Higher Education: A Freshman's Map to Humboldt State
So you have graduated from high school and are embarking on a journey of college life. You have chosen to come to study at Humboldt State University, or HSU for short. Before you begin this pursuit of knowledge and academic achievement there are some things you should know about the lay of the land as well as the dynamics of the community and campus life. There are the physical contours of the campus, and the county for that matter, as well as the social-political dynamics of the region. There are the habits of study you will want to embrace as well as the opportunities for leisure and recreation. In short you will want to take care to find that perfect balance of fun and seriousness while always keeping in mind your ultimate goals of accomplishment and purpose, even if those goals are only to find that tallest tree you keep hearing about but can never find.
The first thing to remember is that the campus is situated on a hillside. This is important for many reasons among which are investing in some good hiking shoes; allowing yourself ample time to get from one class to another; remembering to apply the parking brake; and wearing a helmet while thrashing on your skateboard from the back of Founders Hall to the financial aid office, where by the way you can perhaps get enough money to purchase the aforementioned helmet. The prevention of blunt force trauma to the frontal lobe is after all, an investment in your future education. After a semester of wandering back and forth between the top of the Behavioral Sciences building to see the amazing sunsets and the library to read all those research books, you'll have some amazing legs!
It is also important to understand the community in which you will be living. The local community is a mix of extreme minded individuals who have managed to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city life and the multi-generational locals who aren't necessarily pleased that so many people have discovered their little hide-a-way. Now when I talk about "extreme minded" I mean that they, or should I say we, have made come here not by chance but rather from an active pursuit of a place off the beaten path and surrounded by the natural world. This can make for some contentious encounters because many of those raised locally are, or rather were, loggers (thus the school mascot) and many of those who have come here to enjoy some of the last pristine old growth redwood forest in the world, often find themselves at odds about how this forest should be enjoyed. The important thing to keep in mind as a student is whether or not getting arrested the night before your final is actually the best course of action.
Now there is another element of campus life that you will be confronted with that may be exaggerated here in Humboldt county, that time of day referred to as 4:20 (no pun intended.) Now while all college freshmen no matter what university they are attending will be exposed to this time of day, there are few places where they will be exposed to it on a scale equal to what is seen here at HSU. The thing to remember as a freshman is that this time only comes about twice in a 24-hour period. In the A.M you should be sleeping and in the P.M. if you still have classes to attend you should consider abstaining from the local ritual that so often is heralded at this time of day.
Considering the larger community surrounding HSU it is important to be aware of Arcata and what it has to offer. There are of course the spare changers, or spangers as they are called locally, which can be found on every corner. While they may be a nuisance to some they are nowhere near as worrisome or aggressive as their big city counterparts. Now venturing out of Arcata there is an abundance of opportunity to explore the natural world. You can find a virtually endless amount of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, fishing, white water rafting, canoeing and wind surfing to name a few. You will find it important to engage in some of these activities in order to add some pleasure to your new endeavor. After all, what's the point of it all if you forget to enjoy yourself at least a little bit?
This personal enjoyment will be crucial in enduring the path you have chosen. You will need to find some type of balance between studying and doing all of your course requirements and finding time to relax and smell the roses as they say. For some this will be the hardest part of university life. There will be the raging parties at the beach when you should be studying, the noisy neighbors that keep you up at night and those roommates that just seem to be taking classes that have no homework (actually they just don't do it.) The key is to remember plan your time so that you get your work done and can still enjoy yourself. You may find that using the library can help you focus and get work done more quickly.
This speaks to the balance and being aware of what your goals are. Sometimes you may need to take a break from that term paper before you finish it, or maybe you'll need to leave that party early so you can read that last chapter of your book. Whatever it may be, you'll know what you need to do. The hardest part may be just doing it. The other important thing to remember about your goals is that they may change. You may start out majoring in biology and end up studying social work. Regardless, keep in mind that it's ok to change your goal and even if it takes a little longer, if it gets you to where you really want to be that's a good thing.
With this in mind try to get you general education course work done early and limit the number of classes specific to your major until you are more sure that is what you want to study. While it's never too late to change, it's much nicer if you don't have to take numerous courses that don't apply to your major. This is where advisors and counselors can be of great assistance. Know who they are and get to know them. They are here to help you! Another crucial thing to be aware of is that your professors want you to succeed. Talk to them. If you are unsure about something pertaining to the class, ask them. Make a point to get to know them and if you are having trouble or don't understand something, they can help you.
