Hii! =) At the beginning of the semester, during registration, I registered for 2 linked communities courses. I'm sure most of you know what I am talking about, but for those of you who dont... It is basically two classes back to back with the same people in both classes. My linked course that I chose was Criminal Justice 101 with Professor Kimora and English 101 with Prof. Jacques. I thought that this was such an amazing program because I was able to meet some great friends and really get close with them (because we had two classes together, the classes werent as big, and we were just able to connect better)
Towards the end of the semester, the learning communities classes had final projects. The project the Professor Kimora present was, "In a perfect world, one aspect of criminal justice is..." For my presentation, I did that, In a perfect world, one aspect of criminal justice is that there would be complete trust in the criminal justice system and respect among the people. When my professor first told us about the projects, she also told us about a showcase at the end of the semester presenting for President Travis, the Provost Jane Bowers, and other professors and guests of the John Jay community. When I first heard about this opportunity, I wasnt sure if I necessarily wanted to sign up because I'm horrible at presenting and I get nervous easily. But I figured, why not? I'll just write up a speech and prepare prepare prepare, so i'll know the stuff with the snap of a finger haha. I presented for the class and I thought that it went well. Even though I did feel my voice breaking a little during my speech, I was still able to get my point across.
On the day of the actual showcase, I was so nervous and I even had a little stressful moment because my partner had my poster board and she was running late. But eventually she showed up and the program started. When the first person came up to us, I was extremely nervous... but as more and more people came up to us... I became less tense because it actually wasnt so bad. I knew my stuff and their was nothing to worry about. I also realized that my eye contact had gotten better as the program went on because I started feeling more and more confident about my speech.
The program took place in the multipurpose room. I thought that this was a great opportunity for all the learning community classes to really show off what they have learned throughout the semester. I saw some amazing projects and I am so happy that I was a part of this whole experience and the presenting!
I met some great friends in learning communities and I look forward to continuing the friendships throughout the next 4 years of college!
P.S. Sorry about this sudden load of five posts in a row! Haha I typed them all on MS Word earlier this evening, so I just proofread, copied and pasted them all at one time. But hope you all enjoyed =) Have a good weekend!
Friday, December 18, 2009
FYE Focus Group
Hey again! Haha. A couple of weeks ago, I participated in an FYE Focus Group session. This group was ran by Ms. Cornelia Preda of First Year Experience. Basically, this was a 2 hour session consisting of about 8 people and we just talked about our first semester of college.
I thought that this session was extremely helpful because I didnt feel as out of place. During the conversations that took place, I realized that many of the other freshmans like myself were going through the same things. I honestly felt that I was the only one who felt like we couldnt keep up with the work, or that making friends is not as easy as we thought.. etc.
I went in feeling nervous because I didnt necessarily know that people I was going to be talking to and I'm not really good at opening up so quick. Even though this session was being videotaped, I eventually let loose and starting talking about my opinions of college because I saw that I am not alone. We are all stressing about all the work, nervous to make new friends because all of John Jay is "in their own little world", going crazy about all the reading, etc.
After the session, I realized yes, college may be hard at first.. but over time, it will get easier. We are all just coming out of high school, but eventually.... We will all get use to this work and we will learn about time management much better. Wish you all the best of success for next semester! =)
I thought that this session was extremely helpful because I didnt feel as out of place. During the conversations that took place, I realized that many of the other freshmans like myself were going through the same things. I honestly felt that I was the only one who felt like we couldnt keep up with the work, or that making friends is not as easy as we thought.. etc.
I went in feeling nervous because I didnt necessarily know that people I was going to be talking to and I'm not really good at opening up so quick. Even though this session was being videotaped, I eventually let loose and starting talking about my opinions of college because I saw that I am not alone. We are all stressing about all the work, nervous to make new friends because all of John Jay is "in their own little world", going crazy about all the reading, etc.
After the session, I realized yes, college may be hard at first.. but over time, it will get easier. We are all just coming out of high school, but eventually.... We will all get use to this work and we will learn about time management much better. Wish you all the best of success for next semester! =)
John Jay Career Fair
Hey again! Haha so this third post is about the career fair that John Jay held a couple of weeks ago in the gymnasium at the T Building. After class, I went to check it out. I thought that it was extremely helpful.
I was able to talk to many representatives for different jobs and hear the actual inputs of what employers really look for. Aside from that, many of the jobs were ones that I was extremely interested in because they all had some aspect of the government or criminal justice involved in it. This is perfect for John Jay because we all came here to study a part of criminal justice, and it is perfect for me... because more than half those jobs caught my eye.
I also found some of the jobs interesting as well... by that, I mean that I've never heard of it. One of the tables I talked to was JC Penny. At this table, the man was telling me about the JC Penny Lost Prevention job position. What this job does is that it investigates crimes and thefts that occur in JC Pennies. I never really took the time to think that this was even a part of the company. So this Career Fair made me realize that Criminal Justice is a part of everything and that actually fascinates me because I truly never really thought of it that way.
