5B Time

I was surprised with how much work I actually did. I did not think I did as much homework as I actually do, even though it was not in the 30-40 hour mark. Personally, I feel that the 30-40 hour amount is too much for me. I am a person who likes to get work done quickly and well, not dragging it out and taking forever to do one problem. The same goes for studying. I like to pin point what I know and focus my studying on what I do not. 

I spent the majority of the time sleeping, which was not surprising. I try to go to bed early so I am not falling asleep in my early classes. I also spent a lot of time (more than I thought) in class and doing homework. The majority of my weekend was spent socializing, which time was not bad because I got all my work done and I could spend time with my boyfriend. I don't to see him during the week, so I make sure I have my homework done before Friday night or, if it's simple, that I can do it Sunday night. 

I also noticed that I spent a lot of time watching movies and going on my phone. If I cut down the amount of time doing that, I can spend more time focused on school work and socializing with friends. Personally, I like my schedule. I do need to cut down the time I spend on my phone and on technology and switch in school work instead, but other than that, my schedule works out well for me. I'm going to have to change my schedule again during the second semester, as I am going to try and find a job, but I feel that after the first semester I will have a pretty good feel to how to juggle work, school work, and a social life.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=cool+clocks&revid=1103108200&sa=X&ei=uZRDUqCxDOeV7Abtm4DgBA&ved=0CDYQ1QIoAg#biv=i%7C1%3Bd%7CDpHdKFR-RmbAoM%3A

5A First Weeks

One of the greatest accomplishments I have had so far was getting a 93 on my math test. I had always been awful in math, usually failing or getting low 70s, so this was a great confidence booster. Even though I did well in math, I struggled in history. This was surprising, as history has always been my strongest subject. On the first quiz, I got a 75. I was angry with myself, but it made me realize that I had to study more. I also learned to change my study technique, which will hopefully help on the next quiz. Something else that was surprising was my English class. It is astoundingly easy, and is extremely frustrating. We are learning things that I learned in sophomore year of high school, so the class seems like a waste of time. What is most surprising about that class is that I am the only freshman in it. I wish I had been placed into a higher English, but when I pick my schedule it will be easier. 

When college started, I decided that I had to change my study techniques. In high school, I never studied. I would glance at my notes before the class started and that would be enough for me to get a good grade on the test. Now, however, I realize that I must actually take time to review notes and do practice problems in order to do well on a test or quiz. This is hard to adapt to, as I never set aside time to study before. I do believe that creating a time to study will be beneficial for my grades and my confidence with the class work and tests.

https://www.google.com/search?q=studying&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=miJDUratIvGj4APsroCIAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=672&dpr=2#biv=i%7C7%3Bd%7CMhhRJNCb6p9YOM%3A

5I, 3 Being Healthy

This was taken by me on September 24, 2013

Having a personal connection to depression, I asked about how depression can influence a college freshman's experience. I found out that depression can harm your sleeping, eating, and personal hygiene habits. When you are depressed, your sleeping patterns suffer and you get much less sleep than a non depressed person would. Because of this, your grades suffer and your alertness drops. You also eat less, making it difficult to concentrate as your body is not receiving the correct amount of sustenance it needs. People with depression also do not care about their appearance. There is the saying to dress to impress, and people who dress well usually have a higher self confidence level than those who do not. When you are depressed, this level is at an all time low and you do not care about how you look.

Those suffering from depression should try, as hard as it may seem, to focus on the positive aspects in life and seek help at the Health Center. There are also counseling services on campus that are available if talking with someone would help. If anything, there are numbers you can call for help, such as CCMC, (860)545-9000, and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 1-800-273-8255. 

5V This class has strange words

To me, an agency is a company that services another or someone. For awhile I was interested in modeling or acting, so I looked into the various agencies in my area. 

Two words that I've had to look up so far this week are fief and reciprocity. They were both used in my history class today and were important to the lesson, but I did not know what they meant. After going to dictionary.com, I discovered that a fief was a territory held in fee, which helped the lesson make more sense. The professor described reciprocity as basically treat others how you would want to be treated. This made sense, as we are learning about Confucianism and his beliefs of filial piety and humaneness. 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Fief?s=t

4I Chinese History

To me, delayed gratification means being able to wait for something important. Delayed gratification is important, because it teaches you to feel the importance of the thing you are waiting for. If you got it as soon as you wanted it, it would not have the same importance.

Two words that helped me in history class this week were concubine and eunuch. A concubine is a woman who lives with and is connected to a man but is not his wife. In the stories we learned about in class, a king had many concubines as well as his wife. Another word that helped me in class was eunuch. A eunuch is a male who serves the royal women who is castrated. One of the main characters of a story that we learned was a eunuch, and he was not able to become emperor because he could not have children.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=ancient+chinese+king&spell=1&sa=X&ei=8XA7UubFI7Oq4AOgt4GwBg&ved=0CDQQvwUoAA&dpr=2&biw=768&bih=928#biv=i%7C14%3Bd%7C7PNvtuOcda8UdM%3A

4A Patience is Key

Something that I had waited awhile for was my tattoo of a heart that is on the inside of my left wrist. I had been waiting to get it for five years, and I still cannot believe that it is real as I only got it three weeks go. I used to draw it with pen everyday until my mom told me to wash it off. My parents still haven't seen it, so their reaction should be an interesting one. 

I wanted this particular tattoo for multiple meanings. I drew it when my life turned sour as a reminder that I am loved and I am not nothing. It grew to mean more as my love life blossomed. My boyfriend was the one who actually bought my tattoo for me. He knew how important it was to me, and occasionally was the one who drew it for me. It was definitely worth waiting for, as it holds so much meaning and symbolizes something important to me. 

I do believe that Americans are too fast paced. We need to slow down and realize what is truly important in life. We, as a society, value instant gratification over delayed gratification because we get the end result now. We are constantly living in the now, without much thought to the later.

I agree that technology is one of the key factors to our fast paced society. Before technology, people had to be patient to talk to one another-sending letters back and forth can take weeks. Now, we can get ahold of them quickly and in seconds. We have become accustomed to this, and expect everything to be just as fast.

3I, 21 Art on campus

Picture by me, on September 13

I found this sculpture while wandering around campus after class. I was exploring the rest of the campus, as all of my classes are in Engleman Hall and I do not see the other parts. This sculpture was created by Herk Van Tongeren in 1983. I liked it, as the Southern Connecticut State University symbol is a pillar. I found it as I was walking in the back of Engleman Hall. There is a very pretty apple tree that is in front of it, and I can't wait to see its blossoms in the spring. I thought this sculpture was interesting because it symbolized our school.