
my english writing is not the best and i hope that in fyw 102 i will be able to improve it my goal in this class is to have at least a BC and i really really really hope i get it.
on another hand this break i realize that life is not a game at any moment it can end i was in a car accident on the 31 of december a really bad one i am the only survivor. this made me realize the more one messes with life the more bad things are going to happen to you. my new years resolution is to work hard so i can succeed i am going to work hard this semester and the up coming semesters because i want to succeed in life i do not wont to be sleeping on a bench on the street later on and i do not wont to go back home a live of my parents. i want to make money and more money than my parents so that i can do and go where ever i want with my wife i have a fantasy i see myself at a diner with my wife and suddenly i ask my wife do u want to go to Paris and she says buy honey now i did not even pack and i answer her will buy clothes when you get call the airport book a flight and lets go. my father did that twice with my mom they just left to Italie once and to Rome the second time. anyway this is how i want to live therefore i have to work and finish with college
This semester I'm hoping to have more of a social life. Last semester I spent most of my days playing call of duty on xbox and then my nights studying and doing homework. I only went out like twice, which is partly due to the fact that I was broke and needed a job. So now I'm planning to apply some places for a job so I can stop being so broke and enjoy myself every once in a while. Its important to do things for yourself otherwise you get stressed out over every little thing. I'm starting off the semester pretty stressed over a bunch of things, and I'm already not feeling the motivation I had last semester. I plan on stepping it up so I can achieve a 4.0 this semester. Last semester, thanks to our weird grading system, I got all A's and one AB. I also really wish I can finally decide on what I want to major in this semester. I unfortunately have literally no idea what it is I want to do with my life work wise and its about that time I need to figure it out. Another thing I really hope to do is develop better sleeping habits so I don’t keep staying up until 4 a.m. when I have this class at 8 a.m. I need to figure out how to do that so when I’m laying down to go to sleep for the night I don’t feel wide awake.
ReplyDeleteTo Ali...
ReplyDeleteThis semester we both have planned on doing the best we can do academically to get above a 3.5 gpa. This is possible as long as we stay focused and do everything we can within our will power to do so. Knowing that we are both in a sorority and hold "leadership" positions for UT we know anything can be achieved as long as we put our hearts and souls to it. I hope we both find internships that advance us in our potential careers and especially for you I hope you will be able to decide if UT is right for you which I know you'll make the best decision for you. Good luck with everything girl!
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ReplyDeleteThis semester I hope to improve my GPA and avoid being over stressed in the process. I am currently doing a full 18 credit semester as opposed to last semester’s 13. The classes are equally as challenging but hopefully less of a workload. I’m an International and Cultural studies major which basically means a lot of history courses. I successfully survived Traditional China, which in the long run improved my study habits and taught me how to handle challenging courses. Now I’m taking on World History. In FYW 102 I hope to write better than last semester and my goal is to be more prepared for class. Last semester my professor didn’t require submitting rough drafts, so I ended up leaving things until last minute and when I did work ahead I often changed my mind and ended up re-doing my entire paper. Now I plan on being more focused and better at managing my time. Another big difference from last semester is now I have morning classes. Last semester my earliest class was at noon and I got far too good at sleeping in until 11 and wasting my mornings. Having FYW 102 at 8 AM, especially on Mondays, is a big challenge and coming back to my roommates all still sleeping is a little annoying, mostly because I end up going back to sleep because it’s so dark and quiet. Some more goals for this semester is getting a part time job, surviving being on the committee for Relay for Life, and finding more time to read and study for classes.
ReplyDeleteTo slupino:
ReplyDeleteThat’s awesome that you achieved a 4.0 last semester and I wish you luck maintaining it. Sounds like you’re very smart but you also work really hard for your grades, which is awesome. In that way we’re really similar. Although I can’t say I got a 4.0 I did make it into Honors so I’m pretty proud of that but it was a struggle and a lot of hard work. I admire that fact that you take time for yourself going back home once a month. A lot of people get over stressed and forget to take care of themselves. Best of luck with MCAT’s!
