There are many exciting traditions practiced at Converse College; in my opinion, however, Big Sis/Lil Sis Week eclipses them all. Every Converse freshman is lovingly paired with a junior student who will act as a combination mentor and friend, a "sister" of sorts. Students who arrive in odd years are classified as Red Devils and will be paired with a Red Devil sister, and students who arrive in even years are Pink Panthers and will also be paired accordingly. Soon after this pairing, the member of the junior class, or "Big Sis," will leave hints of her identity to the "Lil Sis." Every night for the entire week, the freshman can look forward to adorable chalk messages from her big sister in the mornings and heaps of pink presents at night. At the end of the week, the Big Sis will reveal herself to her Lil Sis in an elaborate ceremony.
Only a few weeks ago I myself went through this process, and I loved every single minute of it. The chalk messages, tail, and other presents from my big sister made me feel incredibly loved and welcomed. Big Sis/Lil Sis week made me feel as if I were truly a valuable part of the Converse Community; I now have a true Converse family with whom to share my college experiences. Knowing that you are not alone in college is an incredibly powerful thing, and it makes me appreciate my incredible big sister, Nicole Dumouchel, more and more every day. I hope that one day I can be as good a sister to her as she has been to me.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Test-taking Strategies (Psychology Examples)
Test-taking, unlike writing, has always been one of my strong points. Although thoroughly understanding the material assigned is necessary, there are a few tips and tricks that never fail to help boost my grade on even the longest, most demanding tests.
Doing well on a test begins with studying effectively. Break up any reading over several days, and highlight the material or take notes. Then when the test day is fast approaching, you can review your own take on the material, (which you will probably best remember), and avoid frantically trying to read a hundred pages the night before an exam. This is what I do for Psychology, which meets only twice a week, often assigns two chapters of reading, and also often has a test after the two meetings. Play to your learning style strengths; if you are a visual learner, try to visualize a scenario in which the concepts in the reading play out or draw a picture that will help you remember the information. Also use mnemonic devoices when studying. I almost always remember parts of key concepts through acronyms; for example, on today's Psychology test I remembered that sleep protects, restores and repairs, aids in remembering, and aids childrens' growth. Instead of trying to remember those long phrases, the acronym "PRRRG" was used to jolt my memory.
On test day, try to be relaxed. Know that you did your best, and try to visualize yourself succeeding. Do not panic if you do not immediately remember the answers to every single question on the assessment. Calmly answer the questions you know first, then take the rest of the test question by question. I try to eliminate answers that I know are false immediately; however, if I am still stuck, I will put a star next to the question and move on to try and glean bits of information from the other questions and answers to help me with the more difficult questions. I make sure I have read the intial questions and various options carefully before selecting an answer for multiple choice tests; for short answer or essay tests I write the key points quickly out on the margins before I begin so that the stress that inevitably kicks in when I see the first few people turning in their tests doesn't rob me of my answer. In today's Psychology test, I did not know several of the short answers at the beginning, but after I calmed down I was able to remember pertinent bits of information that might have saved my grade. The absolute best thing you can do to prepare for a test other than actually study is believe that you are capable of making the grade you want. Once you believe in yourself, the rest is easy.
Doing well on a test begins with studying effectively. Break up any reading over several days, and highlight the material or take notes. Then when the test day is fast approaching, you can review your own take on the material, (which you will probably best remember), and avoid frantically trying to read a hundred pages the night before an exam. This is what I do for Psychology, which meets only twice a week, often assigns two chapters of reading, and also often has a test after the two meetings. Play to your learning style strengths; if you are a visual learner, try to visualize a scenario in which the concepts in the reading play out or draw a picture that will help you remember the information. Also use mnemonic devoices when studying. I almost always remember parts of key concepts through acronyms; for example, on today's Psychology test I remembered that sleep protects, restores and repairs, aids in remembering, and aids childrens' growth. Instead of trying to remember those long phrases, the acronym "PRRRG" was used to jolt my memory.
