Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend =)
I just wanted to start off by saying we have officially been in college for a MONTH! How exciting is that?!
The purpose of this blog post is to talk about the workload which I'm sure all of you know about very well. Haha it seems like the work just never ends! From the studying, to the reading to the essays. It just doesn't seem to have an ending point.
The work has been insane! When all this work first started piling up, I thought to myself... how am I still going to have a life? I'll have no time! =( But then I thought to myself, "oh okay... I'll just have to manage my time." Trust me, it was NOT easy at first, procrastination and random stuff coming up did not help me one bit! But as time progressed, I made time for school work and time for a social life. I got more and more use to this idea of working around a schedule... Not an intense one, but still something to follow to help me stay organized. I've been trying my best to keep to it too.
College is no joke, which Im sure all of you have realized. I started to realize that as soon as all the work started coming. This is the complete opposite of being a "second semester senior" in high school and I realized that I needed to focus and set my mind to doing my best.
Last week, my english professor gave us some tips on how to be successful in college. "Take advantage of every vacation day. The best way to fall behind is to do the work as it comes along" (Jacques). I thought about that when I got home and it's SOOO true! At the beginning of the semester, your professor gives you a syllabus. Follow the syllabus and do each assignment ahead of time. If I do the work ahead of time, I'll know what's going on in class (instead of relying on the homework that night for clarity) and the days before the work is due, I'll have some time to myself. Another thing I realized is that the work never ends. We might as well NOT procrastinate, figure out our daily schedules and make time for homework everyday. Cramming does not help, so it's better to get ahead than just being clueless and relying on yourself the night before a test to study everything. I am so grateful to have these past few days off due to bed bugs/ Yom Kippur (ps. Happy Holiday!). These past few days have really given me an opportunity to catch up with some of the work that I have been behind on and also, some time to just relax.
Even before college started, I knew that I would have A LOT of reading/writing to do... but I wasn't prepared for this much! It's crazy! Now that it has officially been a month of school, I am finally getting into the hang of things, focusing on my work, but at the same time... having a social life. I know the idea of "managing your time" is easier said than done, especially for us with everything going on. But we just have to try. I did and it actually helped me out A LOT. Making a schedule/managing your time socially and academically is the best to do (even though that may sound corny) and procrastinating/cramming is the worse. Haha trust me, I learned the hard way within the first 3 weeks and being sooo behind in my chapters for textbook readings =/ So focus everyone! And stay on top of your work instead of partying/pushing everything to the side for "later" =)
Till the next post! Have a good week!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What to do...?
Hey everyone! Hope all is well with everyone :]
Lately, I have been facing a mental challenge when it comes to what I want to pursue in my career. The past few years I wanted to graduate John Jay and make my way into law school to become a prosecutor in New York City. However, as I discover and am more exposed to the field of Criminal Justice, my mind keeps shifting and I feel more confused everyday.
I have come across several different fields of study. One of them is criminology (study of criminal behavior), which would lead me into a career with the FBI. I love sociology and psychology and criminology is made up most of these type of classes. I love analzying people and understanding why people do what they do. Another field is addiction studies (study of people's addictions), which would then lead me into medical school. I would become a doctor and help individuals who are trying to break their drug and alcohol abuse. I love to help people and understand what drives them to rely on alcohol and drugs.
I know that I have only started at John Jay and its hard to tell now where I will be 5-10 years from now, but I feel that its essential for all of us to start exploring different sub-fields and specialization, so we have an idea of what is open for us. So, my mission now is to talk to professors in these fields and start exploring, if this is really for me.
But, as my mom always says "time will only tell us what we are meant to do".
Until next time :)
(Sorry for the very short post, but this thought has been on my mind for awhile now.)
Lately, I have been facing a mental challenge when it comes to what I want to pursue in my career. The past few years I wanted to graduate John Jay and make my way into law school to become a prosecutor in New York City. However, as I discover and am more exposed to the field of Criminal Justice, my mind keeps shifting and I feel more confused everyday.
I have come across several different fields of study. One of them is criminology (study of criminal behavior), which would lead me into a career with the FBI. I love sociology and psychology and criminology is made up most of these type of classes. I love analzying people and understanding why people do what they do. Another field is addiction studies (study of people's addictions), which would then lead me into medical school. I would become a doctor and help individuals who are trying to break their drug and alcohol abuse. I love to help people and understand what drives them to rely on alcohol and drugs.
I know that I have only started at John Jay and its hard to tell now where I will be 5-10 years from now, but I feel that its essential for all of us to start exploring different sub-fields and specialization, so we have an idea of what is open for us. So, my mission now is to talk to professors in these fields and start exploring, if this is really for me.