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ReplyDeleteThis semester has barely begun and it is already hectic! Between 18 credit hours, a 24 hour work week, and a need to obtain something close to a 4.0 (performance classes messed up a 4.0 for me last semester), it can be a little overwhelming at times. As busy as I may find myself, however, I must remember to take it one day at a time. This semester, I hope first and foremost to take care of my family. We have been going through a difficult time (please, don't apologize for hearing that) and right now, we find it important to make quality time for each other. Immediately after family, I place my education. I cannot express how important good grades are in my family. Education is--and always has been--one of the most important aspects of my life because it is a portal to anywhere you wish to travel. I enjoy all of my classes for the most part so it's easy to do well in them, I just need to find the time for homework. As far as work goes... Most days I want to run out of there screaming, but I do my best to refrain from such acts of insanity. I am currently trying to get a better schedule that works around my school and volunteer schedule. I understand it takes time for them to work it all out, but hopefully I am able to take care of that soon. Other than that, I hope to have fun this semester. As I said, you must take everything one day at a time, but it's still important to have fun along the way. After all, we're only young once, right??
ReplyDeleteI have a few different goals for this coming semester. Although I got good grades last semester and a good GPA for my first semester of college, this semester I would like to get even better grades and raise my GPA. Now that I am accustomed to college life and figured out the way college classes work I feel confident I will be able to do this. I know I have to put more time into studying and not wait until last minute to do work. In FYW 102 I hope to write persuasive and well-written papers as well as become a better writer. English was never my best subject, however like last semester I will work hard to get a good grade for this class. I’m glad to say my first semester was a success in both having a good time and succeeding academically. I expect to do the same for my second semester. I hope to still have a great time with friends every weekend despite my goals in school. I did a great job at balancing the two last semester so I expect the same to not be a problem for me this semester. I know I’m going to be pretty stressed from some of my classes. I plan to stretch my work out over time so I do not become too overwhelmed. I’m so excited for spring semester in Tampa, especially to spend it with my closest friends. I only learned from last semester so I am definitely not intimidated by second semester.
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ReplyDeleteI have set high expectations for myself this semester. In FYW 101, I learned a lot and really improved as a writer. My goal in FWY 102 is to apply the writing skills that I learned in FYW101 and get an A in the course. Last semester, I got a 2.9 GPA, and I think that I can definitely improve that (hopefully to at least a 3.5), if I apply myself a little more. Taking 18 credits, this is definitely going to be a challenge, but I am going to work as hard as I can to achieve it.
ReplyDeleteOutside of the classroom, I also have set a lot of goals. Currently, I have a part time job with the Philadelphia Phillies, and volunteer for our athletic department and FC Tampa Bay. I am also working hard to get ready for baseball tryouts in the fall. Trying to balance all of these things has been challenging so far, but I am trying to be as focused and motivated as possible. I learned a lot last semester, and as I am getting adjusted more to college life, I think I am now much better able to manage my time. Most importantly, I am trying my best to keep in touch with my family and friends back home. My family is extremely important to me, and I want to make sure that even though I am 1,000 miles away from them, that I am only a phone call away. However, while I’m here I’m trying to enjoy every single day by trying to meet new people here at and going out and having fun. Hopefully, I can look back on this semester and be proud of what I accomplished.
This semester I plan to achieve the grade I want for FYW 102 while still maintaining my love of writing and the creativity I have for it. I also wish to be able to determine the creditability of a source for future research papers that are sure to come. I wish to be able to tell, without a doubt, that the sources I plan to use are verifiable and creditable. I also wish to kind of broaden my reading genres and try and settle into new and different reading styles and genres. I hope that this class with help with some of these goals if not inspire me to reach out on my own and expand my horizons outside of class and homework.
ReplyDeleteI also wish to get a job and try to settle into the hectic life of a working college student. Hopefully I will be able to achieve these goals and will be successful in the remainder of my college career.
To Rees,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I want to wish you luck in writing your fiction story. I'm a big fiction writer and I love using my creativity to fuel a good short story. Maybe one way you can work to expand your story is to add some cliffhangers into it. That way, when you start up another chapter you have to finish off your cliffhanger first. Hopefully, it will help you work your way towards the long stories. Good luck!
With some of your other goals, I wish you luck as well. I know I have the same problems when it comes to procrastinating on essay and such and then finding errors in them and rushing to fix them. I'm a big stickler for grammar errors and such and I always find a need to fix everything that's wrong if I notice it in time.
I understand completely the need to pick our own topics and I feel confident we will be able to do that this semester, which really excites me. I wish you luck in your goals and in your story writing.
