Study Abroad/National Student Exchange

                I am very interested in studying abroad and maybe the national student exchange. I don’t think I could do a whole semester abroad but I definitely want to consider a Maymester or a summer trip. It would be a great experience for me to get to experience another culture and travel. I have never been outside of the United States and college is the best time to do it. It is the cheapest opportunity I will ever have to travel so far. It also seems really easy to get help to study abroad. The process does not sound too hard or long.

                If I could go anywhere I would want to go to Australia. I have heard so many great things about it and it just seems like it was be so much fun! I would want to go to an English speaking country because I do not want to have to struggle with a language barrier. I would get too frustrated and I feel as if it would put a damper on my trip.

                I don’t have a favorite part of my service site yet because I haven’t gone on any location trips.

Brain Rules 7 & 8 - Emily- A student leader's perspective

                 I define leadership as a position help by someone who has initiative and others can look up to. This person has good decision making skills and can handle being in charge of a group of people and advising them what to do. This person can be assertive without being rude and can get tasks done on time.

                I have been a leader in sports and organizations. Also in class projects/activities. I was captain of one of my basketball teams and co-captain of one of my volleyball teams. In school organizations (such as FCCLA) I held leadership positions. I’m good at being in charge of groups of people and assigning different tasks. I am very assertive and want to get whatever needs to be done accomplished to the best of my ability and on time.

                I definitely want to have leadership roles within organizations on campus. I want to hold some position within my sorority and eventually be in charge of something in Carolina Productions.

Diversity

               Before coming to USC my definition of diversity was no different than what it is now. I still consider it as a variety in people depending on their race, culture, ethnicity, morals, and/or beliefs. My view of diversity has not changed, but I have seen a different type of diversity than when I was in high school. Here at USC there is more economical diversity. There are also more people at USC from many different countries and backgrounds than there were at my high school. At high school we would have a few foreign exchange students every once in a while but nothing compared to here at USC. At home there were definitely more African-Americans than there are here at USC and in Columbia, but here there are more races; before it was basically just white or black. I am also getting to experience “northern” culture. I’ve never met so many people from all over the United States and I get to see how different they are from me and other people raised in the South.

                I haven’t gone on any site trips for my service learning project yet so I have yet to experience diversity in it.

Brain Rules Chapters 5&6 - Diversity

The South Carolina traditions I have partaken in so far are the First Night Carolina and the First Year Reading Experience. I have yet to experience the Tiger Burn but I cannot wait for this! It sounds so exciting and something that the entire student body gets excited on and can share together. This year’s First Night Carolina was very interesting to say the least. It was pouring down rain so basically everything got ruined. We did not get to go to the stadium and we were all soaking wet sitting in the Russell House ballroom. The rain put a damper on the mood. Everyone was just cranky and bummed out so many people left which made it much less enjoyable. It was supposed to be a time where the entire freshman class came together and participated in something. The talent acts they chose to perform were very awkward and not interesting. I am guilty of leaving before it was over.

The First Year Reading Experience was very pointless. I didn’t read the book and I know a lot of other students didn’t either. There was no point in reading it other than us sitting through the long discussion about it and then not having an assignment or anything. I’m not complaining about not having an assignment about it, but there really was no point to us having to read the book.

Alcohol and Fall Break

              I wasn’t in class for Brent’s presentation on alcohol so I’m going to discuss alcohol.edu. Surprisingly I learned a lot more than I thought I would during alcohol.edu. I learned what the average drink size is and that a lot less college students drink than I thought. Only about 30 percent of college students drink alcohol. In the survey I put that I thought it was somewhere around 80 percent. Overall alcohol.edu was beneficial but it was quite redundant and was way longer than it needed. Part two was fine because it only took about 20 minutes, but part one took around two hours and repeated a lot of the same things twice. Another thing I didn’t like about it was the videos were made as if they were directed at a younger age group. The way the people spoke and explained things sounded as if they were talking to middle school kids.

                Next semester I am planning on taking Math 170, another women’s health class, anthropology, English 102, and then I’m not sure about the 5^th class yet.

                For Fall break I came home to Atlanta, GA to help take care of my mom. A week and a half ago she had a mastectomy and is recovering great! My sister came home for her fall break too from Tulane University.

Brain Rules Chapter 3&4-Undergraduate Research

                My time at my service site has been good. So far all I’ve done is put stickers on the inside of books that will later be given to children. I can’t wait to go on one of the trips to the schools so I can interact with the kids. I have a date I’m already signed up for on November 4^th at the Hand Middle School reading night.  I love kids and am so excited to see the looks on their faces when Cocky comes and we give them books. I’m really good at making kids excited about what they are doing which will especially be great in this situation since it will overall better their education. I have not volunteered anywhere else this semester but I am going to get more involved in Habitat for Humanities. You have to participate in a certain amount of meetings and activities in order to go on the builds.

Mid-Term Exam

                My favorite memory of the semester so far would definitely have to be Bid Day. It was just so exciting and fun getting to meet all my new “sisters.” If I could do anything over it would be studying harder and farther in advance for my first psychology test. I waited until the night before and after my first sorority function. Let’s just say I didn’t do too well on it.

                My goals from the beginning of the semester are pretty much the same. I still want to do well in all my classes and need to work out more and try to stay healthy. The only new goal I have added is to try to go to psychology every time. I have been finding it easy to miss class because he doesn’t take attendance and all he does it read us powerpoints that he posts online. Since I did so poorly on the first test I am making myself go to class and take notes. I am pretty much on track to complete my goals by the end of the semester, but I do need to start going to the gym more.