PA#3: They Say . . .
For your third paragraph, consider a single piece of advice or evaluation about college that somebody gave you before you came to college. State that advice and explain it briefly. Based on your very limited experience, comment that advice or evaluation. Was it true? Did it help as you started your college career?
Here's an example: My daddy told me that I was starting a new life. I could remake myself any way I wanted. I took that advice to heart. I had been a nerd, an awkward, anti-social geek. By the end of orientation, I was Mr. Popularity because I remade myself. In a paragraph I would explain all that in detail, and then tell the story of the single event that helped others to see me in that light.
As you write, consider using some of the transitional devices in TSIS. Their use will help you to construct a fully developed and well organized paragraph.
We'll review some of the paragraphs on Friday, so please get them on the blog by Thursday at 5 PM.
A friend of my family who is a successful dentist told me to find what works for me. As an aspiring dentist myself, I am trying to find my rhythm here at Ohio Wesleyan University. Since I can remember, it takes me longer to grasp the material taught inside the classroom. However I never let this stop me by achieving remarkable results. Whenever a professor assigns a paper or a reading I start on it that same day. If I procrastinate the work would turn out to be garbage because I rushed. It is okay if it takes me a longer to get the work done or if I have study more. The best thing to do is to make sure I do it right the first time so I do not have to waste energy doing something over again.
ReplyDeleteOn the day before I left for college, my dad sat down with me and told me that if I put my time in now and work hard, it would most likely pay off in the long run. This really stuck to me. It reset my mindset towards school and putting in the time. College is a great opportunity that I must take full advantage of. It will help me decide what the next forty plus years of my life will be like. It can make me or break me. Through my four years of High School, I put in the minimal amount of effort needed to get by with a decent grade and it worked pretty well, but now I am facing a completely different situation. I am trying my hardest to change my old ways. College is a new beginning and your success falls all on your own shoulders. Only one week of class has passed and I can proudly say that I feel myself putting a much greater effort into what I do. I feel for my work and want it to be perfect. Many great professors, who care so much about what they do, are teaching me everything they know and I must soak in their teachings. Everyday is a challenge and every class I sit through is an opportunity to learn something new. I am still far from perfect and I have a very long way to go, but I would say that I have completed my first week of class on a high note.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most frequently asked questions I was asked before leaving for college and even still here is "what are you majoring in?". I found myself answering this question with the same script every time, "Vocal Performance and Economics Management". Repeating this answer over and over again got me thinking recently, is this really what I want to do with my four years at OWU? I gave my dad a call the night after classes began and told him about how I was feeling. I have always looked to my dad for advice on anything. He told me "Son, You are a freshman in college, by no means should you already know exactly what you are going to do with your life. What you should do is dream big, work hard, and frequently ask yourself, do you love what your doing?" I took this advice to heart and have found myself a little bit lost on the music side of my studies and am deciding if Music is the right path for me. I will hopefully be able to give this advice to my son one day.
ReplyDeleteBefore I came to college, many friends, coaches and teachers gave me valuable advice to prepare me for the four years ahead. Something that I really should have taken to hear my first year was to stay caught up on my studying. My first year in college, I had poor motivation to study and keep up on my academics. I was always concentrating on lifting, running, and doing everything I can to make sure I was one of the top football players at my school. Soon, I realized that football could be taken away from me with the snap of a finger. Last October, I tested positive for mononucleosis. The doctor had told me I was not able to finish the last 8 weeks of football. This put me in a depressed slump, but something else made my slump a lot worse. I was not achieving my goals in all my classes. I was falling behind in all my reading and studying. It took about a month to get completely caught up. This experience has taught me that the advice I had previously heard was true. If I had to give any advice to the freshman or first year college students, it would be to study every night, stay caught up in your reading, and to make yourself familiar with the material being taught in your classes. If not, it doesn't take long to fall behind, and it will take you forever to get caught back up.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Sygier
ReplyDeleteENG 105.4
"Don’t get worried if you have a hard time adjusting to the new environment.” That was the piece of advice that a family friend gave to me. He continued saying, “This is completely different than our little town.” He was right. This is different than what I was used to. Back home, I felt comfortable with the people I knew, we had grown into a family. By being here, I have to start creating that trust with new people all over again. I am not used to being “the new one,” I am accustomed to being the person who makes everybody else feel comfortable in their new environment. This is a complete new experience for me, and it is something I have to assimilate slowly. Even if I received this advice in advance, I had not realized how different it would actually be. Thinking of that one sentence has helped me calm down when culture shock hits me the most. I am not the only one going through this, and I can keep going. Don’t get worried, just stay strong.