@Craig Warzecha
ReplyDeleteSounds like we’re in the same boat! haha I know it’s hard to handle 18 credit hours, a job, and extra curriculars. For me, one of the things that helped the most in high school (and even now) is sitting down and planning out your day hour by hour almost—you’ll see how much extra time you really have. And I know it sounds crazy, but giving yourself a bedtime or a set time to put down the books to just relax helps a lot too. Anyways, best of luck this semester!
What I hope to achieve throughout this semester and in regards to my education and myself is to be able to keep at task with my class assignments. I have many priorities even as a freshman. I got very involved on campus and I am truly happy that I did as it has allowed me to step out of my shy shell and meet new people with similar interests, gain more leadership roles that will help me in my business career and in the future. I am striving for that 4.0 GPA because I know that I can do it, and to possibly attend graduate school for my Masters. Fall semester was an experience for me as I was able to test the waters and see how different college was from high school in regards to the academic load and to make that transition worthwhile. Everyone is telling me not to overexert myself with too much volunteering or involvement in the school. How could I when the school is just so awesome! I have learned not to study in my room since my bed is always calling me to hug it and the laptop is winking at me in hopes that it will increase my procrastination. I won’t let it. It would be a shame to have to drop out of college because you couldn’t handle the workload. In life, there won’t be any excuses and this college experience is teaching me that and preparing me for the ultra real world.
ReplyDeleteTo Julie,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone in your struggles to achieve that 4.0. We all hope to achieve an A in all our classes. I am very glad that you choose to switch your major from chemistry to that of a secondary school teacher because in these times, we need more youths to become teachers. After all the complaints about teachers being mean or given less pay for all their troubles with unruly children today, look back and think to yourself that it was teachers that had to instruct yesterdays leaders, are currently working on the presents and hopefully you will for the future generation.
To Julie,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel finally knowing you have the right major. I just switched from Biology so I know how you felt with the work load. Last semester I started at 17 credits too and it was way too much, along with trying to have a part time job at the hospital. Trying to balance so many things all with starting college, with a whole new atmosphere can be a struggle. I think it is interesting that you took such a drastic change in majors but I am glad to see your doing what you want not what others want you to do. I was thinking about some day taking a minor in English because I was also thinking about becoming an English teacher too. Hope it works out for you.
@ Brittany.ives,
ReplyDeleteI agree with trying to balance school with a social life. I had difficulties with that last semester too. I wanted to make friends but couldn’t find the balance. This semester, I think that I can balance it much better this semester, I just have to learn how to say no when I need to get my work done. I also understand the need for money to go out so I am applying for jobs too, but this is proving to be difficult since I do not have a car. Overall though, I understand how you are feeling about balancing and school and social life.
This semester I want to accomplish more than I did last semester. My first semester here was a wake up call for me since high school did not prepare me for any of the challenges I was faced with during the first month of school. Adjusting to having a roommate and suite mates who did not understand the concept of quiet hours, added stress to my life and it was hard to focus on the work because I was too busy worrying about why they could be loud and never do work and I was the one always stuck studying. Once I finally found my way to be successful in my classes and how to ignore the people living around me and focused on me, the rest of the semester flew by. The final grade point average was way lower than my expectations so this semester I am aiming for a 4.0 to bump up my overall average for my Freshmen year. I want to focus more on my work this semester and not be stressed out. In the coming up fall semester I will be applying for the Nursing program, so the pressure is on to do well and get into that program. This semester I want to manage my time better and work to the best of my ability without worrying about failure. Failure was an issue last semester because if I did not do well on a test I would think, what if I do not make it in the program? But this semester I am putting that behind me. I hope to prove to myself that this semester is the semester to show everyone I can push myself to get good grades and I am good enough to be in the nursing program.
ReplyDeleteTo Carissa:
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about this semester already. I am taking the same amount of credit hours and before the semester even began I had already started to review for my classes. Obtaining a 4.0 is a goal I want to accomplish also, and if I can push myself to do it you can too. I know theres pressure to get good grades, work and volunteer too but don’t let it affect your social life and try to enjoy yourself. We only have four years here to have fun then it is off to the “real world” to face even bigger problems. I know you’ll do fine if you just focus and relax. Good luck!
in reply to amber
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on pulling up your GPA. I as well, want exceed more in my academics. With rushing a sorority last semester, I did not have a lot of time to stay organized and focused on my studies, however with more time available this semester, I am going to stay determined and work hard. As of right now I am majoring in communications. So Far I have taken Visual literacy, Mass Media and Society, and Survey of Advertising and Public relations, as communication courses. I found them very interesting, and made me realize that I am definitely in the right major.
