My first official semester is over at CSUF. I think overall it's been fun. I didn't meet as many friends as I anticipated, but the very few I did, turned out to be passionate students -- like ME! I crack myself up sometimes.
I always try to have a "buddy" in each of my classes just in case if I had to miss a class (which is super RARE), I can refer to this go-to person for any notes. But, what I learned early on in the semester, which surprised me greatly, was that even at the university level, students (or shall I say "younger" students) aren't any different than say the junior college-level students, in that they still skip classes, only show up to turn in papers/projects or to take mid-terms, tests and finals. So...I couldn't rely on them even if I wanted.
I found that out to be true for my COMM 361 and COMM 346 classes. Oddly enough, my RTVF 375 Documentary Film class is where I found the two fellow-classmates, Elayne and Tony to be serious students. Thankfully, we were able to hold two study-groups before the final and bounced information off one another during our intense study sessions. I found this to be very helpful for the final. I'm bummed we didn't do this for the mid-term.
Overall, I felt okay with each of the finals. I know I have at least strong Bs (hopefully As) in all classes. My kids have all said, "that's great Mommy!" :-( I wanted all As. Overachiever, I know.
Now...I have at the very least 5 weeks ahead of nothingness. What will I do with my time? I could take up walking again -- unlikely though in this Alaskan-weather we've been having. While I welcome the downtime, I don't welcome the idleness. I'll take a few weeks off mentally then it's time to prepare for the spring semester. I'm looking forward to it. I'm a nerd that way, I suppose.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Final #1 Done
I should be asleep by now but instead I had the urge to blog.
Well, one final done and two more to go.
Tonight's final was a little more difficult than I expected. I circled those questions I wasn't sure about or that I hadn't answered at all and made one pass through the entire exam. Fifty questions. That's all. Fifty.
I panicked when everybody in the class started to file up one by one returning tests and placing their fresh new scantrons on the table in front of me. Cheaters!
"Hurry up, Annie," I thought.
Okay...so a few deep breaths and I was so over the stress! I didn't care that I was the second or third to the last person in the room.
I went back through the questions I didn't answer initially. After a quick once-over, I was finally done.
All the fear subsided and my color was slowly returning to my face. My equilibrium was straightening out and my levitated body was returning to its upright position!
Final over!
Like you've never felt like this before?
Comments?
Well, one final done and two more to go.
Tonight's final was a little more difficult than I expected. I circled those questions I wasn't sure about or that I hadn't answered at all and made one pass through the entire exam. Fifty questions. That's all. Fifty.
I panicked when everybody in the class started to file up one by one returning tests and placing their fresh new scantrons on the table in front of me. Cheaters!
"Hurry up, Annie," I thought.
Okay...so a few deep breaths and I was so over the stress! I didn't care that I was the second or third to the last person in the room.
I went back through the questions I didn't answer initially. After a quick once-over, I was finally done.
All the fear subsided and my color was slowly returning to my face. My equilibrium was straightening out and my levitated body was returning to its upright position!
Final over!
Like you've never felt like this before?
Comments?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Two Down, One More to Go
Yes, I'm making great progress!
The only drawback is I deprive sleep...but that is par for the course during finals week. I went to bed about 3:45 a.m. and woke up at 7 a.m. in order to make breakfast for Christopher before his game. He's playing in a pick up game for one of the Mustangs team. Good thing he already plays on a Mustangs team, huh?
It wasn't all that bad having to wake up that early and what would have been my natural reaction to go back to bed to get more sleep, I decided against it and am glad I did. It's close to 9:50 a.m. and I'm already done with two of three study guides. I'm tackling the last of them now: COMM 346 Entertainment and Tourism. The questions seem reasonable. I did however, call my professor to get clarification on one of the questions. You know, you can never be too sure about these things.
By the way...last week our media person for Team USA sent me an email about a writer from Rivals.com, David Biderman, wanted to interview Christopher about Team USA and their trip to Guatemala and asked questions about trying out in 2009, as he is one of two players eligible to return. Christopher had that interview yesterday. Exciting! I was shooed out of the room because Christopher didn't want to get nervous while answering questions. I was told by David the interview will be posted online in a few weeks and I will be contacted with the link - which I'll post here and on my other blog as well. Should be interesting!