But, as my mom always says "time will only tell us what we are meant to do".
Until next time :)
(Sorry for the very short post, but this thought has been on my mind for awhile now.)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Law School After John Jay?
Hey everyone! Happy sunday =)
Since my first post, I have been thinking about switching majors. As I had mentioned, I want to become a lawyer so after John Jay... I plan to go to law school. I was all excited about this until I read the "Preparing for Law School at John Jay College" sheet by the Pre Law Institute! The line that said, "The Dean of Admissions at Brooklyn Law School is quoted saying he 'looks unfavorably on legal studies and criminal justice majors.' Now that may not sound too scary, but being the person I am, I worry way too much. So of course after reading this, and being a criminal justice major, I felt that I MUST switch my major ASAP or else I wouldn't be able to get into a good law school!
I quickly went on the John Jay website to the "majors" section to look at the other possible majors. I looked over the courses for the government majors and that did not interest me one bit. I then started considering majoring in Legal Studies (didn't realize at the time that law schools don't really like this either haha) or English, but eventually... I figured I should talk to someone about it.
First I went to Kate Szur of FYE to let her know about it because I've been talking to her about it for a while and she knew I was thinking about it. After talking for a little, she recommended me to Louise Freymann who could be of more help. Ms. Freymann is a part of the academic advisory and I spoke with her as well. She let me know a lot of information that did make me feel better. One of the things that she told me that stood out was, "do what you enjoy and have fun." I learned that even if you do plan to attend law school after, you should still major in what you enjoy. We shouldnt necessarily do it just to look good or make it seem to the law school that we're trying too hard. Ms. Freymann also informed me of a philosophy major which may also be a good choice. This major is really good because it really helps the students think philosophically and in depth, which is definitely a plus for any career! Something really important for law school however, is that we need really good writing skills.
The process of switching majors really isnt as hard or confusing as I thought it would be. The best thing to do is to talk to many people as you can to try to get different opinions before doing anything.
I wasn't able to attend the Pre Law Orientation because I had class. But just as a mental note for everyone, if you missed the orientation, you can go down to the Pre Law Institute and ask for an separate appointment date to speak with one of the people there about the material covered at the orientation! =]
(As an FYI, the Pre Law Institute website has a link called "Pre Law Advisement Guide" that is really helpful, so you guys should all read over that when you get a chance!)
After the meeting with an academic advisor, I have a better understanding of law school. Some time this week, I am going to the Pre Law Institute to ask for an appointment date. But overall, I am thinking of staying in the criminal justice or switching to a History major and minoring in either english or philosophy. I'll keep you guys update =) Have a good afternoon/night!
Since my first post, I have been thinking about switching majors. As I had mentioned, I want to become a lawyer so after John Jay... I plan to go to law school. I was all excited about this until I read the "Preparing for Law School at John Jay College" sheet by the Pre Law Institute! The line that said, "The Dean of Admissions at Brooklyn Law School is quoted saying he 'looks unfavorably on legal studies and criminal justice majors.' Now that may not sound too scary, but being the person I am, I worry way too much. So of course after reading this, and being a criminal justice major, I felt that I MUST switch my major ASAP or else I wouldn't be able to get into a good law school!
I quickly went on the John Jay website to the "majors" section to look at the other possible majors. I looked over the courses for the government majors and that did not interest me one bit. I then started considering majoring in Legal Studies (didn't realize at the time that law schools don't really like this either haha) or English, but eventually... I figured I should talk to someone about it.
First I went to Kate Szur of FYE to let her know about it because I've been talking to her about it for a while and she knew I was thinking about it. After talking for a little, she recommended me to Louise Freymann who could be of more help. Ms. Freymann is a part of the academic advisory and I spoke with her as well. She let me know a lot of information that did make me feel better. One of the things that she told me that stood out was, "do what you enjoy and have fun." I learned that even if you do plan to attend law school after, you should still major in what you enjoy. We shouldnt necessarily do it just to look good or make it seem to the law school that we're trying too hard. Ms. Freymann also informed me of a philosophy major which may also be a good choice. This major is really good because it really helps the students think philosophically and in depth, which is definitely a plus for any career! Something really important for law school however, is that we need really good writing skills.
The process of switching majors really isnt as hard or confusing as I thought it would be. The best thing to do is to talk to many people as you can to try to get different opinions before doing anything.
I wasn't able to attend the Pre Law Orientation because I had class. But just as a mental note for everyone, if you missed the orientation, you can go down to the Pre Law Institute and ask for an separate appointment date to speak with one of the people there about the material covered at the orientation! =]
(As an FYI, the Pre Law Institute website has a link called "Pre Law Advisement Guide" that is really helpful, so you guys should all read over that when you get a chance!)
