Thursday, December 13, 2012

Finals

Finals are a stressful part of every college student's life. They study and toil so that they can understand the material as well as they possibly can. Finals are generally an accumulation of all of the material that was covered throughout the year, so it can be very difficult to remember things that were discussed in the beginning of the class. That's why is is important to review and pay much attention to the things that were learned at the beginning of the semester as opposed to the end, because the material covered at the end is probably still fresh in your mind. Many people study weeks in advance of finals so that they can review all of the material that was covered, but many others only review a few nights in advance. Whichever study habits are best for you are what you should use to study for finals so that you can receive the best grade possible.

Attending Class

Going to class is something that is necessary. If you hope to do well in a particular class, it is recommended that you attend the class so that you can get the information that you are going to be tested on. In addition, many classes give you grades based on your attendance and participation. You go to class to learn, and if you don't go to class, you aren't going to learn anything and you will most likely do poorly on the examinations. If you find yourself in a situation where you can't attend class, it is acceptable to miss one so as to get yourself prepared for the next one. No one enjoys attending class, but it is something that is necessary if you are attending school so that you can recieve good grades, graduate, and get a good job in the future.

Swimming

Swimming is a very fun activity. I am only able to swim during one season due to the fact that it is too cold to swim during the winter, spring, and fall. I live close to Lake Michigan so going to the beach and swimming is a fun activity that I do frequently throughout the summer. Not only is it fun and very refreshing, but it is also great exercise! Swimming, depending on the distance, can be a vigorous workout for you and increases your heartrate therefore giving you a great workout. Many pepole, such as Micheal Phelps, swim for a living and serious competition like the olympics, and win awards for their performances. Swimming is something that nearly everyone can do and is a fun way to pass the time and spend an afternoon.

Group Projects

Doing group projects is easier than doing projects by yourself. You are able to collaborate with other members of your team in order to create the best piece that you can. Instead of requiring peer review in order to get someone elses opinion on your project, you have several different peers in your group and they can all have a say in how the project is going and what needs to be changed. Different opinions on a particular piece are always a good thing because different people have separate viewpoints on what could and could not be necessary. Also, if you are unsure about how to do a certain thing in your project, such as collect research, you can always ask your group to help you out and they will generally help you so that you can do the work that you were assigned. Group projects are easier to do than individual projects.

Christmas

Christmas is a happy time of year. It is when people give and recieve gifts, come home to see their families whom they may not have seen for a long time, and eat delicious food. People take breaks from the arduous toils of everyday life to spend quality time with loved ones. People put up Christmas trees and decorations to display their holiday spirit. Special songs were created to celebrate this great holiday season. Happy jingles ring throughout the halls of homes and businesses. Nearly everyone is excited for the christmas season to arrive, because along with it comes happy feelings. Snow generally comes down from the sky, which is a very pretty sight, especially if you enjoy having fun in the snow. Children especially are very excited for Christmas to arrive each year.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Projects

Projects are aspects of class that have always been around. They offer us a chance to learn a new skill by applying it in a hands-on manner. They also give us a chance to assess ourselves by showing us where we stand with using a specific skill-set. For example, doing a research paper in English 1050 shows me how well I can go out and gather credible information. Not only that, but it shows me how well I can cite it and use it in the text, thereby writing a coherent essay with a large amount of research to back up my claims. This is but a small example of how doing projects allows us to apply new skills and rate ourselves at how we have developed in using those skills.

Spanish

For the last couple of years I have been attempting to learn Spanish. I took spanish classes all throughout high school and now am continuing to do so. It is a very difficult thing to learn a different language, especially when you are living in a predominantly English-speaking area. I feel that it is necessary for me to travel to a different place where Spanish is the native language, immerse myself in their culture, and really dial in to their language in order to truly learn Spanish. That way, I would always be hearing it and would be forced to respond in that language in order to get my point across. Attempting to learn Spanish while only speaking or hearing it a few times a week is not the best way to figure out how to speak it fluently.