All in all, university life it HSU is nothing to fear. Like any adventure, there will be the unexpected and the expected alike. Rely on the knowledge of those who have gone before you as well as the fresh perspective and self-awareness you bring with. Know your surroundings and manage to maintain a healthy balance between work and play and keep the freshman blues away. Keep in mind that you are not the only freshman and make friends with others who are just starting out as well. Together you will find the joys and hardships of university life and can be support to one another.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
"Her Point Is"
Summarizing! He said, she said and all the rest. When I started reading this chapter I thought it was going to be just another reminder that we need to summarize. Whwn in academic writing we most always present our ideas in terms of someone else's. Don't forget to not merely stae what we you think or feel but remember to tell the reader what someone else has said about the subject and how it relates to what you are saying.
While this chapter did do some of this, particularly at the begining, it also hads some good ideas about how to summarize in ways that weren't just boring restatements of what someone else had said. It was worth noting the way in which the writer is encouraged to put his or her own spin on the summary while still maintaining the original authors point. It was also refreshing to see the way in which the author portrays dry boring lists of things someone else has said.
The section on satirical summaries was also helpful in seeing another way that one can summarize without making some bland regergitation of facts that have been previously stated.
The verbs to use to make summaries more energetic and appealing were also helpful. I agree with the writer that summaries need to be made in a way that fits with what you are saying and avoids boring your audience into a state of comatosis.
While this chapter did do some of this, particularly at the begining, it also hads some good ideas about how to summarize in ways that weren't just boring restatements of what someone else had said. It was worth noting the way in which the writer is encouraged to put his or her own spin on the summary while still maintaining the original authors point. It was also refreshing to see the way in which the author portrays dry boring lists of things someone else has said.
The section on satirical summaries was also helpful in seeing another way that one can summarize without making some bland regergitation of facts that have been previously stated.
The verbs to use to make summaries more energetic and appealing were also helpful. I agree with the writer that summaries need to be made in a way that fits with what you are saying and avoids boring your audience into a state of comatosis.
about "Know it All"
The New Yorker article "Know it All" by Stacey Schiff was a very interesting article for me.
It was interesting in the way that it portrayed the Wikipedia site. While it spent time talking about the acuracy of the site, what I found the most interesting was the way in which it portrayed the potential the site has an arena for philosophical dialouge. After all knowledge often is biased or presented in a biased way. Perhaps one of the most striking statements to me was the one that compared the rate of errors between Encyclopedia Britanica and Wikipedia as being 3 for every 4.
I have myself used this site as a preliminary stop to find out information about a topic. A always looked at it like asking people what they knew about a subject, such as a co-worker or fellow student. While I have found many of the entries to be accurate in the information they present it was interesting to learn about some of the governing rules the site is now using. While I think it is important to regulate some of the information posted when people are editing each other just for fun or spite, I also see the benefit of having a completely unfettered dialouge about lets say the Federal Reserve Bank and how it has been used by bankers to enslave countries in debt by printing money out of thin air and charging govrenments interest to do what they do for free as opposed to it being the great institution that has saved us from an unstable economy(did they forget that's what they keep telling us they do). I should be careful I don't go on some tangent but oftentimes "history" is told in a biased light that shows only what the author wants to be seen. Seldom is it comprehensive and total in its scope. Here is where I see the beauty of a site like this; People can show opposite "truths" of the same event or topic. After all, the truth is generally some where in between the two extremes.
What I also found interesting and didn't know was that the edited pages stay in an archive that can be viewed. Another thing I never knew was that people try to gain status on this site by the number of edits and entries they make. This is quite an interesting concept. Where else but the internet can one reach fame by the sheer quantity of time they spend on a subject regardless of the quality? Well I won't touch that question lest I offend the reader.
Perhaps the most compelling part of the essay was the way in which the "wikipedian" was portrayed. The notion that they may be individuals who are dedicated to knowledge while being skepical of the esablishment was unexpected. Granted they weren't all portrayed in this light, it did seem that it infered some were of this caliber.
