Personal Challenge

My personal challenge for Capstone was joining the club baseball team here at USC. During about my junior year in high school I decided that I didn't want to play baseball anymore. It had just gotten really old, and I didn't want to be tied down in college by anything. Senior year rolled around and I still felt the same way so I ended up turning down a few offers to play for different schools in the state. None of them were to any prestigious schools they were all division 2. Because of this, deciding to play baseball here for the club team was not any easy decision. Also, I wasn't looking forward to telling my dad considering he's paying for my education here and I could have saved him a bunch of money by playing baseball somewhere else. I am very glad I decided to play though. My dad is just happy to see me playing again he doesn't care about the money as much as I thought he would. Also, some of my best friends I have made here I met from the baseball team, so thats probably the main reason why I'm glad I joined.

Capstone Social Event

The Capstone social event I attended was Hot cookie Friday. I went back in the beginning of the semester and forgot about writing a blog about it, so now I'm doing it two months later. I went to hot cookie friday with a few of my friends in Capstone. We just signed in and then sat and ate cookies for a while. It was also funny to watch David and Dr. Hickey show off their guitar hero skills. Oh, and the cookies were definitely hot. Since there were so many people they constantly had batches of cookies coming out of the oven. We all had a good time and left after about 20 minutes or so. I went one other time but it was way too crowded so I left once I got there.

Capstone Cinema

The Capstone cinema I attended was the one that was the presentation of the movie made by another University 101 class. I went to this one primarily because a few of my good friends on my hall are in that class and were going to. The movie was very funny and was well made. It was clear that they put a lot of time into making it. The movie was all about University 101 and the positive effects it has on a freshman at USC. One of the main examples they gave was that it helps you make new friends. This is definitely true considering all the friends I have made in our U101 class. The presentation was about 20 or 30 minutes long so it probably took a lot of effort to make. Also, one of my best friends Aaron made all the music for the movie so I thought that was really cool. I didn't go to any other cinemas so I have nothing to compare it to, but I think I picked out one of the best ones to go to.

Final Blog

Your overall impressions of the course? Was blogging in this class helpful to you in terms of your integration of course content and reflecting on your first semester of college?
Overall, I enjoyed the class but I was surprised by the workload. It wasn't that big of a deal because we had to take the class for Capstone anyway,but I was expecting an easier class. On the other hand, I made a lot of great friends in the class and it was very enjoyable. I always looked forward to going to class because our class discussions were always enjoyable since everyone got along. Also, I thought the World is Flat book was a little bland. It was interesting at first but then it just seemed like it wasn't going anywhere which made it difficult to read. I thought the work outside of class was a little too much, but it was still my favorite class to go to. I don't think blogging was too helpful so much with integrating course content, but it did help in reflecting on my first semester. I've never blogged before so it was a new experience for me but I definitely like this form of homework more than a worksheet or reading assignment.

Thanksgiving Traditions

What Thanksgiving tradition are you looking forward to? How did this tradition start? Is there a story behind the tradition?
I'm looking forward to a couple Thanksgiving traditions my family always takes part in. One is watching the the Iron Bowl, the Auburn-Alabama game. This has always been a tradition because most of my mom's side of the family is Auburn University alumni and they are all die hard fans(until coming to USC, I was as well). Its something I look forward to every year because everyone is always into the game. It creates a very dramatic house for a few hours. I guess this tradition started when my grandparants moved to Auburn 50 years ago when my grandfather became a professor. Since then, the family was raised in orange and blue. Another tradition I'm looking forward to is the annual trivial pursuit game. My relatives are all very competitive and are really serious about it. This makes it really fun to watch. Also, I always look forward to the one or two questions I can answer each game. They are usually general knowledge questions that involve geography or history. I'm not sure how this tradition started or if there is a story behind it, but for as long as I can remember the men of the family have always had an intense game of trivial pursuit against the women every Thanksgiving. I think the women have only won once

Spirituality

Are religion, faith, and spirituality the same or different? What has your experience been like in these areas? How does the culture of USC and the South reflect religion, faith, and spirituality?
Religion, faith and spirituality are related but very different things. In my opinion, religion is the practice of a person's faith. Faith is what someone believes without any physical proof. For example, many people, including myself believe in a higher being even though there is no proof. Spirituality to me is hard to define but I see it as anything to do with a person's soul. An example of is a person's connection to God or any other higher power they believe in. I feel like I have a pretty good amount of experience in these areas since I was raised in a religious family. I do believe in God but I have struggled with my faith at times. Religion is reflected in the South by all of the churches seen on almost every street corner. There are also a wide variety of denominations. Both of these things are reasons why our area is called the Bible belt.