After the meeting with an academic advisor, I have a better understanding of law school. Some time this week, I am going to the Pre Law Institute to ask for an appointment date. But overall, I am thinking of staying in the criminal justice or switching to a History major and minoring in either english or philosophy. I'll keep you guys update =) Have a good afternoon/night!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Its Time To Shine...
It has been over a week since college has started and I don't think I could have chosen a better school (I know I probably said it a 100x before), but the first two weeks at John Jay have shown me that this is the college for me, even though sometimes I have my doubts on my dreams and goals in life, but then again who doesn't!
The first day, I have to admit, was extremely nerve-wrecking! I felt scared, nervous, happy and excited all at once! I grew up in Queens and I'm used to the regular "public school" life. Manhattan was a foreign land to me, and was like an adventure every time I would go with friends or family. The night before I remember tossing and turning in bed for almost 2 hours wondering what college was really going to be like, if I'll make friends, if I'll like my professors and most of all, will I succeed in whatever it is that I was going to do. Yes, I had made some friends through Facebook and found some people that were in my classes. It did ease some of the tension a bit.
Since classes had started on a Friday, I had Introduction to Film at 12:30pm. Time went slow that morning in hopes to leave home and head to my first day of school. I knew where most of my classes were since I took a quick look the day of Freshman Orientation (which helped a lot!!). As I walked to school, I sensed a different type of atmosphere, and 'til this date I can't come up with the words to explain it, but it gave me a sense of belief that I really was in college. The people were way different; no loud kids laughing or talking, just kids talking amongst themselves or making their way towards their next class.
I made my way up to my class and I found my class with ease! As I walked into class, there were students already inside and it had been completely silent. It lasted only a little while till my professor walked in through the door. Soon enough, the class became very talkative and we watched our first film for the class :) way to start off the semester, I would say! Time flew by quickly, and the period was soon over at 3:10 and in that time I had made two new friends.
It was a great first day, and it was a great first couple of weeks in college. The work is getting tougher, the thinking is becoming deeper, and even though the travel can be tough sometimes, its all worth it. I have come across so many amazing people in the past couple weeks and made some new pretty awsome friends and learned so much from my professors in the little time that I am in their class!
Until next time :)
The first day, I have to admit, was extremely nerve-wrecking! I felt scared, nervous, happy and excited all at once! I grew up in Queens and I'm used to the regular "public school" life. Manhattan was a foreign land to me, and was like an adventure every time I would go with friends or family. The night before I remember tossing and turning in bed for almost 2 hours wondering what college was really going to be like, if I'll make friends, if I'll like my professors and most of all, will I succeed in whatever it is that I was going to do. Yes, I had made some friends through Facebook and found some people that were in my classes. It did ease some of the tension a bit.
Since classes had started on a Friday, I had Introduction to Film at 12:30pm. Time went slow that morning in hopes to leave home and head to my first day of school. I knew where most of my classes were since I took a quick look the day of Freshman Orientation (which helped a lot!!). As I walked to school, I sensed a different type of atmosphere, and 'til this date I can't come up with the words to explain it, but it gave me a sense of belief that I really was in college. The people were way different; no loud kids laughing or talking, just kids talking amongst themselves or making their way towards their next class.
I made my way up to my class and I found my class with ease! As I walked into class, there were students already inside and it had been completely silent. It lasted only a little while till my professor walked in through the door. Soon enough, the class became very talkative and we watched our first film for the class :) way to start off the semester, I would say! Time flew by quickly, and the period was soon over at 3:10 and in that time I had made two new friends.
It was a great first day, and it was a great first couple of weeks in college. The work is getting tougher, the thinking is becoming deeper, and even though the travel can be tough sometimes, its all worth it. I have come across so many amazing people in the past couple weeks and made some new pretty awsome friends and learned so much from my professors in the little time that I am in their class!
Until next time :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
My First Day =)
It was the night before school started. Im sitting by my computer at 1:30 in the morning, restless to sit still, too excited to go to bed, yet too nervous to just watch tv. I kept thinking to myself, "Ahh! tomorrow is the first day of classes!" I think overall, I was just overly excited about everything going on!
After a while, my mom starts yelling at me to go to bed because it's so late and she didnt want me to look like a zombie in school tomorrow haha. So I laid on my bed, and continued talking to my friends on aim from my phone about the next day. I was talking to my friend, Dana about how surreal this all was! We couldnt believe that we were actually COLLEGE STUDENTS! =] Eventually I fell asleep around 2:30 probably?