Enough of this for now. Off to studying.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Finals Weekend (Again)
I'm amazed it's been one year to date since I last wrote in this blog, and for this I am ashamed. Boasting as a communications major, I did poorly in communicating. Now, isn't that irony?
This is indeed finals weekend and believe me when I say, I have been sitting on this piece of pine for almost 12 hours straight now, studying.
I was in a reflective mood and felt the urge to write about my experiences about this semester, my first at Cal State Fullerton.
I was very anxious to finally transfer to CSUF and over-prepared during the summer. Once I arrived here, I felt somewhat "let down" in that the other students weren't as serious or perhaps they lacked motivation. I found that to be a downer, really. I also felt a little intimidated about being an "older" person in college, but quite frankly, after the first few weeks, I got over that inhibition and realized there were more adult re-entry students at CSUF then at first I thought. What a relief. But that still didn't change my perception about the students in some of my classes. I would think at this level, a junior (and for some - seniors) school was a little bit important. But I got over it. Everybody is different. There could be underlying reasons why students weren't attending classes. Who was I to judge? There could be medical reasons, work related issues, or family emergencies. Who knows.
Let me tell you about my classes:
COMM 361 - Principles in Public Relations
I absolutely love this class. There is so much information and really, I can see how some of this info could be overwhelming to students, especially those who are full-time students; those who don't work (lucky!). But having already been in corporations for most of my life, much of the material we're learning are what I have or continue to encounter daily. It's good to know my company is in compliance with its business and social responsibilities. Kudos! My professor is very knowledgeable (Dr. K.) - a little hyper but in this profession, or any profession really, if you are that passionate about your work or your career, why not be hyper? His tests are half multiple choice and half true and false. No essays. He grades on a curve, which is good. However, the more you read the better you'll do on the tests! Plus the information you obtain will help you in you career! So learn and absorb the material!
COMM 246 - Entertainment and Tourism
This class teaches about the vast forms of entertainment. Movie buffs, entertainment lovers, and the like will enjoy this class. Mr. Blair doesn't lecture from PowerPoint slides, which I find odd, but he certainly knows his stuff. Pay attention though, because his mid-term is a little difficult since his questions are essay-style. He lectures from bullet points which he hand-writes on the white board. His explanations are questionable. I think I'm more critical because I've been in entertainment for over 15 years and much of what he discusses are things I've already encountered. Some of the things I find interesting are how little the students know about entertainment or how closed-minded some of them are. This is due largely in part to the age differences, but personally, I want to say to them at times, "Listen...if you expect to do well in this field or industry, you have to be more open minded."
RTVF 375 - Documentary Film
This class bores me to tears! Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but put it this way. I'm one to usually sit in the front row because I hate distractions and don't want to know what's happening behind me. For one thing, this class is poorly designed because there are hardly any electrical outlets for the laptop-toting population. Because we are always watching documentaries and it's obviously dark, I refuse to strain my eyes and write encrypted notes. I started to bring my laptop to class, at first I didn't, but after a few weeks, I resorted to hauling it in. I figured since I take notes for my other two classes, why is this RTVF class any different. The only issue I have is now I've resorted to sitting in the back...the very last row, at that. It isn't bad, really. I met a lady named Elayne, which after this class and this semester, is her last at CSUF. We share notes and will be meeting this coming week to study for finals.
I often wonder, though, if my professor (Mr. Ward) is experiencing "burn-out?" He seems a little disinterested, distant and non-communicative. He doesn't return email messages promptly and his web site is ancient. He hasn't conformed to the university's Blackboard online portal like most professors. He does, however, have decent PowerPoint lectures, but honestly, he should change it up a little. The theme is the same throughout, unlike Dr. K's, whose presentations changes for each chapter, which makes it interesting.
Overall, this has been a stressful semester, mostly because there were many other outside factors with which I was dealing (i.e., my son leaving for Guatemala; the twins started junior high school which meant their homework load doubled; plus trying to keep Christopher grades up so as not to be ineligible for sports - not that he has ever had a problem with his grades...he's a good student athlete). Plus, Christopher and Aaron played flag football their first quarter of school. Gosh, as if I had anymore to worry about - I now had to worry about potential injuries. Stressful.
Break time is over...back to studying! It's now 12:26 a.m. and I'm almost done with COMM 361 study guide. Tomorrow, I'll tackle COMM 346 study guide. RTVF 375 study guide is already completed. I finished that Wednesday night.