Relationships

What are some new relationships you have formed here at USC? Are they being an advocate for your success? Why or why not?
I have formed many new relationships since I have been here at USC. I met a lot of my new friends just from living on the same hall. Also, since I joined the club baseball team I met a new group of people with similar interests as me. Although most of my friends put academics first on their list of priorities, many still go out, which makes it a little more difficult to stay on task with my schoolwork because I like to go out with them. It is always still my decision of course on what I decide to do with my time, but it is hard to turn down your friends when they want to go downtown on a thursday night even if you have work to do. On the other hand, I often do homework with my hall mates. Most of us are taking the same classes, even if we are in different sections. This makes it much easier to learn the material because I have friends only a few feet away that can help me if I don't understand something. So, sometimes my friends make it more difficult to stay on task, but we help each other succeed by helping each other do homework or study.

Study Abroad

Have you considered studying abroad? If you were to study abroad, what country would be an interesting country to visit and why? What barriers do you see to participating in this experience?
I haven't really considered studying abroad but after the presentation last class it does seem pretty interesting. If I were to study abroad, I would probably go to Spain. I've always wanted to go to Spain because my Dad's side of the family originated from Spain. For that reason I've always wanted to experience the Spanish culture. As a business major, I don't really know how it would directly affect me academically. I'm sure it would still be a very beneficial experience though. The biggest barrier with traveling to Spain is the fact that I don't speak Spanish. It would probably be very difficult to spend and extended period of time in Spain because of this considering most people that study abroad in Spain do it to improve their Spanish speaking skills. Another barrier in studying abroad is money. Its definitely something I would need a lot of if I were to study abroad and unfortunately something I don't have much of. So, if I was really serious about studying abroad I would have to get a job this summer and probably participate in the following spring.

Advice for International Student

What advice would you give your international student about succeeding here at USC?
In order to succeed in college here at USC there are a few specific things I would advise someone to do. The first is to be organized. This is one thing I'm not very good at and it has affected me this semester. It is a good idea to keep your take your syllabuses at the beginning of the semester and mark all the dates you have tests and quizzes on a calendar. I started doing this recently and it helps out a lot when it comes to staying organized and knowing when you have things due and when to study. Also, this reduces stress a lot because you do not worry about if you have anything due or not because it is all written down. Another piece of advice I would give my international student is to manage your time wisely. Although we have a lot of free time in college it is still necessary to manage your time well. I've learned the hard way that if you put things off you will have a few very stressful nights. It is much easier and less stressful to do assignments once you get them. This frees up your nights up a lot more and gives you more time to hang out with friends. In addition, managing your time well leads to getting more sleep because you are never up late trying to finish something at the last minute. There are many other things I could suggest to my international student to be successful but I think organization and time management are the most important.

My ACE appointment

Reflect on your ACE appointment. What did you enjoy about it? What was something you were hoping to learn about? If you had a second appointment what would you like to focus on?
I think my ACE appointment was very productive in helping me become a more successful student. I left with a few different sheets of paper, one being a planner to help organize a study routine and the other a list of goals for next semester that I made during the appointment. I enjoyed how the meeting was laid back and also was completely focused on assisting me. My ACE coach was very friendly and informative on any questions I asked her. I was hoping to learn about information on changing my major and also tips on studying. I was well informed on both of these topics so my ACE appointment was definitely a success. If I had a second appointment I would probably focus on career decisions or time management skills. I really have no idea what I want to do after college, so any information on possible careers that I could research would be beneficial to me. Also, I'm a pretty bad procrastinator, so assistance with time management skills would definitely help me out. I find myself cramming too often for tests and to finish homework so I probably should work on my time management skills and another ACE appointment could help this.

