First Semester Midterms

            After a half of a semester here at southern, I feel that I am in a good spot. I came to this school mainly because of football, and I liked the campus, but the reason I am here is for academics and they definitely come first.

            I had trouble in one class, which was microeconomics. This class is somewhat challenging, but I thought that I knew the information well. Once I got to the tests, however I did not do so well. This whole class is based on tests too, so when I got a 61% on the first test it was kind of an eye opener. The teacher lets you drop one test though so I just figured I would study a lot harder the next test and then the first one will not matter. So I studied a lot for the second test, and did not do well, in fact I did worse than before. That’s why I decided to drop that course, I will probably take it again next semester and maybe a different teacher will be a different story, but we will see.

            Other than my microeconomics grade I feel that I am sitting pretty well. I have an A in anthropology and I am doing well in Inquiry and Computer Science. At the same time, I can raise all of those grades, which will be my goal for the second part of the semester.

            The class I have to focus on the most the rest of the way is Zoology. It is a Monday and Wednesday lecture class and a Friday lab. It is almost like having two different classes because we have different teachers and talk about completely different things. The tests are tough because the words we have to study are very difficult. They are not normal words and they are very long, which makes it difficult to memorize. I have a C right now, but I don’t think that it will be a problem to raise.

Time Management with Long Term Projects

             I started off this project by brainstorming questions. I came up with five good questions that I wanted to ask people. After this I ended up narrowing the questions down to three. I think that this was the hardest part for me because it basically made what my whole project was going to be on.

            Once I got the questions down, I wanted to lay out the structure that I was going to use for the video. This is just the way I like to think. Instead of creating all of the videos first and then adding titles to them, I like to have everything all set up before I start recording. This makes it as easy as a drag and a drop into iMovie to finish my project.

            Transferring my videos to iMovie is really easy. In the first video I made, I used Photo Booth so it was right on the computer to begin with all I had to do was drag it into iMovie. With my camera it was about the same thing, with just one more step. I had to connect the camera to the computer and open up the videos in iPhoto. From there I just saved them to the desktop and then dragged them right onto iMovie.

            I still have to interview a Senior leader and a staff member, but I now know who I am going to interview and it will be as easy as finding them and recording them for a few minutes, then my project will be done.

            As for time management, the best advice that I can give on a long term project like this is to start early. The worst thing that you can do is wait until the last minute. Not only will you be stressing, but your project will not come nearly as good as it would if you plan out your time well.

Troubleshooting

            I have not really had any troubles in making my video. For the most part thus far it has been pretty straightforward. This weekend I went home and brought back a video camera, so it is easier now to transport my videos right to iMovie. I have no problem with sound, or adding transitions, or anything like that.

            The only thing that I can see being a potential problem, is finding more people to interview such as teachers and older students. But at the same time I have an idea of whom I want to interview and I don’t think it will be a problem. It is just a matter of me seeing them and asking them questions. I will get that done within the next couple days. I think that I am on the right track and I should not have a problem finishing this.

Video Project

As of now in my critical thinking video, I believe I am having a good start. I have one question done for my interviews and that’s it for video. But, I am pretty familiar with iMovie so I do not think that I will have any troubles. I started filming using my webcam on my laptop since I do not have a regular camera, but hopefully if I can go home this weekend I will grab a camera, which will make the video process easier.

I have used iMovie before in high school so I have had practice with it. I feel like there is still a lot for me to learn though, through special effects and transitions, but I am trying to expand my knowledge of the software.

As of right now, I have my outline set on iMovie which consists of my main title page and all of the title pages for the different questions I am asking. I have a good idea of who I am going to interview for my project, although I do not really know what teachers to ask. Also I feel like interviewing a teacher through my webcam would not be the best way to do it, so hopefully I can get my camera this weekend.

I plan on adding music and transitions to my project every chance I get. Once I get all of my videos done, it will be easy to finalize the video since I already have my outline all set. I hope that the people I interview will give me great and in-depth answers to what they really think about critical thinking. If I have any trouble with someone giving me not quality answers then I do not think I will have a problem finding another person, its just a matter of if I will have time to finish it.