The next morning, I had class at 12:30. My Gov 101 class. Throughout the whole morning, I just wanted to leave and go to school already! I was sooo excited! But there was still a part of me that was scared to even move... The whole morning, I was afraid of getting lost so I kept looking over the map trying to find my classes, so i could seem like I actually knew where I was going!
By the time it was 11, and I had to take the subway from my parents store... I didnt want to leave. Haha I suddenly became so nervous and I wished that time would just stop because I was just so scared! =( But I did 5 minutes later haha.
The subway ride was quick and when I walked out... As I walked down the street to school, I continued to feel all these mixed feelings. I was nervous and more excited than anything at the same time! I was scared of getting lost, not making friends, and I didnt know anything about my professors. I was a wreckk! haha.
As I approached the front of North Hall, I took a look at the building and thought, this is where I'll be going to school for the next 4 years! I should embrace this opportunity and make the best of it! I walked in and swiped my card for the first time and it all hit me! Wow! Im really in college! As I walked down the lobby, I pretended to act like I knew where I was going when I had no clue! I couldnt even remember the map I studied earlier that day haha =/ I sat down in the lobby, took out my schedule to see the room and just sat there studying the map. Haha i felt a bit out of place because I looked around and there was no one that seemed as lost as me, but eventually... I found the stairs I needed to take and I went there. I finally managed to find my room. I sat down and I started talking to a few people next to me. Then, the professor came in and started talking to us. After the class was over, I took a breath and thought to myself, "that wasnt bad. maybe im going to love college =)"
Coming from Long Island and barely ever going to the city, this was something totalllyy new for me! It was such a big change for me not seeing the same faces in my grade that ive known so well for the last 17 years.
But after these past two weeks, I can honestly say that I love college (IN THE CITY! haha)
Till the next post, take care everyone =)
After a while, my mom starts yelling at me to go to bed because it's so late and she didnt want me to look like a zombie in school tomorrow haha. So I laid on my bed, and continued talking to my friends on aim from my phone about the next day. I was talking to my friend, Dana about how surreal this all was! We couldnt believe that we were actually COLLEGE STUDENTS! =] Eventually I fell asleep around 2:30 probably?
The next morning, I had class at 12:30. My Gov 101 class. Throughout the whole morning, I just wanted to leave and go to school already! I was sooo excited! But there was still a part of me that was scared to even move... The whole morning, I was afraid of getting lost so I kept looking over the map trying to find my classes, so i could seem like I actually knew where I was going!
By the time it was 11, and I had to take the subway from my parents store... I didnt want to leave. Haha I suddenly became so nervous and I wished that time would just stop because I was just so scared! =( But I did 5 minutes later haha.
The subway ride was quick and when I walked out... As I walked down the street to school, I continued to feel all these mixed feelings. I was nervous and more excited than anything at the same time! I was scared of getting lost, not making friends, and I didnt know anything about my professors. I was a wreckk! haha.
As I approached the front of North Hall, I took a look at the building and thought, this is where I'll be going to school for the next 4 years! I should embrace this opportunity and make the best of it! I walked in and swiped my card for the first time and it all hit me! Wow! Im really in college! As I walked down the lobby, I pretended to act like I knew where I was going when I had no clue! I couldnt even remember the map I studied earlier that day haha =/ I sat down in the lobby, took out my schedule to see the room and just sat there studying the map. Haha i felt a bit out of place because I looked around and there was no one that seemed as lost as me, but eventually... I found the stairs I needed to take and I went there. I finally managed to find my room. I sat down and I started talking to a few people next to me. Then, the professor came in and started talking to us. After the class was over, I took a breath and thought to myself, "that wasnt bad. maybe im going to love college =)"
Coming from Long Island and barely ever going to the city, this was something totalllyy new for me! It was such a big change for me not seeing the same faces in my grade that ive known so well for the last 17 years.
But after these past two weeks, I can honestly say that I love college (IN THE CITY! haha)
Till the next post, take care everyone =)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
A New Chapter :)
Hi everyone,
My name is Farah Chichgar, a freshman at John Jay College. I graduated from Bayside High School in June of this year (and miss it sooo much!). I'm currently pursuing a BA degree in Criminal Justice, but will soon be changing to become a US History or Government major...since I wish to become a lawyer. I really am hoping that I will be able to go to UCLA Law School in California, as soon as I graduate from JJay. (Keeping my finger's crossed!!)
I honestly can't still believe that I am in college! I absolutely love it! The people are awesome to be around and learn from and the professors are extremely experienced in the fields that they teach. I feel extremely honored to be one of their students this semester and I know that I will definitely be able to learn more with their instruction.