Wellness

Are you leading a balanced college student life? How are you spending your time? What do you wish you had more time for? How could you fit that into your schedule?
I think I am leading a pretty balanced student life since I've been in college. I'm usually not pressed for time and haven't had to cram too much. Most of my time during the day is spent in class or in my room. In between classes I will usually just sit and eat lunch. If I have time sometimes I will study some or do homework. Also, in the afternoons I usually go to the gym or I'll have baseball practice. I've been going to the gym pretty consistently all semester but since I joined the club baseball team I've had a little less time in the afternoons than before. I wish I had more time at night to study. Its hard for me to study and do homework in the day time since there are so many distractions and other things to do. Because of this I usually back up my homework till nighttime but sometimes this presses me on time and I'll have to rush to get something done. This has resulted in a couple lower grades on english papers because I didn't put in enough time on an essay. To fix this problem, I should probably start going to the library during the day to study. This will eliminate the day time distractions and free up my nights a little more.

Flattener 3/4 and Advising/Majors

What is/ Have you chosen a major? If money and education were not factors, what would you do with the rest of your life? How can you make that connect with your/a major?
As of right now my major is pre-business. I haven't decided yet which part of business I specifically want to major in, but I think I either want to go into finance or management. I may decide to double major and do both. Its hard to really think about what I would want to do if money was not a factor. As shallow as it sounds I would rather have a job that pays really well that I might not necessarily like than one that doesn't pay well that I do like. So money is definitely a factor. I haven't really thought about what I want to do, but I may just follow in my dad's footsteps and work in hospital administration. This occupation connects with a management major because I would be managing people every day. I also want to major in finance because I find it interesting. An occupation like a stock broker or something similar to that would be something that a finance major could help me in. But those are just thoughts, I really have no idea what I want to do. One of the reasons I'm majoring in business is because it is such a general major that there will be many directions I can go with it. I'm hoping that I'll gain interest in something in the next few years and decide what I want to do.

Mid-Term

Reflect on your semester thus far; what has been great? What has been hard?
Dance appreciation has been great, math has been hard. In dance appreciation, our hour and a half long class usually consists of a one hour long period of doing nothing at all. Usually during this time I will sleep or do a little studying. And to top it off we get out early giving me lots of time to get to my next class. On the other hand, math has been pretty difficult. Whats funny is what we are going over right now is supposed to be review but since its from so long ago its like learning something completely new. I have a B in math right now but I've had to put in a decent amount of time studying.
What do you want to change? What are you going to do differently?
For the next half of the semester I would like to get my math grade up to an A. Right now its a fairly high B, so in order to do that I'll have to average a high A this half to bring it up. To do this I'll have to study some more and put more time into the graded homework. Since its only a worksheet sometimes I don't take it as seriously but I end up paying for that since they count as much as quizzes. I did well on the first test but I'll have to do really well on the next one if I want to get an A for the class

Service Learning

What does service-learning mean to you?
To me service learning involves helping someone else while improving your own character. Although the purpose of the mentoring program at Hand is to help the students we will be mentoring, I'm sure it will benefit us also. Service learning is always done by volunteers, but that doesn't mean the people volunteering don't get anything out of it. In my experience with service learning, the work I have done has always made me feel better about myself and leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. One time last year a bunch of friends and I built a deck for a disabled man who desperately needed one. We were out there for 8 or 9 hours, but the feeling after we had finished was indescribable. Not only had we just accomplished the task of building a deck but also had greatly helped someone in need. In this instance I think my friends and I got as much out of the service as the man we were helping. In the program at Hand, we'll be put into a situation we've never been in before. This is a challenge in itself the experience will surely benefit us.

Information Technology

Reflect on your experience attending a student organization meeting. What were you looking for? Did you find it? Are you planning to stay involved with the organization?
When I first got to college I was told by one of the Young Life leaders in Aiken about Young Life here at USC. I attended Young Life in Aiken during my senior year of high school and met a lot of new people, so I was interested if I would enjoy Young Life here at USC the same way. I really liked going to a club with all of my friends that was based on religion but wasn't at all like church. When I went to a Young Life meeting a couple weeks ago here I wasn't really looking for anything but I was curious to see how it would differ from the one in Aiken. Although I did enjoy it, it was different than what I was used to. The way it was done was pretty much the same but I realized that what I had enjoyed so much at Young Life in Aiken was hanging out with all my friends, not as much the organization itself. I did meet new people, but it just wasn't the same. So, for that reason I will probably not stay involved with the organization unless I become better friends with the people I met or bring current friends with me.

