Remember the Good

With our first semester being halfway over, the heat of what we learned is starting to show. Exams are  being taken and the likelihood of passing is all dependent on the person. There are some people who will be locked in their room for days just to prepare. Others on the other hand will study the night before. Either way the stress of doing well is a black cloud over all of our heads. That’s why is important to not forget about the silly things we love about  Southern and what we do to unwind.

Relaxing is going to be different for everyone. Some people will go to a sporting event or go to New Haven and explore. I chose what would fit my schedule the best: being with friends. We didn’t leave campus but just being around people that knew what I was going through and could distract me is exactly what I needed.

Normally I am in constant contact with them anyway but this week was a bit different. If I asked for advice on what to do, they would give it to me. Other than that, we tried to keep our minds out of a stressful place and help each other through it.

This assignment has made me think of things that are “fun.” What is fun to me doesn’t have to be fun to other people. Southern also realizes this. They have many different activities going on every night that can help get your mind off the stress of academics. 

Halfway There

One down, two to go.  Whenever I would hear that my sister was taking midterms I would always question the timing and why she was freaking out. After this week, its easy to say, I understand. Between balancing my social life and academic life, I feel torn and helpless in the outcome of my grades.

I am lucky to say that I only have three midterms this semester. I took my math exam this morning and although I was up till 2am doing my online workbook, the test itself seemed rather easy. I was very surprised on how much I knew and believe that I will get a very good grade on it.

My other two exams on the other hand might not be so easy. Microeconomics and philosophy are not my two strongest areas and I know I should have started preparing for them earlier.

Learning to balance my time and plan everything out is still something I struggle with. It honestly feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to finish everything that has to get done. This is a lesson I will take with me when finals roll around. 

SCSU Pride

Being a dancer of 10 years, I find that my interest in sports is there but also very minimal. I do find enjoyment in going to sporting events. Events that I can understand that is. Football is not one of these events. One reason I did go to a football game though was to socialize.

            Homecoming is a time of showing immense school spirit. Going to the game to see everyone cheering on the team we love is heart warming. Also seeing the all the alumni come to support where they went made me think about my future and the fact that in a few short years, that could be me. Although the southern owls lost 34-7 to AIC we will continue to show our pride no matter what.

Out of the Box

            A huge part of college is being able to push yourself out of your comfort zone. At first when I read about this weeks assignment, I had no clue what I would even do that would push outside of what I would usually do. Then when I started to really think about it, I realized that I push myself on a daily basis anyway.

            Being at a college where I know just about no one means that it is my duty to socialize and make friends. Now it has been about a month and a half sense were have been here and I can say that I have made a great deal of friends. This is where most people fall into their comfort zone. I found myself doing this too. Although I was meeting people I didn’t look into them. We didn’t become great friends because I already had great friends.

            This week while at the Omega Zeta Pi sorority bowl-a-thon to support the make a wish foundation, I made an effort to talk to everyone I could. This put me out of my comfort zone in many ways. Not only is it difficult to awkwardly walk up to someone and introduce yourself but it is even harder to make it not awkward. As the night went on, it became easier to talk to everyone and form a bond with everyone I talked to.

At the Bowl-a-thon

            This got me thinking about bonds we form. What in our mind tells us that we have enough friends? When is that cut off? Or the even better question, why is there a cut off? Now most of you are probably saying, “obviously you can have as many friends as you want to.” But if you think about it, why do we stop making close bonds like we would on the first week of a new school?  It is now my mission to break this habit we all form. I want to meet everyone I can and form some sort of bond. 

Not Just Another Teacher

Meeting with your professors is a very important step in college. Not only will it be useful in them figuring out who you are but they will also find ways to help you learn. The teacher I chose to meet with this week was my math teacher, Dr. Gubitose.

The first question I asked her was, “what expectations do you have for your students in class?” Although this is in the syllabus given to us on the first day of classes, I decided to see if there was anything she thought was more important than others. The response given was something that most teachers say, “be prepared.” To Dr. Gubitose this means to be in class devoting your full attention to the subject. It also means that you are keeping up with your homework and coming into class with questions.

My second question was, “what advise would you give a struggling student.” Everyone knows that at one time or another you will get a bad grade. You need to accept it and work towards a better one. Dr. Gubitose offered some advice that would really travel a long way: meet with your professor. This is an extremely important step if you are struggling or not. It is a place where you can feel comfortable asking questions and really learn how to do what you cant figure out. Teachers want to help, yes they have office hours by appointment but that’s only because they have lives too. They still want to help you understand the subject.