Michael Mora Brenes
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
Usually, many people assume that the most important element about college is choosing a major that provides us lots of money. That is why a very common question I was asked when starting college was “What are you majoring in?” I was always scared when hearing that query, not because I didn’t know what to say, but because I felt that what they were really asking me was how much money I am going to earn. My answer is not focused solely on how much money I will be able to earn. For me, it means four years of my life studying a career that I love; it means a way in which I can return something to society; and the most important, it means my future and the best for my family. So, how not to be afraid when one feels so much social pressure concerning their future life? Something that really helped me to face this new stage was my parents’ words. They told me that I was about to start a journey full of new experiences and adventures that would really impact my life, where taking risks and making decisions will be part of my everyday life, and where facing new situations will make me grow as a person. Therefore I know better by now that life is all about taking risks, and that no matter what people expect from me, I should only do what I really like. As my parents once told me, now it is all about my future and no one else’s.
Going into college undecided for me is pretty intimidating. It seems as though most of my friends and the people I have talked to have their major set and their life figured out, and I'm still trying to figure out what it is I like to do. About halfway threw senior year I was at Wegmans and I ran into my World Civilizations professor I had my freshman year. I told him that I did not really know what I wanted to do in life yet, and he told me to experiment and take a wide variety of classes my first years of college. I had heard this advice before, but not in the way he said it to me that day. I remembered his words all through the rest of high school and even to this day. I like to think his words helped me greatly. I am taking a variety of classes and have narrowed down my interests.
ReplyDeleteBefore starting college, I asked numerous people for advice and one common answer I got was, "learn how to manage your time." I thought it would be pretty easy because I'm very responsible and always got my work done on time in high school. The first few days of orientation were loaded with things to do, but none of them interfered with each other. I still had plenty of time to relax and hangout with my new friends. Although, now that school and golf have both started, I've realized that managing my time is very important. It's chaotic when my tee time is scheduled for 3:54p.m., but I don't even get out of class until 4:00p.m. Then, I have to stay at the course for a good 4 to 5 hours on most days. Once I return back to campus, I still have to finish all my homework and study. Even though I've only been in school for a few days now, I can definitively agree that managing time is a key to success in college.
ReplyDelete"Be careful of the freshman fifteen," they said. Not only did my parents remind me of the freshman fifteen, but so did friends of mine who had been a freshman in college once. The freshman fifteen is the dreaded fifteen pounds that freshman gain. It begins with being away from home, and not having any more home cooked meals. We now have the choice of what to eat. This is a common occurrence among freshman. I grew up in a household that emphasized healthy eating and exercising. I wasn't nervous about it. Now that I have lived on campus away from home, I have realized some things. It is difficult to watch what I eat, and to exercise daily. I have had to learn to discipline myself and have had to make smarter choices.
ReplyDeleteI received so much advice from friends, teachers, and family just trying to help students make that transition from high school to college. The most important advice I received was from my parents. They told me to always stay on top of my schoolwork, participate during classes, and passionately study for every quiz or test. The reason they were so adamant I follow this advice is because both of my parents are educators. I knew this advice from my parents would help me through college and help me to excel after college. All throughout high school my parents pushed me to be the best learner I could be. As every student does, I had my setbacks during high school. I was not applying myself to the fullest extent of my abilities and had to suffer the consequences of my actions. I was placed on academic probation and was in danger of not being able to play soccer. After receiving the academic probation, I started to apply what my parents been telling my whole life. Once I did this my academics started to improve immensely.