Meet Your Professor

How was your visit with your professor?
Although it was short, I think my visit with my professor was very beneficial to me. I feel like I killed three birds with one stone during my visit. I completed the assignment for this class, got on a first name basis with my professor, and I also got some advice for my paper we have been doing in class. I met with my English professor, and it made it a little easier once I realized that she was happy to meet me and help me out with my paper. I had to go out of my comfort zone to do it, so it helped that she was very friendly and glad to meet with me.
What was something new you learned about your professor?
Although I could have guessed it with her being younger than most of my professors, I learned that she is currently working on her PhD. I was surprised to learn about the amount of work she had to do to get the degree. I assumed it would be a lot, but never as much as she told me it was. The amount of writing required to complete her degree is absurd in my opinion. Hopefully I'll be satisfied after grad school and won't need to get a PhD.
What advice would you give to someone that is about to meet with his/her professor?
I would advise someone to have a backup plan with something to talk about regarding the class to avoid any awkward silences. Once I didn't know what to say any more, I just brought up the paper we were doing in class and discussed that for the rest of the time. Having something to talk about the whole time made it more comfortable for me.

Hand Middle School Visit

After your first visit at Hand what do you think this experience will be like?
Although I am meeting with an international student instead of mentoring a student at Hand Middle School, I will write about my visit to Hand. I really enjoyed our visit to the school. The principal was very kind and she seemed very excited to have us there. It was uplifting to hear how much the school and its students appreciate us coming there to mentor. I was also impressed by the art all around the school, my middle school looked nothing like that. Also, I like how we are given the freedom to mentor the students where ever we choose on the school campus, and the overall independence we have when interacting with them. It would probably be a lot less enjoyable for the students if we were required to go sit in the library every time we were there to mentor them. I think the experience will be very enjoyable for all of my friends who are taking part.
What do you hope to gain out of it?
Another tough question since I won't be part of the program, but I can imagine my classmates who are will all get a lot out of it. One thing I will get out of meeting with an international student is becoming more comfortable with talking to someone I don't know at all. Also, it will be interesting communicating with someone who may not speak english very well. I've never had to overcome this barrier before when meeting someone for the first time, so it should be a challenge for me.

Patrick Hickey

What are your expectations and thoughts about tutoring a student at Hand Middle School? (positive and/or negative)
Due to complications with my schedule I unfortunately had to opt out of the mentoring program at Hand Middle School and will be meeting with an international student. I expect that all of my classmates will enjoy mentoring the students. When I was in elementary school we were all paired up with older students from another school and it was an experience I still remember. I used to look up to my mentor like he was the coolest guy I had ever met. Knowing this, its unfortunate that I won't be able to have the experience of being the mentor. With regards to my situation, I don't really know what to expect with meeting with an international student. Its always fun to compare cultures with other people who live far away, even if they live in the United States. So for that reason I am looking forward to it.

Academic Success-LASSI

Look at your LASSI results. Reflect on them and record your thoughts, be sure to include what you agree/disagree on. Also how do you plan to change or increase some of your scores?
I think that the LASSI test is a very false representation of my academic success in the future. The scores I received in all the categories were very low and misinterpret my study habits and attitude about school. For example, i received a 5 in attitude, the lowest score possible. I tried to answer all the questions honestly but this score is absurd. If I had that terrible of an attitude about school I probably would not be doing this homework right now. Also, I received another score of 5 in self testing. This is fairly accurate because I don't think self testing is necessary to study properly, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to succeed in college. One score I agreed with was motivation. I still thought it was low, at 65, but it is high relative to the rest of my scores. Although I don't think 65 is accurate I think that it is accurately my highest score. I feel I am pretty motivated and can succeed if I am passionate about something. Next time in taking this test I'm going to answer the questions more optimistically and less honestly in order to receive a higher score.

Week 3 post 2

Describe your past service experience.
My past service experience has all been connected with my church in Aiken. As a youth group, we would go to the local food bank and help out in transporting goods to those in need in our town. Waking up at 6:30 a.m. to participate always almost made me back out of doing it, but I went every time and never regretted it.
Why did you choose to volunteer?
I chose to volunteer because it was an activity that our church asked us to do. Although it crossed my mind many times, backing out just to have a few more hours of sleep on Saturday was a pretty selfish thing to do. So, I didn't really choose to volunteer, I was asked to, and I accepted.
Are there any significant issues or areas you are passionate about?
To be honest, not really. I haven't had enough service experience to be passionate about a certain issue. But I did thoroughly enjoy the work I did helping out the hungry in our area. Even though all we did was bring bags of groceries out to cars, the people receiving the food would look at us like we had just made their week, when it seemed to us we weren't really doing anything. This made doing service completely worth waking up early.
Has any of your service been connected to a course?
Yes and no. Last year our class was required to complete a certain number of hours of community service to complete the class. But I never went out of my way to do service. The work I did for my church was a sufficient number of hours to complete the requirement. So although it was required for a course in the past, I was doing it anyway.