Overall, I am not worried about the situation I am in and I don’t have any questions about the project in general.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgKmDxgdT8U

Critical Thinking in Business

            My major is business management. Although I am just starting out in business and I do not know that much about the major, after doing research in the library I found a book about decision making that I feel can be used in the business management field. The book I found was The Harvard Business Review on Decision Making. I was a little skeptical picking out a book that was written by the Harvard Business School because I thought the wording would be way out of my league being a beginner in business. This book was actually a pretty easy read, the chapters are set up nicely and it is easy to find exactly what you are looking for. I did not read the whole book, but I look through the table of contents to find a chapter that would best suit how to think critically in the business field.

            The chapter I looked up was titled: Humble Decision Making, written by Amitai Etzioni. I found a quote that I feel can really help in making decisions if you are a business manager: “A new method of decision making is actually an old one, used by doctors for centuries and by many managers. It is called mixed scanning or adaptive decision making, and it involves two sets of judgments: broad basic choices about an organization’s goals and policies and a small, experimental decisions based on in-depth examination of a focused subset of facts and choices.” What I get out of this quote is that you should not over analyze situations. When you get facts maybe about how much a product is selling, or how little a product is selling, you can adjust to help your business out.

            This blog was tough for me because I am not too familiar with how business management works yet, I just have this as my major because I feel like it is interesting and I can learn more about it as I take more classes.

            Harvard Business Review on Decision Making. Boston: Harvard Business School, 2001. Print.

Music and Exercise.. It can be a lifesaver

            As we get deeper into the college experience, the stress will continue to grow. In the first few weeks, I personally have not had any real stressful assignments due. The first one I believe will be this Anthropology paper that is due next Thursday. I looked up several stress relievers online and found a few that I find myself doing.

            The first is Music Therapy. Music is such a powerful thing to us. Different songs can change our mood almost instantly. If you are stressed out, play some music that will unwind you, whatever that may be. What I think of when I think about Music Therapy would be the sound of the ocean. This for me is a very calming noise and it is what I will play when I become stressed out.

            Exercise is a huge part of my life, and has been for a long time. Most of the time I do it to train for the sport that I am doing at that time, but sometimes if I am just having a bad day, I will throw on my Nikes and go for a run. The roads by my house allow me to run right on the riverside. This is very calming to me. I am all by myself and I can jus think about whatever is bothering me. Also, working out is not just a physical healer. Exercise increases Endorphins, which is the body’s natural painkiller. Also, your brain releases Serotonin, nicknamed the “Happy Hormone”. This is why you feel better right after you workout.

            So, you have a huge exam coming up and you feel like you barely know the material. Instead of getting stressed out, relax. Manage your time correctly and leave time to take a relaxing run every once in a while, or leave time to throw on the headphones and listen to some relaxing music. You will probably do better on the exam then you would if you crammed and got stressed out.

Fight the Sickness

            There is no way to avoid getting sick. Especially in the college environment where you may be up really late and be around other people who are sick all of the time.  If you do get sick you may miss some really important things, such as class or events around campus that you must attend. It is a must that you have a connection in each of your classes that will write notes for you and give you any homework assignments or handouts that you missed. This way you will not fall too far behind if you happen to miss a class for sickness.

            I avoid sickness as much as can by taking vitamins every morning, and getting as much sleep as possible. It is also important to watch what you eat. I believe that being healthy starts with a healthy diet. That is why every time I am at Conn hall I eat a salad before my meal. It is not much but it could have a huge effect on whether you get sick or not. The vitamins I take every morning are the normal Centrum everyday vitamins. This has a huge effect on how I feel every day. I can tell if I have not been taking them because I forget. I can feel my nose starting to get stuffed up, and my throat swells up. I advise everyone who is not taking an every day vitamin to start right away.

            Also, if all lines of defense fail, and you do end up getting sick, you can visit the health center. It is located in Granoff Hall across from the Moore Field House on Wintergreen Avenue. During the school year they are open Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.  They are even here during the summer if you ever get sick near campus. The times are the same as during the school year except Friday they get out at 4pm.