However, the work load is more then I ever thought it would be and completely different from high school. We are expected to work on our own and prepare for our next classes before hand, which sometimes I slack off on =/ In high school, we were watched over by our teachers to make sure our work was completed, but in college its the complete opposite, but I can do it no matter what challenges come across.
I am strong-minded and determined to do what takes to succeed in college =D
Until my next blog (which will be very soon),
Farah :)
My name is Farah Chichgar, a freshman at John Jay College. I graduated from Bayside High School in June of this year (and miss it sooo much!). I'm currently pursuing a BA degree in Criminal Justice, but will soon be changing to become a US History or Government major...since I wish to become a lawyer. I really am hoping that I will be able to go to UCLA Law School in California, as soon as I graduate from JJay. (Keeping my finger's crossed!!)
I honestly can't still believe that I am in college! I absolutely love it! The people are awesome to be around and learn from and the professors are extremely experienced in the fields that they teach. I feel extremely honored to be one of their students this semester and I know that I will definitely be able to learn more with their instruction.
However, the work load is more then I ever thought it would be and completely different from high school. We are expected to work on our own and prepare for our next classes before hand, which sometimes I slack off on =/ In high school, we were watched over by our teachers to make sure our work was completed, but in college its the complete opposite, but I can do it no matter what challenges come across.
I am strong-minded and determined to do what takes to succeed in college =D
Until my next blog (which will be very soon),
Farah :)
"Im In College!" =)
Hii everyone! My name is Michelle and I am currently a John Jay freshman. This is my first time blogging for anything, so I'm pretty excited about this haha =) I'm currently pursuing criminal justice, but I'm going to switch my major to government soon, because I heard its better when applying to law school. I'm actually debating between government or justice studies...
Anyways, let me start off by saying, "I'm in college!" Haha =) I still remember it like it was just yesterday. My high school graduation, June 25th. My friend Matt called my name as i walked across the field to shake hands with the principle to get my diploma. I remember the last few weeks of school, I was a complete mess. I love all my friends and just the thought of leaving and not coming back next year was such a bittersweet feeling. I was happy to finally graduate! But at the same time, I was sad that everyone was separating next year to their different schools. I was also nervous to actually be going to college and meeting all new people! But the thing that got to me most was that i was going to miss my friends so much. Haha ask anyone from my school... i literally cried everyday the last week of school.
But here I am now! I am now officially a freshman at John Jay! The feeling is still sooo surreal to me! The only word that I can really think of to describe how I'm feeling is, "wow." I cant believe we're actually all growing up and in college now! No more teachers reminding us about our work and no more of the same familiar faces we see everyday for the past 18 years! This is real and this is now... (not to sound all corny) but the beginning of our lives, a new chapter! I am so happy to be in college now and I actually love it! =) My professors are good and the people here are soo nice! I met a few on facebook and actually met them in person at orientation, which was awesome! I actually thought it would be awkward and hard to make friends, but its really not =] Now that I'm done with the first week of school... I already know that it's going to be hard work but I am determined to learn all that i can to help me succeed in the future! In the next post, I'm going to write about my first day... haha i would write it all now, but i have to read sooo much for homework. Ahhh =/
Anyways, let me start off by saying, "I'm in college!" Haha =) I still remember it like it was just yesterday. My high school graduation, June 25th. My friend Matt called my name as i walked across the field to shake hands with the principle to get my diploma. I remember the last few weeks of school, I was a complete mess. I love all my friends and just the thought of leaving and not coming back next year was such a bittersweet feeling. I was happy to finally graduate! But at the same time, I was sad that everyone was separating next year to their different schools. I was also nervous to actually be going to college and meeting all new people! But the thing that got to me most was that i was going to miss my friends so much. Haha ask anyone from my school... i literally cried everyday the last week of school.
But here I am now! I am now officially a freshman at John Jay! The feeling is still sooo surreal to me! The only word that I can really think of to describe how I'm feeling is, "wow." I cant believe we're actually all growing up and in college now! No more teachers reminding us about our work and no more of the same familiar faces we see everyday for the past 18 years! This is real and this is now... (not to sound all corny) but the beginning of our lives, a new chapter! I am so happy to be in college now and I actually love it! =) My professors are good and the people here are soo nice! I met a few on facebook and actually met them in person at orientation, which was awesome! I actually thought it would be awkward and hard to make friends, but its really not =] Now that I'm done with the first week of school... I already know that it's going to be hard work but I am determined to learn all that i can to help me succeed in the future! In the next post, I'm going to write about my first day... haha i would write it all now, but i have to read sooo much for homework. Ahhh =/
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