ReplyDeleteBella Moore
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
Piece of Advice
Although I was given lot's of advice soon before arriving at college, the piece of advice that I am taking the most seriously is the advice that I, my teachers and my parents have been telling me for years. It has to do with giving classes my all, making a good impression, and staying on top of school work. My parents are both college professors. I've been told how smart I am from an early age. When my grades slipped in middle school, that turned into people telling me how capable I am, if would just get my priorities in line. Of course, being being a sulking pre-teen, I didn't take those as words of encouragement. Deep down, I knew what I had to do, I knew that grades were getting more and more important, but even going into high school, they weren't my top priority. It wasn't until the end of my sophomore year that I really turned my grades around. Now, going into my freshman year at OWU, I know where I want to go, and I know what I need to do to get there. That is probably the thing I'm most looking forward to turning around: managing my time well all on my own. I can truly say that I am now taking the advice I've been told so many times, for so many years. I'm finally prioritizing, and staying on top of my schoolwork, and I am finally not just doing it because I'm told to. I'm doing it for myself.
Nice Paragraph Bella!!
DeleteOne piece of advice that I received from both my parents is keep up on your personal responsibilities and everything else will fall into place. In high school, I tended to not always make the most responsible choices when it came to time management. I would not always get stuff done that needed to be done. This lack of responsibility caused a lot of stress in the back of my mind when I was out having fun. I knew I had not done what I was supposed to get done. After learning this hard way several times in high school, I decided that in college I was really going to focus on my personal responsibility. Therefore, before I am able to go out I need to make sure I have done what I need to do for the next day. A good way of enforcing this would be making sure all my homework is finished and that I am prepared for any exams coming up within the next few days. Also, making sure that I am working out everyday and keeping up my personal hygiene is something that both my parents stressed as well. I have tried to work out at least 30 minutes a day, weather it means going to the gym or just going on a run. Working out not only helps keep me in shape but it also helps me to keep focused. Obviously, I am not going to be perfect and there are going to be a few times when I slip, however I am going to try my best to keep up on my responsibilities. I have already been really good about getting my stuff done as soon as possible and noticed that I have more time on my hands. Since I have taken care of my daily tasks, I am able to go out and enjoy life.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first enter college, we are confronted with total freedom. This is an exciting prospect that most of us have never experienced. This is also the one aspect of college that my parents were worried about. They experienced this freedom in college, so they gave me a cautious warning with a personal story. When my dad was in college, he embraced his freedom with enthusiasm. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. The consequence was that he fell behind and almost failed his freshman year. Because of his experience, I have made the effort to put school before play. I get my homework done early and review my class work every night. So far this has paid off. In chemistry, I am able to grasp the concepts as well as the intricate details. In French, my grammar problems are less prominent than they were in high school. In music appreciation, I can begin to decipher the structure of a musical piece just from hearing it play. Overall, my dad’s advice has not only helped to make me a better student, but he has also given me the opportunity to more thoroughly enjoy my college experience.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Dryier
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
9/4/13
Upon arriving as a freshman, I was told some important advice, which was, to manage my time well. The point of time management is to get work done in an orderly fashion. I like to plan out, day by day, what my week will look like, and then I don’t have to stress about assignments the day before they are due. Not only do I use time management for homework assignments, but also use this method for non- school related purposes such as: laundry, spending time with friends, and down time. I believe this method is true, because it helps me be more organized with my schoolwork. This advice has helped me kick-off my college career because with it I can complete assignments more efficiently. Without time management college would be much more difficult for me than it already is.
Aaron Caputo
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105.4
Professor Burns
3 September, 2013
They Say
Before I left for college in the fall of 2012 my father gave me a piece of advice I will never forget. He said, “Aaron, Whatever you do, make sure you always give 100 percent. As long as you give 100 percent there is nothing you can’t be proud of”. I had heard this before but I don’t think I ever really acted upon it. I told myself that no matter what I do, how large or small the task is, I will always give 100 percent. It was an attitude that I adopted. These two sentences helped me get through my first year of college and still help me to this day. My first semester at Ohio Wesleyan University, I read every chapter of each textbook I had for all of my classes, and it paid off. I ended up achieving a 3.6 GPA. I studied the same way second semester, and it also went well. My studies became harder for the second semester because baseball had started, but my attitude didn’t change. In baseball, I played the game as hard as I could and I earned a starting spot as the catcher for Ohio Wesleyan. Even though this year has just begun I am still giving everything I do 100 percent. This little piece of advice, as cliché as it is, has made a huge difference in my life and I don’t know where I would be without it.