In response to Amber:
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you on the proofreading papers issue. It does seem to be a tedious task that takes patience – something that I usually don’t have very much of!
A major in communications is a great idea. It is a very universal major. By saying that it is a universal major I mean that it is one that can be applied to many different areas of work. Communications is a field that is needed in every aspect of day-to-day life.
Good luck with tennis and school. I’m sure you’ll do great this semester in all areas. Focus is key.
To Brittany:
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about wanting to have a better social life. Between all of my time commitments, I never have time to relax and have fun with friends. I've met a lot of new people and still have not found the time to be able to just hang out. I also would like to work on building better relationships with people, and learning to balance my time better so that I can do well in school, earn money from my job, and still have a good time every once and a while.
You mentioned looking for a part-time job also - I am currently employed at Busch Gardens here in Tampa, and I know for a fact they are hiring (as well as their sister water park Adventure Island). All of the applications for that are online (becjobs.com), so if you're really serious about getting a job, you should definitely check out the openings to see if there is anything that interests you; that goes for all of you who are looking for a job as well.
To Alexa:
ReplyDeleteYou're right, college is a completely different world than high school, and getting good grades is really tough. I think the key to success is being focused on school work first, and not letting the many distractions here affect you. Last semester I wasn't as focused as I should've been and my GPA wasn't where I wanted it to be. But learning from mistakes and moving on is the best thing to do. It sounds like you're really determined to do well, along with most of the other students in our class. Best of luck getting into the nursing program!
To Julie
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that you've been able to balance out being involved in so many volunteer activities, working, and staying on top of school work too. I know what it feels like to be completely stressed out too. As far as aiming for a higher gpa, it's definitely possible. My first semester at UT was kind of rocky, and I didn’t do as well as I hoped to. Now I've earned a 4.0 and made the Dean's list for last semester. It’s just about determination I think. If you really want something, you’ll get it eventually. It’s a good thing you switched your major now too before it would end up putting you behind. Not only that, but you’re happy you do your best.
To ashley Sissey
ReplyDeleteI think this class will certainly help you with using reliable resources. I think what's more important than reading something and trying to tell wether it is authentic or not, is just knowing your resources background and history of writing reliable material. Sometimes it is hard to determine the accuracy of something you're reading if you are not personally knowledgeable on the subject first hand. I wish you the best of luck in exposure to different reading material. What do you currently read? I recently read Collapse by Jarod Diamond. It was an excellent book on societal collapses throughout human history. Best of luck with finding a job!
Corey
To Mackenzie,
ReplyDeleteI share the same procrastinating problem with you! I always want to spend time with friends if they are hanging out instead of separating myself to do work. It is difficult to balance both at college, but I hope I can focus more on school this semester also. Although it is good to focus on school, you should still devote time to spend with friends. College is one of the best times of your life so don’t let it go by without enjoying it! Plus, you need some way to release all the stress from the schoolwork! I hope your goals work out this semester.
To Ashley Bernstein:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I am in the same boat with you in terms of the striving for the high GPA. It is something that takes a lot of work but if you are determined to succeed then it can be accomplished. I also agree with the point you made about putting your all into your schoolwork. I am very driven in school and it is something that I thrive on. I hope that you can keep up with all of your commitments and remain able to manage your time. Have confidence in yourself and you will always be able to accomplish your goals.
@Alexa Fortunato
ReplyDeleteI completely understand the issue with having loud roommates. My roommate was also loud and super messy! I couldn’t stand it, nothing could have prepared me for that. I’ve learned to try and ignore it as best as I can and it lead to me staying out of my room most of the time. Also, its really important for you to not let getting one bad grade bring you down. Yes it sucks, but when it comes down to it you should use that bad grade as motivation to do better next time. Good luck this semester on trying to achieve that 4.0!
@alexa
ReplyDeletejust like you i want to manage my time this semester so that i can work more, last semester it was a problem for me i was always waiting until it is almost to late to do my work and study. i think this is why i have been getting just the average in all my classes. this semester i am going to manage my time so that i get good grades, i need to so that i do not get expelled if that ever happen my father would kill me. i wish u and all the other student in the class good luck you guys can do it you just have to put yourselves in to it this semester is going to go fast and at the end of the course all of you are going to be happy with what you've accomplish