Brain Rules Overview/Midterm Review

              I am so glad I went to the Majors Fair. When I was applying to colleges I couldn’t decide if I wanted to put Business or Fashion Merchandising as my major. I ended up putting Business but when I got to USC and started talking to more and more people, I really wanted to look into changing to Fashion Merchandising. When I went to the fair Jimmie introduced me to the Head of Recruitment for the Hotel, Restaurant, and Sports Management College. He was unbelievably helpful and informative. He said we could set up a meeting and see what all I would have to do to change majors and what classes I would need to take next semester. He even offered to give me a private tour of the college.

                I am almost 100% going to change majors now. I had advisement for the Business school later that afternoon and it just didn’t seem as interesting to me. What I want to do when I graduate is exactly what Fashion Merchandising teaches and prepares for. I also love how many (great) internships the Fashion Merchandising program offers.

Campus Safety Presentation

              Most of my classes are going well! The only one I am slightly struggling with is psych 101. I’m having a hard time finding motivation to ALWAYS attend class because all the teacher does is present PowerPoint presentations that he then posts online I could read for myself. After I didn’t do so well on the first test, I am now making myself go to class every time and take notes. I am just going to have to put up with the boringness and suffer through to make sure I succeed and maintain my GPA.

                The two classes I am enjoying the most are my Calculus class and my Women’s Studies class. I like both of the teachers a lot and they make everything interesting. I’m doing well in both class which is always a good thing. I did well on my first calculus test and not that great on the second test but that’s ok. I’ll just study harder next time. On my first women’s studies test I got a B- which is not perfect, but I definitely have room for improvement. 

Service-Learning Site Visits

                After visiting my service site (Cocky’s Reading Express) I am so excited to go ahead and get started! I love kids and I can’t wait to be a part of something that will make them so happy and energetic, especially about something that will better their education.  I really liked the environment of the library we went to and the women in charge were very nice.

                I’m concerned I might not get to go on a site visit. The timings of all of them are very conflicting and they already have other volunteers. We will mostly be doing intern work in the offices at the library, which is fine, but I hope I get to go on at least one site visit so I can interact with the kids.

                I hope to gain more appreciation for the things I have and the fact that I have such a great availability to books and resources. I’m hoping that this experience will help me like reading more.

Patrick Hickey - Presentation

                So far my experience being a capstone scholar has been great! I love living here and being surrounded by academically driven students like myself. The requirements are not hard or time consuming at all and it will look really good on my resume that I was a part of the capstone scholars program. I haven’t completed any of my 5 requirements for the semester yet but I have planned out how I am going to. This Wednesday I am going to the Harlan Cohen discussion and my service through our University 101 class will count as my needed service.

                Surprisingly, my experience so far has been the exact same as my expectations. I have met great people, learned great skills, and been pushed to get involved. I love the atmosphere of capstone and all the teachers and advisors I have met have been incredible. Everyone wants each other to succeed and do well not just academically but personally.

Time Management, Goal Setting, Personal Challenge

             The goals I set for myself on my Student Engagement Plan were to do more community service, stay active, join a club(s), and learn more about my major and perhaps change it. The easiest one will probably be the community service just because I will get a good amount done through our University 101 class. The hardest for me will definitely be staying active. I do not like working out, so that will definitely be a struggle for me. Luckily my roommate is very active and likes working out so she will help push me.

                My personal challenge is to stay as healthy and fit as possible. I want to work out as much as I can and try to start eating healthier. I have NEVER eaten healthy in my life. I am a sucker for junk food and I hate vegetables. I just need to plan certain times during my week that I will set aside for going to the gym and I need to start being more conscious of what I eat.

Academic Success

             For the most part I agreed with my LASSI results. The main one that I found to be completely off was my attitude score. I scored a 1 which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. Luckily, Sam in class said that was the one score that most people agree with and find wrong so I wasn’t worried too much. Concentration I also scored a 1 on which I didn’t agree with. I agree that is low, but I don’t think it’s that low. My highest score was on anxiety where I got a 75, and I agree with that. I have been known to get pretty anxious about things, especially school.

                I scored well in information processing which I use in my everyday life. I am good at verbal elaboration and organization for sure. I keep all my things organized. I plan to change my scores just by working on my weaknesses over this semester. I would re-take the test next semester to see how my scores have changed and what I have improved upon.