On test day, try to be relaxed. Know that you did your best, and try to visualize yourself succeeding. Do not panic if you do not immediately remember the answers to every single question on the assessment. Calmly answer the questions you know first, then take the rest of the test question by question. I try to eliminate answers that I know are false immediately; however, if I am still stuck, I will put a star next to the question and move on to try and glean bits of information from the other questions and answers to help me with the more difficult questions. I make sure I have read the intial questions and various options carefully before selecting an answer for multiple choice tests; for short answer or essay tests I write the key points quickly out on the margins before I begin so that the stress that inevitably kicks in when I see the first few people turning in their tests doesn't rob me of my answer. In today's Psychology test, I did not know several of the short answers at the beginning, but after I calmed down I was able to remember pertinent bits of information that might have saved my grade. The absolute best thing you can do to prepare for a test other than actually study is believe that you are capable of making the grade you want. Once you believe in yourself, the rest is easy.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Diversity
Perhaps my own biological and cultural diversity, (my mother is a Roman Catholic Puerto Rican and my father is a Muslim from Iran), influences my own personal take on diversity; I believe that diversity prevents our world from being mind-numbingly boring. Who would benefit from a world where everyone is the same? Would new ideas emerge from minds bred to only believe certain things? Would the spark and creativity that characterize our modern world flourish under conditions that would inevitably crush them underfoot? I should think that even though a certain amount of comfort can be taken in familiarity, our society greatly profits from diversity.
There are some people who will persist in thinking that diversity is poison; they cling to their beliefs and traditions in order to be shielded from the evils that supposedly lurk in the unknown. Others will persecute and degrade those unfortunate people that do not conform exactly to their attitudes. I myself have encountered people who look down their noses at me because I am a product of two races and religions. (I pity these people who think that scraping the bottom of the gene pool will perserve their ways of life). I know of people who will tell a person to his or her face that because he or she is not of a certain religion they are damned to an eternity of suffering. Still others will be taunted because they are of a different sexual orientation or do not conform to their peers' expectations. Diversity is not something to be sneered at or feared; on the countrary, our differences make us interesting. Interacting with people different from ourselves forces us to examine our own thinking and broadens our perspectives. Surely only good can come from this "blending" of views. We as humans could learn many things together that will remain hidden from us should we persist in an ignorant isolation.
There are some people who will persist in thinking that diversity is poison; they cling to their beliefs and traditions in order to be shielded from the evils that supposedly lurk in the unknown. Others will persecute and degrade those unfortunate people that do not conform exactly to their attitudes. I myself have encountered people who look down their noses at me because I am a product of two races and religions. (I pity these people who think that scraping the bottom of the gene pool will perserve their ways of life). I know of people who will tell a person to his or her face that because he or she is not of a certain religion they are damned to an eternity of suffering. Still others will be taunted because they are of a different sexual orientation or do not conform to their peers' expectations. Diversity is not something to be sneered at or feared; on the countrary, our differences make us interesting. Interacting with people different from ourselves forces us to examine our own thinking and broadens our perspectives. Surely only good can come from this "blending" of views. We as humans could learn many things together that will remain hidden from us should we persist in an ignorant isolation.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Stranger to the Bottle
I'll admit it: I'm not much of a risk-taker. I don't smoke or take drugs. Much to the dismay of many of my teenage friends, I don't usually drive over the speed limit and try to obey traffic laws. My shyness, and I'd like to think my morals, keep me from being much of a partier. I don't drink, and I don't plan to until I'm of legal age. I would think that not being reckless would be considered a good thing; apparently, however, not participating in these dangerous behaviors puts me into the old-before-her-time, must-just-stay-home-and-knit-on-the-weekends category. When did being a "good kid" become being a loser? Why must being respectful of your body and mind mean that you are boring and voluntarily missing out on life?
The clincher for most people, that which definitively puts me in the misfit category, is the fact that I don't drink. I shocked countless people in high school by actually admitting this "outrageous" fact. "Seriously? You don't even drink?" they'd ask me, eyes wide with shock. Then they would start lecturing on how they knew smoking and drugs were dangerous, but everybody drinks. I was inevitably subjected to countless stories of how much fun it was to drink, how alcohol made you more fun to be around, and even how excessive drinking made you more popular. These stories I ignored, because I had heard the ones less often told, of waking up next to a person you did not know, of having no memory whatsoever of the evening spent drinking, and worst of all, of injuring or insulting loved ones while under the influence. So for me, the choice is clear. I will not drink until I am of legal age, and even then I will not abuse alcohol like so many of my peers do. I will continue to be a social outcast to these short-sighted peers, but I will be a stronger person physically and mentally for my trouble.