Before coming to college, my uncle told me to have good time management. He said that time is everything in college. Now that I attend OWU I see that my uncle was not lying. In college, without time management, you can never succeed. Playing football makes that fact all the more true! When you have some free time to nap, you better nap, or else it will come back to bite you in the ass. The same goes for work, students should never procrastinate because once you get behind the load just gets bigger. Once that starts happening, you are going to be playing catch-up the rest of the year. All in all, managing your time the right way will help you out in the long run.
ReplyDeleteDalia Lorenzo
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
Advice from My Sister
A few days before I left for college, my sister Angelina gave me advice, focus on my studies but also to have fun. My sister has gone through the college experience, so I knew that she was telling the truth. I began my first day of college, very closed in, I am not good at socializing or keeping a conversation going. So that first day was a boring. After a few days I tried to get out of my shell and communicate to other people. Once I got of my shell I found a group of friends that have similar interest as me. My sister was correct college is for studies but it got much better when I started to just have fun. Now my problem is how to balance my social life with my academics.
“In situations of doubt or concern, follow your gut feeling and not what your mind is telling you,” my psychology professor told the students in my class at Loyola University last summer. This advice that I was given could be applied to all aspects of life, my time in high school, and specifically my time as a freshman in college. According to the novel, Fraternities of Fear: Gang Rape, Male Bonding, and the Silencing of Women, written by Kathleen Hirsch, 1 in 4 college women will be a victim of sexual assault throughout the course of their 4 years on campus. There are also statistics that show being a newly enrolled female on any college campus increases your chances of becoming a victim of sexual assault or rape. Have I been sexually assaulted on campus so far? No, and I hope to not become a victim by following my gut feeling. I have already been to a few parties where I have left because I didn’t feel comfortable in that specific environment and was concerned about my safety. This short piece of advice has not only helped me start my college career, but start the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteSchool. Soccer. Fun. That’s the advice my dad gave me before I departure for college. He made it easy for me to understand, my number one priority here was schoolwork. He knew that I would go to parties and have a lot of fun, but he made it clear that I was here for academics. When I arrived at OWU it was a week before I had any classes. I think this was good for me because I didn’t have to focus on school and I had time to just play soccer, and then do whatever I wanted at night. This prepared me for what college would be like and gave me an idea of how to manage my time better. Then once school started and I started getting homework. I made sure I had everything done before I even thought about going out. My dads advice made me really have to focus on my school work and helped show me how to prioritize college.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice I got was time management. My mom was trying to really stress to me the importance of it. I have a habit of spending more time at work instead of doing homework, so she was afraid of that. She knows how I get stressed about money(since I am paying my way here by myself) and will work myself to exhaustion. The first week here, I didn't really keep a schedule so my sleep and eating habits were off. However, this week, I have been scheduling everything to a tee..even my sleep. So far it is keeping a lot of weight off my shoulders and letting me see what time I have available to do what I want. One of the best parts is that my homework is getting completed without me rushing last second to do it.
ReplyDelete“I think you’ll do ok Peter,” that is a piece of advice my European history later comparative government teacher gave me, at the end of Junior year. In a time where all I could hear was how difficult college will be, or how I am not ready for it, and how the educational system is failing. My parents having an anxiety attack after my brother did poorly his freshmen year in college, and who was previously always academically better than me. Later on in my senior, the Latin teacher (also the course, I was the worst in) told me something along the same lines. I came to Ohio Wesleyan around two weeks ago; those two statements were the last things in my mind at the time. I kept on hearing how hard college will be (or congratulations) leading up to orientation. I nearly froze (figuratively) on writing my summer assignment, because of that anxiety. However, I remember what they told me, a thousand and one things I’ve been told, and those two teachers ‘advice’ is what I remembered. I sat down, wipe the sweat off my forehead and begun I write. Eventually I came through the doors of Welch, as I unloaded my things, I felt confident. Now I have not passed go quite yet, but I feel ‘comfortable’ I feel there is a strong possibility for success. In essence, why was that line so important to me, it gave me confidence to pick myself up from the despair of failing, and just come here, do the work, and graduate.