Week 3 post 1

How do you plan to get/stay organized at USC?
As a lifetime procrastinator with no need for cleanliness in my room, it has been difficult to adjust to more organized habits here at USC. I plan to get organized by setting out a certain time every day to do homework and other school related things. So far this has worked out pretty well and has kept me from falling behind in any of my classes.
How do you manage your time?
Although I'm not very good at staying organized, I do manage my time fairly well. I am a very habitual person, and enjoy doing things on a schedule. For example, every day I go to the gym at the same time with my friends depending on what day it is. This is how I manage most of my activities.
What strategies have worked in the past?
In high school, I didn't have very good study habits, but I used the same strategies as now to manage my time. Over the summer, I would wake up at about the same time every day, and do different activities at about the same time. Some people might think this would be a repetitive way to live, but it makes an easy way to keep track of my schedule.
What adjustments do you anticipate making during college?
Now that I'm in college, school actually matters so I will be studying. This is probably the biggest adjustment for me. I never studied at all until now. It has had a bigger impact than I thought, its difficult to sit down and study when you have never done it before. I didn't really care about grades that much in high school but now it has become the opposite. So because of this, simply studying will be my biggest adjustment.

Week 2 Carolinian/Involvement

Whats your story?
I was born on October 16, 1990 in Hollywood, Florida. I moved to Texas for about a year but I have lived the majority of my life so far in South Florida. For the first 12 years of my life I lived in the Fort Lauderdale area until moving to Aiken, South Carolina the summer before 7th grade. I played baseball my entire life up until now. I have been interested in other sports as well but baseball was always the most important. I grew up an Auburn fan so when I moved to South Carolina I had no preference between Clemson and USC. My decision to come here was mainly because it is fairly close to my home, but I also followed my best friends.
What did you expect USC to be like?
After going to orientation and still having no idea where anything was on campus, I was afraid USC would be overwhelming. I was surprised to find how easy it was to get around after the first couple days. Because of the initial apprehension, I was fairly stressed out about school upon arriving here. I also expected USC to be fun, which it certainly has been.
What do you think of USC during your first few weeks?
I have thoroughly enjoyed USC so far. It is fun always being with people and never being stuck with nothing to do. There is so much to do on campus, and many new people to meet. I have been a pretty shy person when it comes to meeting new people but I have enjoyed meeting lots of new faces since I got here. Also, my classes have been pretty easy so far so I am certainly happy for that.
How is the Carolinian Creed relevant to your life as a student?
As a student at USC, the Carolinian Creed establishes a reminder of the importance of integrity on campus. I feel like it gives the school and its students a sense of honor. Its a much better feeling when someone accomplishes something the right way with integrity, and I think the Carolinian Creed is a symbol of that.
Involvement
What were your overall impressions of the Student Organization Fair?
I thought the Student Organization Fair was impressive, but lasted too short. I was surprised by the high number of clubs there were here on campus. Many I had never heard of, and seemed pretty interesting. The Student Organization Fair was a reminder of all the opportunities provided for us here at USC. The Sky Diving Club and the SCUBA Club are examples of opportunities I am exposed to here at USC that I would have not been otherwise.
What are two organizations you would potentially join?
Two organizations I might be interested in joining are the Sky Diving Club and Young Life. I would like to sky dive simply because its something I would probably never do again. It would be a once in a lifetime experience that I would certainly never forget. Another club I may potentially join is Young Life. I would join this because I was a part of Young Life in my home in Aiken, and I really liked the people there. It would present a good opportunity for me to meet new people here at USC.
What are your hobbies/interests?
My hobbies are playing sports, video games, hanging out with friends, and going to the gym. Although I only played baseball in high school, I really enjoy other sports like football and especially ultimate frisbee. I love how ultimate frisbee is a ton of fun but also provides a really good workout. In addition to sports, I like hanging out with my friends. When there's nothing to do, we all like to play video games. In the past year a new hobby of mine has been going to the gym. Since I started going it has become a part of my daily schedule. Not only because I enjoy it but mainly because I believe its important to have daily exercise.