Even though I wasn't a Junior or Senior (which was the requirement for many of the jobs), I was still able to speak to the representative and ask about some internship opportunities. I applied for the Civilain Complaint Review Board (CCRB) Internship program and I am currently working on my essay for the Criminal Law Internship Program which will take place in Washington D.C. if I get chosen. Wish me luck! This career fair, I can tell, provides many great opportunities for everyone and I wish them all the best in their job search!
I'm not sure when the next one will be, but I do know that John Jay will be holding another career fair in the Spring Semester (in April I think)... So if you all have a chance, make sure you dress up in interview attire and check it out! Hope to see you all there!
I was able to talk to many representatives for different jobs and hear the actual inputs of what employers really look for. Aside from that, many of the jobs were ones that I was extremely interested in because they all had some aspect of the government or criminal justice involved in it. This is perfect for John Jay because we all came here to study a part of criminal justice, and it is perfect for me... because more than half those jobs caught my eye.
I also found some of the jobs interesting as well... by that, I mean that I've never heard of it. One of the tables I talked to was JC Penny. At this table, the man was telling me about the JC Penny Lost Prevention job position. What this job does is that it investigates crimes and thefts that occur in JC Pennies. I never really took the time to think that this was even a part of the company. So this Career Fair made me realize that Criminal Justice is a part of everything and that actually fascinates me because I truly never really thought of it that way.
Even though I wasn't a Junior or Senior (which was the requirement for many of the jobs), I was still able to speak to the representative and ask about some internship opportunities. I applied for the Civilain Complaint Review Board (CCRB) Internship program and I am currently working on my essay for the Criminal Law Internship Program which will take place in Washington D.C. if I get chosen. Wish me luck! This career fair, I can tell, provides many great opportunities for everyone and I wish them all the best in their job search!
I'm not sure when the next one will be, but I do know that John Jay will be holding another career fair in the Spring Semester (in April I think)... So if you all have a chance, make sure you dress up in interview attire and check it out! Hope to see you all there!
Debate Tournament at Westconn =)
Hey everyone, as I said in the post before, I will be posting four posts in a row to catch you up on everything that's been going on! =)
Remember a while ago, I was talking about going to my second debate tournament? Well... On the weekend of the 14th of November, I went to Westconn with the debaters. Like the first one, this tournament was so much and I learned a lot as well! I had to switch partners because the partnership with my first partner was terrible basically...
But anyway.. I won my first round in this tournament! I came into this tournament knowing the evidence much better. Looking back at it now, I was extremely happy about this tournament because even though I only won one round, I learned a lot about the policies of debate. Also, my partner and I had a lot of opportunities to win as well. We had five rounds. The first round, we could've won, but we lost because we didn't realize we had answers to their arguments. The second round, we could've won also but we lost on timeframe (the time in between which our plan compared to theres will happen) We lost the third and fourth, but won the fifth one! =) Haha you're probably thinking, "but you still lost..." Yes, that is true, but thinking back and comparing this tournament to the first tournament, I realized that my debating skills has actually gotten better and I could've actually won more rounds =]
Over the winter sesssion, I will be going to school on mondays- thursdays for a Debate winter session. I am actually looking forward to improving my debating and learning more about the evidence. I am determined to be a better debater by next semester and win more =) Haha when my partner and I first heard the judge say, "Im going to have to vote for the affirmative"... I almost jumped out of my seat. But I stayed calmed. But hearing that made my day! It is the greatest feeling to know that youre just a novice debater and winning your first round is simply amazing =) haha I am looking forward to more tournaments next semester and hopefully... feeling that same feeling of winning more rounds!
Remember a while ago, I was talking about going to my second debate tournament? Well... On the weekend of the 14th of November, I went to Westconn with the debaters. Like the first one, this tournament was so much and I learned a lot as well! I had to switch partners because the partnership with my first partner was terrible basically...
But anyway.. I won my first round in this tournament! I came into this tournament knowing the evidence much better. Looking back at it now, I was extremely happy about this tournament because even though I only won one round, I learned a lot about the policies of debate. Also, my partner and I had a lot of opportunities to win as well. We had five rounds. The first round, we could've won, but we lost because we didn't realize we had answers to their arguments. The second round, we could've won also but we lost on timeframe (the time in between which our plan compared to theres will happen) We lost the third and fourth, but won the fifth one! =) Haha you're probably thinking, "but you still lost..." Yes, that is true, but thinking back and comparing this tournament to the first tournament, I realized that my debating skills has actually gotten better and I could've actually won more rounds =]
Over the winter sesssion, I will be going to school on mondays- thursdays for a Debate winter session. I am actually looking forward to improving my debating and learning more about the evidence. I am determined to be a better debater by next semester and win more =) Haha when my partner and I first heard the judge say, "Im going to have to vote for the affirmative"... I almost jumped out of my seat. But I stayed calmed. But hearing that made my day! It is the greatest feeling to know that youre just a novice debater and winning your first round is simply amazing =) haha I am looking forward to more tournaments next semester and hopefully... feeling that same feeling of winning more rounds!