The clincher for most people, that which definitively puts me in the misfit category, is the fact that I don't drink. I shocked countless people in high school by actually admitting this "outrageous" fact. "Seriously? You don't even drink?" they'd ask me, eyes wide with shock. Then they would start lecturing on how they knew smoking and drugs were dangerous, but everybody drinks. I was inevitably subjected to countless stories of how much fun it was to drink, how alcohol made you more fun to be around, and even how excessive drinking made you more popular. These stories I ignored, because I had heard the ones less often told, of waking up next to a person you did not know, of having no memory whatsoever of the evening spent drinking, and worst of all, of injuring or insulting loved ones while under the influence. So for me, the choice is clear. I will not drink until I am of legal age, and even then I will not abuse alcohol like so many of my peers do. I will continue to be a social outcast to these short-sighted peers, but I will be a stronger person physically and mentally for my trouble.
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Only Thing We Have to Fear is a Cranky Professor and a Red Pen
Fear, needless to say, is a very powerful emotion. Fear has the ability to rob us of our reason, our peace of mind, and even our sanity should it steal too close. I would think that nearly every human being of a certain age, (say, old enough to go to the dentist), has experienced this potent emotion at one point or another, and I would venture to guess that the feeling was not overly pleasant.
I myself am no stranger to fear, especially now as I begin a new chapter of my life in an unfamiliar environment, far away from those closest to me. With the school year just beginning, my fears have become academic in nature; I'm scared of everything from having an insanely large workload to writing-gulp-papers. Writing for fun or to get something off your chest that would be rude to say aloud is all well and good, but writing that is graded just plain freaks me out.
For me, writing requires some sort of emotional connection, some sort of interest or passion in the subject that will allow me to translate my emotion to paper. If that connection is absent, or clouded by anxiety, the paper will reflect it. And although I wish every single paper would entail researching some phenomenally interesting subject, most often they will not. Since I cannot always write about what interests me, I must find another incentive for writing papers on subjects I find a bit more dull, and must conquer my fear of my paper being so covered in red ink that it should be saying, "Et tu, Brute?". At some point in our lives, just as we inevitably experience fear, we must also deal with things we dislike. I think in conquering our fears, and learning to adequately deal with things we dislike, we grow. It's a painful growth, and one we may not always appreciate immediately, but one we may come to be grateful for in later years. After all, isn't painful, caffeine-fueled growth what college is all about?
I myself am no stranger to fear, especially now as I begin a new chapter of my life in an unfamiliar environment, far away from those closest to me. With the school year just beginning, my fears have become academic in nature; I'm scared of everything from having an insanely large workload to writing-gulp-papers. Writing for fun or to get something off your chest that would be rude to say aloud is all well and good, but writing that is graded just plain freaks me out.
For me, writing requires some sort of emotional connection, some sort of interest or passion in the subject that will allow me to translate my emotion to paper. If that connection is absent, or clouded by anxiety, the paper will reflect it. And although I wish every single paper would entail researching some phenomenally interesting subject, most often they will not. Since I cannot always write about what interests me, I must find another incentive for writing papers on subjects I find a bit more dull, and must conquer my fear of my paper being so covered in red ink that it should be saying, "Et tu, Brute?". At some point in our lives, just as we inevitably experience fear, we must also deal with things we dislike. I think in conquering our fears, and learning to adequately deal with things we dislike, we grow. It's a painful growth, and one we may not always appreciate immediately, but one we may come to be grateful for in later years. After all, isn't painful, caffeine-fueled growth what college is all about?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Class that repels note-taking
I am extremely fortunate to have great classes my freshman year in college; none of the professors take delight in seeing students struggle, and all of my classes are fairly interesting and challenging. My fellow students are polite and friendly, and many have the same interests that I have. If I need extra help or simply need clarification, many professors will be willing to take time out of their busy schedules to help me with my individual needs.
