Living on Campus or Commuting? Which is Better for You?

This Video Has Me Stressed

  I am not going to lie not one bit in this blog post about the video project that I have to do for my INQ class. I have to create a video post on a certain topic that basically has to give first year students some advice. I am really stressed out about this video for a couple of reasons. For starters, I don't know how to make a video on imovie. Secondly, I still don't have a topic to talk about. Not only that, but I think its going to be very awkward video taping one of my professors. Lastly, I have no idea how I want my video to look like. My mind has been going blank. Thankfully I have a friend who has given me an idea. This idea is to talk about whether commuting or living on campus is better. I think this is a big question first year students have when attending college. Some students decide to commute because it is way cheaper for them or they just don't want to get away from home. The students who commute miss out on the opportunity to live on their own in college. Other students want the experience of living on their own. I plan to ask questions that help first year students decide on what to do. Some of these questions are:

• Are you a commuter or a resident?
• If your are a commuter where do you live?
• If your a resident what hall do you live in?
• For a commuter, Do you find commuting easy?
• For a resident, How do you like living on campus? etc

  I hope thorough my video students can gain some helpful advice. Who knows, maybe a commuter might change their mind after watching my video and become a resident next semester or next year.

All This Free Time

   In college you have so much time on your hands. With all this time comes procrastination. Procrastination is putting off work until a later time. In high school I would procrastinate all the time. Whenever I had a project due I would wait until the day before to do it. I knew once i got to college I would have to change that. So I did. In my INQ class, my professor asked the class to write down everything that we do for a whole week straight to see see how much time we spend doing homework and how much time we spend doing other things. I found that so far I'm balancing my time pretty good. I most of my work before its due that way I have more time for me. Even though I get most of the work done, I still get off track when I'm doing the work. My roommates are a HUGE distraction. I spend all of my time with my roommate because were just that close. When we try to do our work we start to goof around and it takes us a little longer to do some work. But I found a way to manage my time. I found that making a schedule works best for me. On Thursdays I get out of my last class at 4:30pm and as soon as I get out I make a To Do List of all the things that I have to do before my next class. Usually on Thursday I do a draft of my next blog post and my online math homework. Then throughout the weekend I spread out all of the readings that I have to do. I usually spend about 10 hours all weekend reading and writing down my notes. During the week I do my homework as soon as I get it for each class so I'm not back up on the weekend and this way I don't have to rush at the last minute to try to get it done. It is very easy to get side tracked when you have have a lot of extra time before and after classes. So find a strategy that works for you, so your time will be manage.

Get Involved !

   On Wednesday September 19,2012 I attended the club fair. It was held in the academic quad in front of the student center. Every single club that is here on campus was outside that day. There were so many clubs and organizations, that I was so tempted to join all of them. Since there was so many, I lowered my options to only three clubs that I was really interested in. The first club that I signed up for was The Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS). This organization tries to raise latino awareness on campus and helps out latino students who may need help. As a Latina student, I felt really connected to this organization. The second club that i singed up for and plan to join is Colleges Against Cancer. I signed up for this club because my mother has cancer and I want to help in anyway that I can. The last club that i signed up for was ProCon. ProCon plans a lot of fun events on campus. For example, they had the New Boyz come for a welcome back concert. I would like to join ProCon because I want to plan fun events on campus for students to enjoy and to make this campus fun. I know that being apart of three clubs, trying to balance a job, and do my school work will be a challenge, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

An A+ Blog

   In my INQ class we were asked to create a blog. Every week my class has a blog post due on a certain topic. At the end of the week the class receives a grade for that weeks class. In my opinion there are two blogs that I think deserve an A. The first blog that I think deserves an A is Tcube by Taylor Delmae. Her blog shows her own personal style. Taylor speaks the truth in all all of her blog post also. Not only that, but she is a good writer and includes pictures with almost all of her post. Taylor's creativity also comes out in her blog. Her blog tittle and post titles are eye catching; I can't help but read them. Tcube is an A blog in my book. Another blog that I think is an A is College Living by Natalie Savoy. Natalie's blog expresses how creative she can be. Her blog is fancy and fun. She has well developed details about all of the topics she writes about followed by a picture. What makes this blog so unique is that instead of having everything written out on a page, she has all her topics written on flip cards. I haven't seen any other blog with these flip cards. Both Taylor and Natalie have an A blog where they write about similar topics but express them in different ways.