Service-Learning Training

                I used to go to Catholic school where we had to have a certain amount of service hours per semester.  The main place I would go to do service was a shelter for homeless mothers and their children. I would bring dinner to them and provide child care. I have always loved babysitting and get along well with children so I enjoyed it a lot.

                I’ve never had service connected to a course so I’m excited to see how this semester with University 101 goes. It should be interesting to see how we connect what we do outside of the classroom with what we learn in the classroom.

                I want to be involved in Habitat for Humanities. I signed up for it at the Student Organization Fair and I’m really excited! I’ve always wanted to be involved with that organization, but never knew how to get connected. I’m glad it was so easy here to find out information about it and immediately get involved.

-Sorry for being late! =[

Labor Day-No Classes

                This past weekend for Labor Day I went back home to Atlanta, GA. A week before the holiday I decided I wanted to try to go home if at all possible and started looking for a ride. I wasn’t having any luck until my roommate found me a ride! Her best friend from high school (Dakota) and her roommate (Morgan, who is from a suburb of Atlanta) were driving over for the weekend to go to Morgan’s lake house. Luckily they had one more seat available in the car so I got to ride with. I decided not to tell my parents I was coming home so I could surprise them! I’m not very good at keeping surprises just because I get so excited and want to tell everyone, but I was good this time and kept it to myself.

                When I pulled up to my house on Friday, I called my house phone and my mom answered. I told her to go check the front door step because I had sent her a package and it had been delivered.  She opened the front door and freaked out! I surprised my dad about 15 minutes later when he got home from work. I stood so he didn’t see me when he walked in and then popped up and said “Hi Dad!” He was speechless.  I was so excited to be home and see my dogs. It was sort of weird being home though so soon after leaving for college. I caught myself calling South Carolina home which was definitely odd to me.  My parents were so excited to see me and spoiled me all weekend. They took me out to dinner and kept taking me to get ice cream. It definitely made me miss home, but I also missed South Carolina and couldn’t wait to get back to my dorm and all my new friends. Overall it was a successful weekend and I had lots of fun!

Involvement-Student Organization Fair

              Walking around the student organization fair was definitely overwhelming along with exciting. Having so many people close together talking about their clubs and trying to hand you their flyers was a little much. Having so many different options and ways to get involved was the exciting part. In high school I was never too involved other than cheerleading, but that’s because there weren’t too many options. Here at USC, there are so many different organizations and clubs that interest me that now I’m having a hard time choosing what I want to do with my free time!

                The two organizations that I will most likely join are Habitats for Humanities and the Belly Dancing Club. They are both so different, yet I am very interested in both. I have always wanted to do Habitats for Humanities but was never quite sure how to get involved or where to go back at home to get information about it. The Belly Dancing Club just sounds like so much fun and I am a pretty good dancer so it shouldn’t be too hard. In both clubs I will get to meet a diverse group of people that all share a similar interest with me which I find awesome.

                If I could start one organization here at USC it would definitely be the Coloring Club like we discussed in class yesterday. I think that sounds like an awesome idea and a great way to relive stress. Many people sounded interested in it, so I don’t think it would be hard to get people to participate and join. Whenever I get bored I always find myself doodling and coloring random stuff, so I think it’d be a great idea for a new club here on campus. 

Lifelines-History of Carolina and Carolinian

                My expectations here at USC are to find lifelong friends and get the best education possible. I want to take advantage of all the opportunities that arise and do everything to build my character and resume. I know while I am here I will meet some of the most interesting and nicest people imaginable. By the time graduation rolls around I hope I don’t even want to leave.

                My biggest adventure so far would definitely have to be rush. It was exciting, emotional, and overall and once in a lifetime experience. I met so many amazing people. I love the diversity among the student body here; personality wise and geographical. I am so intrigued with all the different locations people come to USC from. Their lifestyles and cultures are so different. During rush you definitely have to put yourself out there and not hold back. It made me step outside of my comfort zone and meet and talk to people I would normally not. In the end, I was VERY pleased with the results of me becoming an Alpha Delta Pi.

                The only unexpected things I have encountered were me being late to a few classes. It is very unlike me to be late to anything, especially a class! I have overslept a few times and I have to adjust to not having anyone there to wake me up (i.e. my parents) and make sure I go everywhere I’m supposed to on time.