One Down, Seven To Go

     As my first semester of a college student is coming to an end, I have realized the qualities it takes to be a successful college student. I have always find I put a lot of effort into all of my work. With these journal entries in particular, I made sure that each response was very personal. When I write I like for people to be able to relate to what I say easily. There are a few journals that I may have slacked off a little bit, but I still made sure that I answered the questions thoroughly and added a personal twist.
     Furthermore, when I write responses such as these twenty journals it is a lot easier to just flow with my words because it is not a serious as an actual essay. I enjoy answering responses like this because it is a way for a professor to be able to get to know their students without actually interacting with them. I believe that the class time and the information from these journals allow a professor to get to know about the student and the way that student writes.
     All in all, I enjoyed my time in this class and the ways it has assisted my writing. I have always been modest with the way I write although I often get praised for it. I enjoyed the lessons in the book because it pin pointed each and every aspect of putting together a good paper. Writing is one thing that I will always make sure I keep doing no matter what. It is very healthy to write just to write and I love being able to know that I can always have a hidden confidence for my writing.

The Respect Grows

     After my multi draft presentation I was the most relieved I have been in a long time. I'm not necessarily worried about public speaking but it is not something I'm a natural at. I have an immense amount of respect for the people who are constantly talking in front of large crowds. I feel like for me it is all a matter of the atmosphere. In the classroom it was not that bad, I just found myself being a little repetitive at times and I sensed a shake in my voice at times. My respect has grown so much simply for the confidence it takes to speak publicly. The language used is much different as well because if someone speaks to a crowd as if they are speaking to a friend it does not sound smart at all. In addition, it is hard to take a person seriously if they do not talk with slightly more sophistication than usual.

     Furthermore, many presentations opened my eyes. I really enjoyed seeing the different topics people in class chose. The one in particular that sticks out is the one that compared the Beatles to one hit wonders. I really thought this was clever especially because it is something most people would not think about. It is amazing to see the many diverse ways that the mind works because pretty much every single person had a different take on their papers even though there was only two topics.

Public Speaking

The funny thing about me and a large crowd is that if you put a drum kit there I'll be fine but when I have to speak I usually tense up. When it is a large group of people that I know it does not effect me as much but either way I tend to find my voice get a little shaky. There is a couple techniques I have learned to avoid embarrassment when talking in front of large groups that I plan to use. While speaking, holding a pen and pressing the thumb down helps keep a speaker calm, as a matter of fact the president does this a lot during big speeches. The other technique is to look at peoples noses. When looking at someones nose it looks as if the speaker is looking in there eyes but they really are not. This is a way to escape the anxiety of when a speaker's eyes meet with the people in their audience.

This Book Is So Goo...What's For Dinner?

If I were to arrange books in a book store, my system would not be too far from what the cartoon on page 375 displays. I found the cartoon particularly comical because when I read my mind wanders like crazy. In the cartoon there are three sections on a book shelf titled "Attention Span" the three sections are short, medium, and long. In the first section I would have like easy leisurely reads nothing too serious. In the medium column I would put like novels and books that have a series, reading that is a little more advanced. Lastly in the long section I would have all the boring stuff like documentaries, books on law, and books of that nature.

The Tipping Point: Strengths and Weaknesses

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell is an excellent book that describes the trends that things take, and the steps that show what way that product will "tip". He explains how some products explode exponentially and how others just slowly dwindle to nothing never to be produced again.

One thing in particular that makes this book extremely strong is Gladwell's use of examples and support for all of his arguments. His research is very through and makes a lot of sense to the reader. He would bring up these examples again and again because of their validity and strength to make sure the reader remembers.

I would not necessarily say that the book had any weaknesses but the only complaint I have is how wordy it is. It is understandable that this book was written this way because it is an advanced read, but for me I like something a little more relaxing.

Lastly, I must say that all his laws and concepts make a lot of sense. I agree with all of his propositions, especially the "sticky" advertising. It is always easy to remember something if the advertisement is made to stick in your head. This book is very thought provoking and really gets the reader thinking critically.

Multi Draft 2!?

For my second multi-draft I plan on making small changes to my process. I received a 90 on my first one, but I plan on doing better on the next. In order to do so, I'm going to use all the techniques we have reviewed in the book. I plan on using the book for my title, transition words, my thesis statement, and the closing. If I take a lot of time to plan out and write this paper I should do even better than I did on my first.