ReplyDeleteSince I can remember my parents have told me I am very shy, and hesitant when it comes to experiencing new things, for example communicating with others. As a result my parents advised me that when I get to college I have to get out of my comfort zone, approach people, and make new friends. As of right now, the advice seems to be working. My roommates and other girls from my dorm have become closer, we are beginning to trust, and open up to one another. It all started, when I walked in room 209 at Hayes Hall. I was very uncomfortable wondering if the other girls would like and accept me; I was wearing dark wash jeans, and a cute patterned shirt that I thought would look nice for a first impression. With each step I took towards the dorm, I tried to gain more confidence. However, as soon as I entered my room, I awkwardly greeted my new roommate and her family. To avoid more awkwardness, I immediately started unpacking and getting our room ready for the start of the school year. A few days ago, my roommate and I were reminiscing over our first uncomfortable encounter and she told me that my first impression made her nervous because she thought I seemed very fashionable, bubbly, and sociable. I laughed, while describing to her how nervous I really was that day in our dorm room. My social skills are improving daily. As of now, I am succeeding. As for the next few years… we will have to wait, and see.
ReplyDeleteBefore you leave for college, people give you many different tips and advice like do your homework, get some sleep, enjoy yourself, do not stress yourself out, things like that. You listen, nod, and give them a smile, but you do not really take it to heart. All you think is I know academics come before social life and that balancing and enjoying both is not gong to be that hard, but many times since I have been in college I find myself having problems in doing this. I will go hang out with friends and tell myself I will get all my work done later, that i have plenty of time. However, nine o'clock comes around, then ten, eleven, and so on and so forth, yet I still have not gone back to work on what is due. As a college student, there are many temptations and distractions all around that have viciously reached out and yanked me away from what I know deep inside that I should be doing. I have had many experiences with this just within the first week, and find myself increasingly putting work off until the last minute. Finding all this information out, I realized that the advice everyone gave me about remembering that school comes before anything else is harder to do than I once thought it would be. Also, I discovered that I need to set priorities and when I should be getting something done,I need to do it and then worry about who wants to hang out or what else is going on everywhere else. At the moment, I may be in a downward spiral from actually following this advice, but I have got the sun shining down on me and giving me the focus an energy I need to achieve nothing but greatness in holding academics above social.
ReplyDelete"Don't be shy, and get out of your comfort zone." said my aunt the day before I left for college. I had always been a shy, quite girl. I did not have a lot of friends back in high school years. But I was told that the friends that I make in college would eventually become my life-long friends. I put my aunt's advice in mind and started my new life here in OWU. I knew I needed to change in order to be succeed and have the best four years in my life. I had met many new people and already made a couple good friends. They really helped me a lot with school, and even life. Whenever I felt down, they were always there to cheer me up. The first two weeks of school life was totally new to me and really taught me a lot. Learning how to get out of my comfort zone helped me move one step closer to become succeed.
ReplyDeleteWhen my brother was about to start his first year at Dayton University, his friend gave him some advice. And that advice was that in your freshman year the school sticks you with someone you don’t know and realistically aren’t very compatible with. He advised that if you get too close with your roommate that you might have problems down the road and, or, even during freshman year. Furthermore, as you go through college you’re probably going to be a very different person than you were as a freshman. And you’ll find people that you can call your new friends and your freshman roommate may not be that person, and that’s perfectly acceptable to not really be their friend. In my experience so far in college, I haven’t had to use this advice. I have gotten lucky with the roommates I have been given, we all get along very nicely. But I will never forget his advice because I feel that it really does matter. I feel like to have a healthy relationship with my roommates, I need to distance myself. I need to have the kind of relationship with them where we can still be there for each other but also be able to have a completely different life outside of them. And I feel like if I end up not liking my roommates in the end, that it would be perfectly fine because I could always find someone else.