One of my favorite classes this year is Ideas and Cultures. The professor is friendly and engaging, and, unlike most literature assigned at school, the material is actual interesting and typically fun to read. Unfortunately, this class has one major problem: it is nearly impossible to take good notes in this class. The professor will write one or two words on the board and quickly move on to another topic. Sometimes it is difficult to listen and get the gist of what should be written down at the same time. As good notes are essential to successfully taking courses, this problem could easily become a hinderance to my academic success.
Luckily for me, my Converse 101 class has just finished teaching us how to take notes even when the lecture is difficult to translate onto paper. I will simply have to try and grasp the "big picture" and selectively take notes instead of trying to write down everything that is said in the lecture. I will have to be an active listener and participant in this class; I cannot be afraid to ask for clarification or repetition of something I did not catch. Staying focused and not succumbing to frustration at missing a single detail will also help me in my efforts to take good notes. I hope these techniques will help me become a better listener, note-taker, and student, especially in a class I enjoy so much.
One of my favorite classes this year is Ideas and Cultures. The professor is friendly and engaging, and, unlike most literature assigned at school, the material is actual interesting and typically fun to read. Unfortunately, this class has one major problem: it is nearly impossible to take good notes in this class. The professor will write one or two words on the board and quickly move on to another topic. Sometimes it is difficult to listen and get the gist of what should be written down at the same time. As good notes are essential to successfully taking courses, this problem could easily become a hinderance to my academic success.
Luckily for me, my Converse 101 class has just finished teaching us how to take notes even when the lecture is difficult to translate onto paper. I will simply have to try and grasp the "big picture" and selectively take notes instead of trying to write down everything that is said in the lecture. I will have to be an active listener and participant in this class; I cannot be afraid to ask for clarification or repetition of something I did not catch. Staying focused and not succumbing to frustration at missing a single detail will also help me in my efforts to take good notes. I hope these techniques will help me become a better listener, note-taker, and student, especially in a class I enjoy so much.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Procrastination
The transition from high school to college is, needless to say, a difficult one. Possibly the most difficult part of the entire process is saying good-bye to your loved ones and knowing that, even though you promised to keep in touch, your relationship with them will not be quite the same while you're at school as it was when you were at home. Since entering college, I've had to let go of a very dear friend of mine of almost eighteen years: Procrastination. Every time I was stressed about my workload, Procrastination and I would renew our friendship. I would watch television, or chat with a friend, or, if I was really desperate, do the chores that had inevitably piled up during the week. I would do anything, even things I wasn't really interested in doing, to try and forget about the workload. Unfortunately, no matter how long I spent watching reruns or scrubbing dishes, I never quite forgot about my work. It was always there in the back of my mind, reminding me that eventually it would have to be done, quite possibly instead of something I really enjoyed. Even though I knew I should be tackling the work now instead of wasting my time, I just could not bring myself to sacrifice a bit of my free time right then for my peace of mind and enjoyment later.
Unfortunately for my old friend, Procrastination is banned from the college premises. The workload in college simply will not allow itself to be forgotten, even for a moment. For me, that means I will have to sacrifice being stressed out all the time, feeling clueless in classes when homework didn't get done, and being left out of activities I would have loved had I not left my work until the very last minute. I'll have to trade in old dependable Procrastination for two new friends, Time Management and Organization.
Surprisingly, I don't think I'll miss that Procrastination. Truth be told, he was a bit of a drag, and I think I'll be much better off without him.
Unfortunately for my old friend, Procrastination is banned from the college premises. The workload in college simply will not allow itself to be forgotten, even for a moment. For me, that means I will have to sacrifice being stressed out all the time, feeling clueless in classes when homework didn't get done, and being left out of activities I would have loved had I not left my work until the very last minute. I'll have to trade in old dependable Procrastination for two new friends, Time Management and Organization.
Surprisingly, I don't think I'll miss that Procrastination. Truth be told, he was a bit of a drag, and I think I'll be much better off without him.
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