Bias Discussion

David Shipley is an Op-Ed editor for the New York Times and he recently spoke in an interview on the topic of Immigration and the recent elections that took place. He is obviously extremely biased against how states like Nevada portray illegal immigrants. He talks about how they are shown as “brown-skinned men sneaking over the boarder” and that if the people did not vote Republican that the country will be invaded. Shipley is very against the Republican Party’s portrayal of these people. He does not think that the Republican views are correct and he is obviously biased saying things like “republicans what them all deported” etc. Shipley continues to state his position on this topic strongly against the Republican Views.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/11/01/opinion/1248069266155/immigration-and-the-elections.html

Fashion

          I like to see myself as a very individual person. Nothing is better than the feeling of individuality. My style is very unique compared to many people. I have the "skater" style with my own personal twist mixed in. Sometimes I start my own trends, but either way I shy away from the main stream brands. I hate looking like a follower even amongst my friends, we all have the same taste in clothing, but all of our styles are different.

Campus Experiences

          When it comes to campus activities I have not found myself that interested thus far. I see all the tables out for all the different clubs but I have yet to take the time to stop and ask questions. Part of the reason is that I do not like to do new things where there is no one that I know. If I had a friend go with me that would be interested I would probably do a lot more extracurricular activities. Also, a major factor for me not checking out what Stockton offers is because I simply do not know what there is. I feel that if I checked it out, I'm bound to find something that catches my eye.

          However, I do find myself at many of the Stockton soccer games. That is one thing that I can say I love to do. Soccer is a passion of mine and has been for years. Even if I'm alone I enjoy some good soccer. I plan on trying out for the team next year. But, other than that, there really is not anything else I find myself involved in that the campus offers.

Multi-Draft Confrence

          For my multi-draft essay, or any essay for that matter, I prefer to read it over myself and fix my own mistakes. I usually like to have someone read it once or twice over and just give me some advice, or pointers but I like making the changes myself. With my essays I sometimes do the reading backwards technique just to catch some unnoticed grammar mistakes
          In order to make the conferences better, in my opinion I feel that groups would be better for revision. Have small groups of four or five and have each person read their essay aloud because when a paper is read aloud mistakes are found easier, and if someone hears something that is worded in a weird way the listeners can pick up on that and fix those types of errors. After someone is done reading each person in the group can offer some type of feedback to make the essay better.
          All in all, it went well. Your criticism was constructive and it was enough for me to be able to read over my own writing and fix some of my smaller mistakes and wording errors. Also, the chapters on transitions, effective paragraphs, and revision, were an immense help as well.

Easy Way Out

         Jill H. Wilson and Audrey Singer collaborated on the issues of immigration to write this blog. They discuss how the recession affected immigration. They explain how in past years it used to be the Mexicans and other immigrants in the U.S. sending money to their relatives back home, but now their families at home have to send money so they can survive in the recession. They continue on to explain how the recession has slowed the flow of immigrants to the United States.
          The blog continues to blame the recession on immigrants but in fact it is not their fault at all. The call for the least amount of money for the most labor, so there is virtually no way they can be responsible for anything to do with the recession. They are just being used as scapegoats as usual because they are easy to blame.


http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/1118_immigration_singer_wilson.aspx?rssid=unemployment&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrookingsRSS%2Ftopics%2Funemployment+%28Brookings%3A+Topics+-+Unemployment%29

Border Brutality

          In Leslie Marmon Silko's article, she presents many disturbing experiences she, as well as other have faced when in contact with the Border Patrol. It is unbelievable to hear the way that the Border Patrol abuses their power. People are just simply traveling a road and they make them stop to be search without a search warrant which is illegal. It was shocking to read that they even commit strip searches, and stop people strictly by profiling them. They should not be able to get away with this behavior.
          Particularly in Leslie's case, there was no reason for them to be stopped, just like almost all the people that are stopped on State Road 26 in New Mexico. The extent that the Border Patrol went to get them in trouble was even more outrageous. Almost everything the Border Patrol is doing is illegal. Profiling strictly on looks, searching without warrants, and even putting guns to peoples heads to make them listen. Their use of power is immensely out of control, and something must be done.

Always on the Clock

          My father is 65 years old, and worked as a police officer in New Jersey, and California for about 15 years. It is immensely apparent that his work as a police officer is apart of his identity. After seeing some of the things he has seen, and experiencing the different scenarios, he will always be a police officer at heart.
          It is amazing how good this man is at reading people. He can pick someone out of a crowd, and explain how just some of the little things that person does, reveals that they are up to no good. He is also very thought based when he is in a predicament. Before he tries anything, he thinks long and hard about what would make it easiest, fastest, and most efficient. All the qualities that made him an excellent police officer, he still uses today.
          One of the biggest qualities that sticks out the most in my father is his skepticism. He is not one who trusts easily. Someone has to prove to him that they are trustworthy before he will trust them. It gets annoying at times because he tends to be negative a lot and skeptical about doing certain things, but his time as a cop made him like this. It is very easy to see that he was an excellent cop because he is right about 95% of the time on his hunches. His time in the field of law enforcement may have stopped, but his police officer mentality will always be a part of him.