Signing off for now...
This is indeed finals weekend and believe me when I say, I have been sitting on this piece of pine for almost 12 hours straight now, studying.
I was in a reflective mood and felt the urge to write about my experiences about this semester, my first at Cal State Fullerton.
I was very anxious to finally transfer to CSUF and over-prepared during the summer. Once I arrived here, I felt somewhat "let down" in that the other students weren't as serious or perhaps they lacked motivation. I found that to be a downer, really. I also felt a little intimidated about being an "older" person in college, but quite frankly, after the first few weeks, I got over that inhibition and realized there were more adult re-entry students at CSUF then at first I thought. What a relief. But that still didn't change my perception about the students in some of my classes. I would think at this level, a junior (and for some - seniors) school was a little bit important. But I got over it. Everybody is different. There could be underlying reasons why students weren't attending classes. Who was I to judge? There could be medical reasons, work related issues, or family emergencies. Who knows.
Let me tell you about my classes:
COMM 361 - Principles in Public Relations
I absolutely love this class. There is so much information and really, I can see how some of this info could be overwhelming to students, especially those who are full-time students; those who don't work (lucky!). But having already been in corporations for most of my life, much of the material we're learning are what I have or continue to encounter daily. It's good to know my company is in compliance with its business and social responsibilities. Kudos! My professor is very knowledgeable (Dr. K.) - a little hyper but in this profession, or any profession really, if you are that passionate about your work or your career, why not be hyper? His tests are half multiple choice and half true and false. No essays. He grades on a curve, which is good. However, the more you read the better you'll do on the tests! Plus the information you obtain will help you in you career! So learn and absorb the material!
COMM 246 - Entertainment and Tourism
This class teaches about the vast forms of entertainment. Movie buffs, entertainment lovers, and the like will enjoy this class. Mr. Blair doesn't lecture from PowerPoint slides, which I find odd, but he certainly knows his stuff. Pay attention though, because his mid-term is a little difficult since his questions are essay-style. He lectures from bullet points which he hand-writes on the white board. His explanations are questionable. I think I'm more critical because I've been in entertainment for over 15 years and much of what he discusses are things I've already encountered. Some of the things I find interesting are how little the students know about entertainment or how closed-minded some of them are. This is due largely in part to the age differences, but personally, I want to say to them at times, "Listen...if you expect to do well in this field or industry, you have to be more open minded."
RTVF 375 - Documentary Film
This class bores me to tears! Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but put it this way. I'm one to usually sit in the front row because I hate distractions and don't want to know what's happening behind me. For one thing, this class is poorly designed because there are hardly any electrical outlets for the laptop-toting population. Because we are always watching documentaries and it's obviously dark, I refuse to strain my eyes and write encrypted notes. I started to bring my laptop to class, at first I didn't, but after a few weeks, I resorted to hauling it in. I figured since I take notes for my other two classes, why is this RTVF class any different. The only issue I have is now I've resorted to sitting in the back...the very last row, at that. It isn't bad, really. I met a lady named Elayne, which after this class and this semester, is her last at CSUF. We share notes and will be meeting this coming week to study for finals.
I often wonder, though, if my professor (Mr. Ward) is experiencing "burn-out?" He seems a little disinterested, distant and non-communicative. He doesn't return email messages promptly and his web site is ancient. He hasn't conformed to the university's Blackboard online portal like most professors. He does, however, have decent PowerPoint lectures, but honestly, he should change it up a little. The theme is the same throughout, unlike Dr. K's, whose presentations changes for each chapter, which makes it interesting.
Overall, this has been a stressful semester, mostly because there were many other outside factors with which I was dealing (i.e., my son leaving for Guatemala; the twins started junior high school which meant their homework load doubled; plus trying to keep Christopher grades up so as not to be ineligible for sports - not that he has ever had a problem with his grades...he's a good student athlete). Plus, Christopher and Aaron played flag football their first quarter of school. Gosh, as if I had anymore to worry about - I now had to worry about potential injuries. Stressful.
Break time is over...back to studying! It's now 12:26 a.m. and I'm almost done with COMM 361 study guide. Tomorrow, I'll tackle COMM 346 study guide. RTVF 375 study guide is already completed. I finished that Wednesday night.
Signing off for now...
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