All in all this was an enjoyable article with what I found to be a fresh perspective of the possible benefits of the site
It was interesting in the way that it portrayed the Wikipedia site. While it spent time talking about the acuracy of the site, what I found the most interesting was the way in which it portrayed the potential the site has an arena for philosophical dialouge. After all knowledge often is biased or presented in a biased way. Perhaps one of the most striking statements to me was the one that compared the rate of errors between Encyclopedia Britanica and Wikipedia as being 3 for every 4.
I have myself used this site as a preliminary stop to find out information about a topic. A always looked at it like asking people what they knew about a subject, such as a co-worker or fellow student. While I have found many of the entries to be accurate in the information they present it was interesting to learn about some of the governing rules the site is now using. While I think it is important to regulate some of the information posted when people are editing each other just for fun or spite, I also see the benefit of having a completely unfettered dialouge about lets say the Federal Reserve Bank and how it has been used by bankers to enslave countries in debt by printing money out of thin air and charging govrenments interest to do what they do for free as opposed to it being the great institution that has saved us from an unstable economy(did they forget that's what they keep telling us they do). I should be careful I don't go on some tangent but oftentimes "history" is told in a biased light that shows only what the author wants to be seen. Seldom is it comprehensive and total in its scope. Here is where I see the beauty of a site like this; People can show opposite "truths" of the same event or topic. After all, the truth is generally some where in between the two extremes.
What I also found interesting and didn't know was that the edited pages stay in an archive that can be viewed. Another thing I never knew was that people try to gain status on this site by the number of edits and entries they make. This is quite an interesting concept. Where else but the internet can one reach fame by the sheer quantity of time they spend on a subject regardless of the quality? Well I won't touch that question lest I offend the reader.
Perhaps the most compelling part of the essay was the way in which the "wikipedian" was portrayed. The notion that they may be individuals who are dedicated to knowledge while being skepical of the esablishment was unexpected. Granted they weren't all portrayed in this light, it did seem that it infered some were of this caliber.
All in all this was an enjoyable article with what I found to be a fresh perspective of the possible benefits of the site
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Portfolio
Some points I found interesting to note with regards to requirement and evaluation
First it says we need to receive 8 points from the two readers and that means 4 from each. I take it that means 5 points from one and 3 from the other doesn't count. The handout also doesn't address a third reader being used in these cases.
It was interesting to look at the requirements for the cover letter
In particular, the ability to reflect about our own strengths and areas for growth and the need to refer to the selections we submit to support our claim. The key thing to me was the last of the criteria list "Avoid extensive summary"
Also the guide says we are to submit 2-4 essays with 13-16 pages in total. If we are only doing 3 in class what does that mean for the other one? Are we expected to write new essays for the portfolio if we don't want to include all three of our essays and two don't quite amount to 13 pages?
Overall I feel the assignment was clear but the working portfolio seemed to only be for us to have as proof of our work and not required to be turned in.
First it says we need to receive 8 points from the two readers and that means 4 from each. I take it that means 5 points from one and 3 from the other doesn't count. The handout also doesn't address a third reader being used in these cases.
It was interesting to look at the requirements for the cover letter
In particular, the ability to reflect about our own strengths and areas for growth and the need to refer to the selections we submit to support our claim. The key thing to me was the last of the criteria list "Avoid extensive summary"
Also the guide says we are to submit 2-4 essays with 13-16 pages in total. If we are only doing 3 in class what does that mean for the other one? Are we expected to write new essays for the portfolio if we don't want to include all three of our essays and two don't quite amount to 13 pages?
Overall I feel the assignment was clear but the working portfolio seemed to only be for us to have as proof of our work and not required to be turned in.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Reflective reading
General Apache. Obviously the general made a great impression on the professor. This is evident from the fact that he endeavored to write the story of his student for him. While I felt there was valuable information contained in the reflection with respects to the experience of those who found themselves drafted into a war that they most likely would have otherwise not chosen to take part in, I was left feeling that I had missed the point of the reflection. The author spent a lot of time telling us about his experiences with his students but the connection and reflection seemed to be that this allowed him to know his students well enough on a personal level that he was able to tell their stories for them. What troubled me about it was that he is a writing instructor and should therefore be helping his students to tell their own stories. This isn't to say that he didn't teach them just that it isn't evident from this reflection that his method of teaching had helped the students to express their ideas more clearly which I felt could have made for a better reflection. It seemed almost as if the author was bragging
Simplicity. While I found this essay contained practical knowledge about the benefits of writing simply, I didn't see it as much of a reflection. There were examples given to support the writer's ideas but not really any event in time that the writer was looking back at with a new sense of understanding. As to the content while I found that it many cases simpler is better I feel that Zinsser has over simplified the matter. Sometimes having adverbs reinforce the meanings of the verb are very useful in emphasizing a point for effect. If we strip every sentence to its most base and utilitarian level we would lose a great deal of creativity and expression in many a written work. I do agree however that this is often overdone and that many times a more simple wording of a sentence could achieve the same goal and perhaps allow the writer to reach a broader audience.