Working in the Shadows...Literally

          There is a television show called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC in which a group of people practically rebuild a house for families in bad situations. They remodel the house inside and out, change the front and back yards around, and all sorts of things to do what ever they can to make the families lives easier.
          When they do this, there are hundreds of people helping, designers, people in the neighborhood, and all the companies that sponsor the show help out. It is almost a guarantee that some of these workers are immigrants. But the only people that are really seen are the main designers of the show. The immigrants are not really noticed, along with 80 percent of the workers.
          It is understandable that they can't show everyone working, but people just need to appreciate the people who put forth all this effort. There are not only immigrants on the show 'Working in the Shadows' but many people who help out with the renovations.

Procrastination

          This is one area that has always been a problem for me. I always find myself waiting until last minute to complete tasks. There are periods of times that I go on a rampage and really focus on my work constantly and make sure that comes first. I need to do my best to make sure that work is my first priority and always comes before play.
          Furthermore, I need to improve on setting my priorities and making sure my work gets done. These past two weeks I have found myself going to skate, or hangout with my friends before doing my work. Also, I have been completing my journals the night before they are do. I need to either get my work done right after class so I have the day to my self.
          Moreover, I want to be able to budget my time between, work, sleep, and play appropriately. In addition to going off with my friends, I have found myself sleeping before I do my work. Now indeed everyone needs their sleep, but I really need to start focusing on my work first. All I need is a solid week of committing to these ways and it will become a routine and run like clockwork.

Independence in Writing

According to the learning inventory, I have an independent and social learning style. It states that an independent learner can pull ideas together earlier and finds it easy to write from experience. I fit right into that category. After reading the results, it dawned upon me that I do find it easy to produce ideas and most of my writing is from experience.
I don't think that I learned anything new about my learning style. It was just brought to my attention the kind of writer I really am. It made me realize the way I write, it served as a reminder. It was not anything new, I just never thought of my writing and the way I produce ideas. I find that these characteristics work for me.

High School V.S. College

          On a personal level, I love college way more than high school. College is much different from high school on many levels. Once a student has reached this level of schooling, there is no more getting off easy, it's either done right or not at all. The classroom atmosphere is also much different. A college classroom is much more serious and about learning than a high school classroom.
          Also, the syllabi in college are more strict and organized than in high school. I love how in a college syllabus everything for the entire semester is planned out. This allows a student to make sure they stay on top of there work no matter what the circumstance may be.
          Lastly, the assignments in college seem more logical and topic related than high school work. Although the assignments in college are mostly independent so far, they require me to analyze and actually learn things, make assumptions, and think thought provoking questions. I have to say I am a much larger fan of the college educational system than the high school systems.

How I Read

          To start, I have never been much of a reader at all. For me, I tend to only read what I absolutely have too, I'm not really a fan of leisurely reading. This mostly has to do with the fact that I have terrible comprehension skills. I only enjoy and comprehend something 100% is when I am reading a book or magazine that truly appeals to me.
          Moreover, when I do read I usually like to be any place where I am not around any people, or any distractions so I can focus on comprehending what I'm reading. As far as time fits into the equation I like to read whenever I have the time to read. I would probably read a lot more if I used reading as a for of release but I don't really use reading as a form of relaxation, it is actually stressful to me. Especially considering I read immensely slow and I'm always questioning what I just read.
           All in all, I do enjoy reading when I can relate myself to the topic or when the topic really catches my attention and appeals to me. I admit it is a mistake not making reading a larger part of my life in the past since I struggle because of it now. However, as long I have a place to myself to just read and absorb the material I feel that reading is not so bad after all.

My Expectations

          Around January of this year I was informed of my acceptance into the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. More importantly than that, I was given the privilege to attend the EOF summer program here at Stockton. This program gave me a preview of what college is really like, and it taught me many valuable characteristics that I will need to achieve my goals. Just a few words that fall on that list are discipline, focus, and determination. One of the main reasons any student should come it college is to get an education and that should always be remembered. I to remember this throughout my years at Stockton and use the time spent here in the summer as a lesson, and use what I have learned to succeed in this institution.
          Furthermore, aside from the work end of the deal, I also expect to have fun. It is really the first big step for anyone. College is the time to see how a teenager can handle themselves on their own as an adult, no more handouts from mommy and daddy. I look forward to being molded into a much more mature grown up person while still being able to have a good time.
          All in all, my main expectation is that I want to discover myself while I am in college. I want to figure out who I really am, while having the potential to be more than I have ever expected. When it comes down to it, my expectations here at Stockton rely heavily on me and the decisions I make. It is all just a matter of finding out who I am.