Ending of the First Semester of College! =]
Hey everyone! Wow.. It's been a while. Sorry about that! I've been soo caught up with school work, which I know you all know what I mean =/
But this is the first of my five posts in a row =]
But anyway... I hope all is going well with your finals =) Some of you are even done, which is awesome because you can finally enjoy a month off, unlike the 2 weeks in high school!! haha. I still have 2 more finals, but I cant wait to finish and say that I've officially completed my first semester of college! =D
There are soo many emotions I'm feeling at the moment. I'm sure you have all been feeling this lately or have felt this already. But wow.. I feel stressed, happy, joy, excitement, scared, etc. From the nerves of how you did on your finals, to the excitement you feel about finally finishing your first semester, to realizing... wow.. I'm growing up.
This first semester of college flewww by for me! Even though the work load was crazy and at times, it felt like time was just dragging itself... looking back at it now... It really did go by quick! The first semester was amazing. I have made so many great friends, met some amazing professors and just experienced what it is really like to be a college student and on my own without a teacher to "baby" me like in high school.
Honestly... words cant even describe how I'm feeling right now. I remember it like it was just yesterday when I was freaking out about my first day of school! And now, I'm taking finals and realizing, wow... I'm done with a whole semester! Haha.
I have learned a few important lessons though throughout this semester though that'll help us all achieve better in the spring...
1) as my English 101 professor said, "The best way to fall behind in college is doing the work as it comes along" -Prof Jacques. This is extremely true because the work load REALLY builds up. At the beginning of the semester, we each get a syllabus. Do the work for next week ahead of time. This is effective because in class, we will know what is going on (instead of relying on the homework THAT night to clarify) and... we will be able to ask questions about what we don't understand, instead of having to ask the professor the next class and get confused with everything that's going on.
2) KEEP UP WITH THE READING! And don't necessarily read ALL the words in the text. This takes way too much time. Instead, read a few sentences in each paragraph and skim the rest of the paragraph (or until you get the idea of what the paragraph is talking about). Trust me... It really does help.
3) If a professor gives an opportunity for extra credit, TAKE IT! Don't think that you're doing fine, so you dont need to do the extra credit. In college, every little bit helps
=]
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU FOR COMPLETING YOUR FIRST SEMESTER! =) and Good luck with all your finals!
But this is the first of my five posts in a row =]
But anyway... I hope all is going well with your finals =) Some of you are even done, which is awesome because you can finally enjoy a month off, unlike the 2 weeks in high school!! haha. I still have 2 more finals, but I cant wait to finish and say that I've officially completed my first semester of college! =D
There are soo many emotions I'm feeling at the moment. I'm sure you have all been feeling this lately or have felt this already. But wow.. I feel stressed, happy, joy, excitement, scared, etc. From the nerves of how you did on your finals, to the excitement you feel about finally finishing your first semester, to realizing... wow.. I'm growing up.
This first semester of college flewww by for me! Even though the work load was crazy and at times, it felt like time was just dragging itself... looking back at it now... It really did go by quick! The first semester was amazing. I have made so many great friends, met some amazing professors and just experienced what it is really like to be a college student and on my own without a teacher to "baby" me like in high school.
Honestly... words cant even describe how I'm feeling right now. I remember it like it was just yesterday when I was freaking out about my first day of school! And now, I'm taking finals and realizing, wow... I'm done with a whole semester! Haha.
I have learned a few important lessons though throughout this semester though that'll help us all achieve better in the spring...
1) as my English 101 professor said, "The best way to fall behind in college is doing the work as it comes along" -Prof Jacques. This is extremely true because the work load REALLY builds up. At the beginning of the semester, we each get a syllabus. Do the work for next week ahead of time. This is effective because in class, we will know what is going on (instead of relying on the homework THAT night to clarify) and... we will be able to ask questions about what we don't understand, instead of having to ask the professor the next class and get confused with everything that's going on.
2) KEEP UP WITH THE READING! And don't necessarily read ALL the words in the text. This takes way too much time. Instead, read a few sentences in each paragraph and skim the rest of the paragraph (or until you get the idea of what the paragraph is talking about). Trust me... It really does help.
3) If a professor gives an opportunity for extra credit, TAKE IT! Don't think that you're doing fine, so you dont need to do the extra credit. In college, every little bit helps
=]
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU FOR COMPLETING YOUR FIRST SEMESTER! =) and Good luck with all your finals!
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