Making New Relationships and Learning About Myself in the Process

One thing that I have learned about myself as I have begun to make and build new relationships is that I can. For the longest time in high school I had one main friend and the rest I considered more or less acquaintances but here, here there is a much more friendly atmosphere. I think it's easier to start a conversation with someone because we all have a common ground here. We are all going to college to better ourselves. In high school I didn't say hi as much when passing people in the hallways on the way to class because I felt kind of shy and almost awkward and most people took that as me being cold and stuck-up. Now that I've started off saying hi to most people when I pass by them on the way to class, it is easier. As far as teachers go, they are friendly like most of the teachers I had in high school, but they also seem genuine when they say they want to help you and that they care about you. I have learned that I should not worry so much about how awkward I may seem when talking to somebody because everybody has experienced awkwardness at some point another in their lives and so are able to relate and not judge. I have learned that not everybody will judge me before they get to know me, so I should try to develop many friendships while at Converse. I now have more confidence in myself as far as relationships go and am looking forward to using it.

Library Study Place

For one hour, I found a study place and worked on an assignment. I went to the second floor of the library to an area with chairs surrounding a small table with shelves of books on some sides of the area. This study environment compares to other places on campus by being more quiet than most. Although more quiet than most, there were instances when I heard people come in, talk, and go back out. Some people were just naturally loud talkers and even though they only talked sometimes, when they did I lost focus on my assignment. My ideal study environment would be a place with complete quiet and no distractions whatsoever. If I have a lot of things on my mind, it is hard for me to concentrate. If I know I have a lot to do the next day or if I have a lot due on the next day, I tend to sometimes start thinking about these things and worry about how I will get everything done. This takes even more of my time and I realize this, but I am going to work on just getting something done instead of thinking about it and agonizing over it. I have noticed that when reading something that is not interesting to me, my mind may wonder, and I won't even realize it. I have actually watched the clock so to speak when this has happened before and realized that I have wasted even full half hours just thinking about other things that aren't necessarily related. Almost anything distracts me, a sudden sound, television (whether it is silent or not I still get distracted by the screen), or another person in the room all have the potential to distract me. I have found out, however, that depending on what the assignment is, I can complete it faster and not worry about thinking about it if I am more awake and alert. I think one of the reasons I became a procrastinator was that something always seemed to get in the way of me doing my homework on time, whether my mom was watching television or my brother was playing his video games in the next room so loud that I couldn't concentrate. I usually waited until everyone went to bed, and then I started my homework. But, now that I don't have time to procrastinate I hope I won't. That being said, I hope my college experience will be much less stressful than my time in high school.

24 hours of honesty

As an assignment for my Converse 101 class, I was told to spend 24 hours being honest. This was not a big problem for me because I try to be completely honest anyway. Of course it was interesting to wonder, if other people were not doing the same assignment and they found out that I was to be completely honest, what questions would they have asked me? How inclined would I feel to answer those questions? And, would I have been completely honest? I don't know and I'm not sure I would want to find out, because I believe that complete integrity includes not deceiving anyone in any way. A person with true integrity wouldn't leave parts in a story out to avoid the messy details to make him or herself look better. A person with true integrity wouldn't purposely let anyone misunderstand what point they are trying to make. A person with true integrity would be wholly honest. Honesty and academic integrity is important to me because a person's actions and intentions reflect their true character and I wouldn't want to be around people who always take the easy way out by cheating. If everyone were to get away with this, then studying and learning would be pointless. No matter what, if somebody does cheat academically, they will reap the repurcussions. They may be caught on the spot and punished. They may be filled with incredible guilt that eats them from the inside. Or, if none of these is the case, what happens when someone does get a degree by cheating his or her way through? That person is only hurting himself, because when he gets into the workforce he's going to need those skills that come from learning and studying. If he's cheated, then he hasn't done these things and so will make poor decisions in the work force that may lead him to get fired. Honesty is always important, especially when it comes to being honest with oneself.

On another note, I'm sooooooo excited! I got a part in the play, The Annointing of Dracula!

Organizations I am Currently Interested In

I hope to get involved in drama and possibly intramural volleyball while at Converse. Drama has been a great interest of mine since the fifth grade when I played a toy soldier in the Nutcracker at my elementary school. I became a drama major and voice minor during my high school career. I was also a drama focus student and joined the International Thespian Society, becoming the president of my troupe my senior year. I really hope that I can take my art to the next level here at Converse College. I want to major in theatre as well as psychology. I also played volleyball during all four years in high school and enjoyed it very much. I am challenging myself to try something new in the form of the study abroad program in Europe for those interested in theatre and philosophy. I am not sure if I will be able to go on this trip, but I want to. It would be a new experience for me because I have never been to another country before. Even so, I'm sure it will be fun. I hope I'll be able to fit in because the only language I've ever taken is Spanish. I know it will be different, but I'm all for trying something new. Oh yeah, and I tried out for Dracula. We'll see how that goes.

What I Expect My First Semester at College To Be Like

I expect my first semester at college to be very fun, yet very stressful. I will be more independent than ever and so must now tell myself when to study and do homework rather than always have my parents tell me (even though they still do when I go home). I will probably have a hard time breaking out of procrastination, but I think I'm doing a good job so far. I am stressed about making sure I get the best possible grades, to begin with at least, so that I can keep my scholarships. But, I am also sure I will have lots of fun going shopping with friends, going out to eat, and going to the movies. I hope to have fun getting into the theatre program here. If I do get a fairly large role it will be very stressful to attend all the practices and keep my grades up, but I know if I believe in myself and try my hardest I can do it. I know I must find the right balance between work and play in order to do my best. That being said, I am looking forward to a great first semester here at Converse College.