Tips from my INQ class

   These past few weeks have been a little over whelming for me. I had to adjust to my class, using a community bathroom, and living with two other girls. (Yes I'm in a triple.) But fortunately I have this great class called inquiry that has given me a few tips when it comes to adjusting to a new environment. There are a few tips that stuck with me that I would like to share with you. One of the most helpful tips that has helped me out in my classes was on how to take notes so that you can capture the main points of a class or lecture. My INQ professor showed me how to write down questions that I may have so that we can discuss them in class. Also not to write down everything that the professor says word for word because you may not understand it. This way you can write down the main points and write it down quicker. Another good tip that i got out of this class was how to set goals for myself to become successful in life.  Setting goals for myself allows me to come closer and closer to what has to be done. I set goals for myself that I want to achieve so that I can be happy and successful. My INQ class is suppose to help me learn how to be successful during my four years here at SCSU. So far its helping me a lot and giving me some good tips. I'm excited to continue to receive more tips from this class.

Southern Connecticut State University vs. Saint Augustine

 Today I experienced my very first college football game. Southern Connecticut State University played against Saint Augustine in their first home opener of the season. SCSU was leading the game by 14 points in the first quarter. Then things started to get a little rocky. Saint Augustine took the lead and won the game. The final score was 30-14. Even though we lost, I still had a fun experience. Before the game started there was free food and t-shirts just for southern students. At the game there were a couple of different things going on. Outside the gates were lots of people cooking out and loud music playing. Not only that, but there was a table set up that allowed people to register to vote for this years election. Inside the gates were the loud fans cheering for southern. The best part for me was the halftime performance. The St. Augustine's marching band did an amazing job. They had the crowd on their feet. At the end of the day, even though southern came out with a loss, I still had fun. I can't wait to go to another sporting event.

I Love You Mom

  Everyone in their life time faces some type of challenge and over come it. This summer I overcame a challenge that I thought was going to be hard for me. In June of 2012 my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. To make things worse, she also has Fibromyalgia, which affects the nerves in the hips and legs, and Reflect Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) which is a nerve problem in the body. My mother's health started to affect the decision I had to make about school. I wanted to take a year off of school to stay with her and to make sure her health was going to get better. Not only that, but I didn't want to be far just in case anything happened to her. I had a big decision on my hands, so I turned to my family and friends for advice. They all told me that not going to school would be a big mistake. I was going to be the first generation going to college in my family, so I felt that I had to go. I also knew that going to college would make my mother so happy. So I decided to attend Southern. Furthermore, I wanted to make sure that she would be able to see me go off to school. 

  My mothers sickness was very unexpected. It made me realize that in life you should expect the unexpected. You never know what can happen from here to tomorrow. My mother's health also taught me to live for now and cherish every moment you have with someone. I'm happy that I made the decision to attend Southern. It couldn't have made my mother any happier. This challenge was by far the hardest, but I know that I can hit any curve ball that may come my way throughout life.

"Being Successful" What Does That Mean?