Simplicity. While I found this essay contained practical knowledge about the benefits of writing simply, I didn't see it as much of a reflection. There were examples given to support the writer's ideas but not really any event in time that the writer was looking back at with a new sense of understanding. As to the content while I found that it many cases simpler is better I feel that Zinsser has over simplified the matter. Sometimes having adverbs reinforce the meanings of the verb are very useful in emphasizing a point for effect. If we strip every sentence to its most base and utilitarian level we would lose a great deal of creativity and expression in many a written work. I do agree however that this is often overdone and that many times a more simple wording of a sentence could achieve the same goal and perhaps allow the writer to reach a broader audience.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Learnig styles
I have always found it interesting how tests are made to determine the learning styles of people. I found this test in particular was unique in the way it didn’t just have you pick one answer and label the participant as having a single learning style, but rather gave a score corresponding to each style and then made a determination of the learning styles that would best fit. In my case, for example, it said I was a multimodal learner with high scores in aural, read/write and kinestetic styles. . While my score in visual learning was lower than I expected, I think this isn’t a reflection of my difficulty in learning visually, which I feel is fairly easy for me, but is rather a indication that I don't rely on visual displays to learn materials. One of the things I believe we need to keep in mind with tests of this nature is that they are tools which can help us find ways in which we to enhance our learning and that they should not make us feel we have only one way in which to learn.
What I found most refreshing about this test was the way in which it explained the multimodal classification. In a footnote and link to a review of multimodal learners written by Neil D. Fleming it talked about the differences between those who scored between 6 and 25 points compared with those who scored 30 or above with the former being context specific and the later being whole sense approach learners. The author goes on to reference a study by Swedish theorists Marton and Saljo where they divided it into three types of multimodal learners; 1) those who want a full understanding, 2) those who want a surface understanding and 3) those who learned with a specific goal in mind such as a minimum grade. To me this is a more holistic view of the learning process and although I felt it didn't explain exactly the way in which I learn it was closer than other tests I have taken. The idea of wanting to understand a subject fully seems to describe most accurately my approach to learning as I find myself often reading footnotes and wanting to access other sources of information on a particular subject when studying it. The one thing I feel is limiting in this type of test is that it is written and solicits responses from participants and their perceptions of themselves rather than presenting material to them in a variety of ways and then testing for retention of knowledge. Having said this I felt it gave a fairly accurate picture none the less.
Follow the link below for the article
Link to review
What I found most refreshing about this test was the way in which it explained the multimodal classification. In a footnote and link to a review of multimodal learners written by Neil D. Fleming it talked about the differences between those who scored between 6 and 25 points compared with those who scored 30 or above with the former being context specific and the later being whole sense approach learners. The author goes on to reference a study by Swedish theorists Marton and Saljo where they divided it into three types of multimodal learners; 1) those who want a full understanding, 2) those who want a surface understanding and 3) those who learned with a specific goal in mind such as a minimum grade. To me this is a more holistic view of the learning process and although I felt it didn't explain exactly the way in which I learn it was closer than other tests I have taken. The idea of wanting to understand a subject fully seems to describe most accurately my approach to learning as I find myself often reading footnotes and wanting to access other sources of information on a particular subject when studying it. The one thing I feel is limiting in this type of test is that it is written and solicits responses from participants and their perceptions of themselves rather than presenting material to them in a variety of ways and then testing for retention of knowledge. Having said this I felt it gave a fairly accurate picture none the less.
