The Freshman Experience

         As a freshman at Delaware we all have certain classes we are required to take.  I know for me, the classes I have to take are FYE and English.  My other classes are Sociology, Finance, nutrition and a physical education class.

             Aside from the two classes I was required to take, I could choose all my others.  In high school I took all I.B. classes so there was little room in my schedule for classes of my choice or electives.  When I was choosing classes for my freshman year I was so excited to learn about things that really interested me.  My college classes are teaching me things that I will need in life, and things that will help me forever in whatever field I decide to go into.  When I found this article I was really interested in what this FYE class did.  We have an FYE class also that does some of the same things and this one.    

            In the article Intertwining college with real life: the Community College First-Year Experience by Renee Cornell and Mary Lou Mosley, they discuss how FYE at PVCC prepares the students for real life and how to succeed once they leave the school. 

Like our FYE classes at Delaware all the students in a class take similar courses and have the same teachers so students are able to find others who can help them in classes they need it.  The class also provides advice from teachers and other students whenever needed.  But the really cool thing that this class does is it has students take what their learning in their classes and from previous experiences and shows them how to connect everything.  They show the students how what they are learning in class connects to the outside world.      

            I think it’s really important to give students skills they will always find useful and can apply to other areas.  Sometimes students sit in class and say “when am I ever going to need this in real life” so I think it is so cool that this class helps them connect everything and see the bigger picture.  It shows the students that what they are learning is important and necessary to know for their future.      

          Look for the post of the article on my blog.

Since I was five I had to share a room with my sister.  We constantly fought.  We fought over who got the bigger dresser, who got to hangout in the room with their friends, how it should be decorated and just about everything else.  Don’t get me wrong I love my sister but I hated sharing a room with her.  

         As the older sister, I knew that when I went away to college she would finally get her own room.  And my sister was thrilled to have me finally move out.  With all my things gone she would have a second closet and second dresser and newfound free space to decorate how she wanted.  

         I was also would finally get my own room.  Most people go from having their own room at home to sharing a room in college but I didn’t.  I came to college and got placed in a single.

         When I first found out I was in a single I was excited.  I liked the idea of having my own space but after a while it got boring and lonely.  Part of the college experience is sharing a room with someone but I didn’t have a roommate. 

         People constantly told me to be thankful I had a single and that I would come to love it but so far I hate it.  I even miss sharing a room with my sister.  I know most other student would want to have their own room but I am not one of them. 

         I think that I was so excited to come to college and meet my roommate that when I didn’t have one I was somewhat let down.  College is one of the best times of your life and I wanted to experience everything it had to offer.  Maybe next year I will get to experience the whole roommate thing.  

I found an article from the Los Angeles Times, about a simple method that helps students improve their grades.  A recent study shows that writing down your emotions and anxieties you have about a big exam right before you take it will actually improve your grade.

Psychology professor Sian L. Beilock conducted this study three different times with college students at the University of Chicago and then again with 106 ninth graders.   Each time the students who took ten minutes before the test to write down how they were feeling did better then those who didn’t.  The reason behind this is thought to be that once you have released these worries from your brain you can focus on the exam more. 

After reading this article I can understand why doing this before an exam can help.  When I take a test I get very nervous and almost convince myself I don’t know they material, even if I have studied for hours and hours before.  I feel that if I were to do this before one of my exams I would be “getting rid of”  my worries and leaving them on the paper.  I think this correlates to having a journal.  Some people like to write in a journal because they can get out their emotions and it is like a type of therapy for them. 

After finding this article I want to try it out for myself.  Tomorrow I have an exam and I plan on writing, just before my test, what I am most nervous about and how I am feeling.  Once I receive my test results back I will let you know if this method really does work.  As a college student I will try anything once to help me get a better grade.  

Here is the link to the article. Read it for yourself!

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/13/health/la-he-test-anxiety-20110114 

       This week was my first big exam.  It was in nutrition, a subject I am not too good at because it’s mostly all science.  I was stressing out.  I went to the library and tried to study but always ended up on Facebook or Twitter. 

         While doing homework on the computer has its pros it also can be really distracting.  Facebook, Twitter or ichat can make studying and doing homework take so much longer. I try to log out of Facebook and stay offline but I always seem to find my way back.  I know of some schools that limit student’s time on social networking sites so they can focus on only schoolwork and I can see why.  We are always on social networking sites, they provide us with a way to communicate with our friends and stay connected with the world but they are also time consuming.  People can spend hours on these sights and not even notice the time pass when they should be doing their homework or studying.  There are no teachers or parents while we are studying in our dorms or in the lounges to tell us to get off and get to work.  As college students we must be responsible and know when it is time to really focus.      

         RIPPLE is a non-profit organization dedicated to improve education, health and the environment in Malawi, Africa.  I choose to write about this non-profit organization because I believe everyone should have the same opportunities to thrive and be successful.  My blog is about “being a freshman” at a university because a majority of the people in the U.S. have the opportunity to attend college but that is not the same in Africa.  

         RIPPLE helps people in Malawi develop their environment and re-grow forests ruined by deforestation.  The main goal is to help the people of Malawi improve their standard of living and use Malawi’s resources to their fullest potential.  

         One part of RIPPLE is education.  They support many different levels of schools from pre-schools to colleges and universities.  Their website is very clear in what it does and all the different parts of the organization.  The volunteers in RIPPLE give these kids libraries, schools supplies, scholarships and provide them with the opportunity to learn.  There are different links, videos and summaries of what RIPPLE hopes to accomplish and has already accomplished in Malawi.

         RIPPLE uses pictures and videos a lot on their website.  These visuals aid the organization in explaining what they do.  Pictures and videos also make the experience of volunteering look very fun and rewarding.  RIPPLE’s target audience is mainly young adults and college students.  They need people to go to Africa to help build and work with the people of Malawi.  Young adults and college students tend to be the people who will travel more because they don’t have a steady job yet or a family at home.  The website has a lot to offer and has effected me.  I want to someday travel, maybe to Africa, and help communities out of poverty and provide them with the tools to grow succeed.  

At a large school like the University of Delaware there are endless possibilities to the clubs that you can join.  There are clubs for sports, there are clubs that pertain to your major, and there is even a club for chocolate.  

During the first week here I attended a clubs fair where I signed up for different clubs.  I signed up for U Dress, Habitat for Humanity, a club that raises seeing eye dogs and a few more.  

I think getting involved not only looks good on your resume but can be a great way to meet new people with your interests.  The clubs usually have meetings at night during the week.  I think everyone should make an effort to go to these meetings, plan your day so you can get your homework done and if you want to go out you can always go after or another night.  

One piece of advice i got before i came to college was work really hard the first semester because if you want to transfer, with good grades you can go anywhere, and most likely second semester will get harder and with new friends and being finally adjusted to living away from home you will be less inclined to spend hrs studying and doing homework.