   Being successful can mean a lot of different things to some people. The word successful to me means doing something that makes me happy and I love doing. If I'm doing something I hate I'm never going to be happy and I will not succeed at doing it. In the reading that I read for my INQ class talked about setting goals for yourself to become successful in life. As it said in the text"Goal setting is the first step in the process of becoming successful because it gives you something specific to strive for and ensures that you start off in the right direction." You can set your goals into three different categories. They are short term goals, midrange goals, and long term goals. The short term goals are goals you have in order to reach your midrange goals. The midrange goals are the goals you have to reach your long term goals.  Once you have achieved your long term goals, you have reach the level of success you set for yourself. By setting goals for yourself shows that your taking initiative in your life. It shows that you want to be happy and not have this boring miserable life. The one goal that I have set for myself is getting my bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. I know this is what I want because I love working with young children. When setting goals for yourself you should always keep in mind the things that make you happy, like your personal interest. This is a way for you to figure out what you like to do. You never know, your personal interest may lead you into your career. The word success can mean several different things. To me it means being happy in your career or what you choose in life. So what does being successful mean to you ?

Becoming A CC

       Interested in becoming a CC? Well here are some steps from an interview I did with my CC Teeasha. Here are the questions i asked Teeasha with the answers.

 1. Q: How early or when can a person apply to be a CC?

     A: You have to live on campus for one semester then you can apply to be a CC.

 2. Q: What do you have to do to become a CC?

     A: You have to fill out an application online through residence life. Then they do a group interview          as well as a individual interview. 

 3. Q: What are your responsibilities?

     A: I'm assigned to the 4th floor in Neff hall, where I also live. I handle issues and problems that the girls on my floor may have before it gets to the hall director. I also hold socials on my floor so the girls can bond and get to know each other. 

 4. Q: What are some benefits of being a CC?

     A: I get free housing, which is a plus. I get to help students transition from high school to college and most of all i get to be a leader.

 5. Q: Is it hard balancing work and school?

     A: Well I was able to get through my first week of this semester and I write everything that i have to do in a planner which helps me out a lot. 

According to Teeasha, becoming a CC is an easy process. It also is a being responsibility that requires a lot of time. So if anyone is interested in becoming a CC, remember that you will have to learn how to manage your time.

What's Your Blogging Style?

     A blog is a place where the author can express themselves not only in their writing but also on their page. As I looked through many different blogs I've noticed that each one expresses the author's style. Some blogs were bright and friendly and others were plain. The writing also tells the authors style. One blog that I came across, the page layout was just a plain white background with some black and blue, but the writing was creative. Another blog showed how creative the author was through the page layout and the title of the blog. Not only can a person express their writing, they can express their individuality. As a first time blogger I want to set a calm and friendly tone on my blog. I want my readers to see how fun and friendly I can be. Not only that, but I want my blog to be girly and pink but still show that I have a sports side to me. I want my blog to catch my readers attention and interest. My blog will be far from boring. With all my blog entires I plan to post a picture to go with the story. I also plan to keep this blog for all my four years here at SCSU. I would love for my blog to turn into a story about my college experience as I go along. So enjoy my blogging style!

My Plans Here at SCSU

  College is an opportunity to further my education, as well as an opportunity for me to grow as an adult. I can and will accomplish many things here at SCSU. For example, working towards earning my bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. I know that getting into the education department is competitive, but i will do it. Not only that, but I plan on having a social life here at SCSU. I want to meet new people and make life long friends. In order to accomplish getting my degree and having a social life, I plan to set two goals for myself. The first goal that I plan to set for myself is to manage my time. I have to make sure that I get all my work done but still have extra time for me and a social life. The second goal that I plan to set for myself is to get involved here on campus. During orientation everyone kept saying how important it is to get involved with activities and clubs. So I plan on joining The Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS). This group gives latin american students a chance to make their voices heard. I'm sure there will more more clubs that I will be interested in joining. Furthermore, I just want to have the best first college experience. I want to take myself outside of my comfort zone when it comes to doing my work and meeting new people. As I continue to go into my second week of classes I have to remember that this isn't high school anymore. My professors will not be on top of me making sure that I get all my work done. I have to make sure that I read my syllabus for every class everyday because there is always an assignment that has to be done. As hard and overwhelming everything may seem, I just have to learn how to adjust to my new environment. Living on my own in college will be a learning experience for me and a place for my to grow. I will grow as an adult and a college student. My journey here at SCSU is just getting started.