ReplyDeleteSarah Shulman
ReplyDelete“Keep an open mind” is a short, sweet piece of advice simply explaining the value of trying something before judging: to generally be accepting to new ideas, opportunities, and experiences. A year ago I arrived at OWU with a set plan. I was mortified to start anew and assumed that by surrounding myself with the familiarity and comfort of music instant security. I was a Music Education major, emphasis on voice. My plan was to go to all the required classes, and enjoy them, but soon enough my positive outlook slowly began to sour as I, like so many other freshmen, fell into the lifeless routine of the Sanborn institution. My social life consisted of the few music majors I saw every day. I repeatedly studied the same things; thought the same ideas. It was draining to be engulfed by something I didn’t truly enjoy. Just weeks into my freshman year I was miserable, bored out of my mind, and withdrawn. Weekends were nothing but anxious days spent hiding in my room, asking myself if I had made a mistake by coming here. One day it hit me, it wasn’t OWU that was sucking the life out of me, it was me struggling to carry the weight of something I was not compatible with. I started thinking about “keeping an open mind,” and for the first time in my college career I mustered up the courage to get out of bed. That night I met the friends who epitomize what it is to be a person with an open mind and different ideas. Since then I have done just what I should have done as a very “fresh” freshmen. In doing so I have been able to overcome personal and social issues to discover a happier self. This new mentality drives me to be active in fighting the major global and campus-wide problems I care about. I am finally enjoying a diverse schedule and learning things that excite me. This advice as taught me to conquer the insecurities that trapped me in darkness, by shedding light on who I am and what I can do.
Jemil Ahmed
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
I didn't know any one that went to the united states for college, so people didn't get to tell me much about college . That is why I didn't bother to ask how it is . I was getting ready to make my own experiences that I could share with my children . But one day, I got a phone call from the united states embassy extending an invitation to me to attend a program designed to assist international students like me with the change that they'll be facing . Without hesitation I went to that event where I got to meet other students that were also coming to the united states for education and also returning students that spent their time in the US schools.
That meeting I had was an eye opener that I could not have afforded to have missed. I was told about the ridiculous questions I would get and that there would be students that wouldn't know where Ethiopia is. I didn't believe them a t first but that turned out to be the case. I was asked the number of meals that would be eaten in a day or the number of times we would shower a day and if that not considered ridiculous what is.
The advice I received before leaving for college was similar to that of, hopefully a majority of incoming freshman. The day before driving to Ohio from New Jersey, my dad explained to me how important it would be for me to properly prioritize myself especially because i'd be playing soccer. He said school work comes first, but to also go out, have fun and simply enjoy what OWU has to offer. I recognized that i'd have to balance out school work, soccer and socializing. The next thing my dad was what he explained to me as the single most important piece of advice he were to give me. He told me to develop good relationships with my teachers, as it would be beneficial for the both of us. Because OWU is a small school with smaller sized classes, It wouldn't be as difficult to build these relationships. Relationships take time to grow, so I have yet to experience my dads advice to the fullest. Doing these things would make me a successful student, my dad told me. Now that I'm writing this down on paper, I think I can put forth more of an effort to fulfill my dads advice and really focus on building the foundation of my relationships with each of my teachers.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think I like about my dad the most is that he gives advice much more humbly than my mom who at one point told me to just "...get stoned once in a while.".Sitting in our favorite restaurant/bar one night last July, my father gave me the advice about college life that he thought was vital for me to know. First off, he told me to never eat alone, knowing that my social life had amounted to less than what my parent had desired in high school. Telling me that there is usually one dorm which is a hangout spot for kids, and that I should hang out there, even if I didn't have a purpose for being there. He also advised me to get started and always be ahead in my academics. Other than that, he also emphasized minor things, such as being organized, staying in shape, being very discrete with the alcohol.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice I got before I left for college was from my mother. She told me to keep a planner with time allotted for classes, sleeping, studying, and meetings. She was trying to stress the importance of time management to me. My first week at Ohio Wesleyan I didn't keep a schedule, so my sleeping and eating habits were off. However, this week, I have been scheduling everything down to the minute. So far, it has kept a lot of weight off of my shoulders and has helped me see what time I have available for work and play. One of the best parts about keeping a schedule is that my homework is being completed without having to rush at the last second to do it.
ReplyDelete