Follow the link below for the article
Link to review
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Greetings,
My name is Rodney and I am writing this letter in an attempt to share with you a little about me and in particular about my experiences, perceptions and feelings in regards to writing, reading and learning in general. My first experiences with writing papers in high school, during the last millennia, were less than pleasant. Although I always did well in school, writing always proved to be the most difficult of endeavors. It seemed that the systems for grading of one's work were always ambiguous and subjective at best and understanding what exactly was wanted or required of me as writer always eluded me. My teachers would write comments such as develop more, which to me seemed to mean use more words to same the same thing. It also felt that when my opinion as to the analysis of a book or essay differed from my teachers', my grade reflected their disapproval of my dissenting opinion. To be fair, looking back I can understand what was meant by develop more and although there may have been one or two teachers who may have used my contrary attitude as a reason to score my work lower than deserved, for the most part my writing lacked rhythm and fluidity if you will as well as completely developed arguments with ample evidence to support them. One thing I have learned from my experiences is that the reader sees through eyes influenced by their perceptions of the world based upon values, beliefs and experiences as well as a host of other considerations.
Having chose to major in Spanish has caused me to take courses requiring me to read and analyze literature in Spanish, which has provided me with an opportunity to reexamine some of my feelings about writing and I am actually at a place in my life where I have come to appreciate the value of being able to write well. I think in part this comes not only from the reading and writing but also from the understanding of the formation of languages as well as their origins. Being able to see how languages are structured in relation to one another, for example verb conjugation and sentence structure, has helped me see not only how writing well is a skill that can be developed but also how it can be an art incorporating talent, creativity and feeling to evoke an emotional response in the reader.
To me language is means to communicate with others and although it is said the majority of communication between people is nonverbal, in this day in age written communication is a powerful toll that can be used to reach virtually the whole world via the Internet. The more languages one can speak and write the larger the audience that he or she can reach. While I find joy in reading fiction I am more strongly drawn to writing that seeks to inform the reader about real life conditions and aspires to make positive changes or raise awareness of specific issues facing us as individuals and as a society as a whole. Before I commence on a journey through all my thoughts of the current global condition, let me end by saying I hope to leave this class with the ability to write more proficiently and to communicate more clearly to my audience my thoughts and ideas.
My name is Rodney and I am writing this letter in an attempt to share with you a little about me and in particular about my experiences, perceptions and feelings in regards to writing, reading and learning in general. My first experiences with writing papers in high school, during the last millennia, were less than pleasant. Although I always did well in school, writing always proved to be the most difficult of endeavors. It seemed that the systems for grading of one's work were always ambiguous and subjective at best and understanding what exactly was wanted or required of me as writer always eluded me. My teachers would write comments such as develop more, which to me seemed to mean use more words to same the same thing. It also felt that when my opinion as to the analysis of a book or essay differed from my teachers', my grade reflected their disapproval of my dissenting opinion. To be fair, looking back I can understand what was meant by develop more and although there may have been one or two teachers who may have used my contrary attitude as a reason to score my work lower than deserved, for the most part my writing lacked rhythm and fluidity if you will as well as completely developed arguments with ample evidence to support them. One thing I have learned from my experiences is that the reader sees through eyes influenced by their perceptions of the world based upon values, beliefs and experiences as well as a host of other considerations.
Having chose to major in Spanish has caused me to take courses requiring me to read and analyze literature in Spanish, which has provided me with an opportunity to reexamine some of my feelings about writing and I am actually at a place in my life where I have come to appreciate the value of being able to write well. I think in part this comes not only from the reading and writing but also from the understanding of the formation of languages as well as their origins. Being able to see how languages are structured in relation to one another, for example verb conjugation and sentence structure, has helped me see not only how writing well is a skill that can be developed but also how it can be an art incorporating talent, creativity and feeling to evoke an emotional response in the reader.
To me language is means to communicate with others and although it is said the majority of communication between people is nonverbal, in this day in age written communication is a powerful toll that can be used to reach virtually the whole world via the Internet. The more languages one can speak and write the larger the audience that he or she can reach. While I find joy in reading fiction I am more strongly drawn to writing that seeks to inform the reader about real life conditions and aspires to make positive changes or raise awareness of specific issues facing us as individuals and as a society as a whole. Before I commence on a journey through all my thoughts of the current global condition, let me end by saying I hope to leave this class with the ability to write more proficiently and to communicate more clearly to my audience my thoughts and ideas.
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