Lake LaVerne is one of my favorite places on campus. This picture was taken on a cold-winter afternoon.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
College of Design
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Your Educational Process
If you are returning to campus, welcome back! If this is your first year at college then, welcome to your home away from home! Every semester you enter new classrooms, get to know and interact with new faculty and staff. Everyone has new expectations for you in the classroom, and everyone wants to you succeed.
Amidst all the excitement of the new school year, do not forget you have responsibilities. Enjoy the scholarship and leadership opportunities that are offered to you inside and outside the classroom.
I remember that my first year in college gave me the opportunity to reflect and think on what to expect inside and outside the classroom, and how can I be successful during the next four year of my undergraduate career.
Earning an education (associates, bachelors, masters, or doctorate) is a process. In this process you need to learn about yourself and by your new environment. Here is my own advice on how to be successful on our your educational process:
1.
Get to know your faculty. Ask questions.
Do not be afraid to ask for help when needed. Make sure you get to know them;
they are humans just like you. As they will help you be successful inside the
classroom, they could possibly help you be successful in the future by writing
you a letter of recommendation for a job, internship, and/or a graduate
program.
2.
Bond with your classmates. Your classmates will
share with you similar experiences during your academic years. You will find
out that you all are different, but yet you will find many similarities. Those
similarities could be within your interest to scholarship or leadership.
3.
Be intentional with your experience. Be
intentional with the relationships that you make, with the opportunities that
are provided to you, and with the work that you do. If you join a student
organization, make sure it is something that you are passionate about,
something that you want to invest time in.
4.
Look for a mentor(s) that will help you navigate
the system. Follow their advice.
5.
Find your support within your family and
friends. There will be times that you are no longer motivated to continue with
the educational process. Be honest to yourself, to your family, and friends.
6.
Reflect and ask yourself: Why do you want your
educational (college) degree? Have a clear statement of why you want to earn
your education.
7.
Familiarizes yourself with resources available
to you. Connect with the faculty and staff they can provide you with more
information about the resources that are offer to you.
8.
Learn how to balance your personal life, student
life, and professional life. Some of us have to work and go to school at the
same time. Be open minded to change, but have the discipline to schedule time
for yourself (go to the gym, watch your favorite TV show, etc.), schedule time
for all your other responsibilities including (studying, reading, writing,
attend to meetings, meet with your professors, etc.).
9.
Accountability. Know what do you want to
accomplish every semester and every year, give yourself a date to check on your
progress.
10.
Responsibility. Responsibility, you cannot scape
it. Be prepared to know the material and submitted projects assigned when you
walk into the classroom.
11.
Focus on your goals. Reality is that some of us
will not complete the educational process. The goal is for all of us to finish
our educational process and graduate.
12.
Allow the process to change you. You will be
challenged inside and outside the classroom at different levels within your
personal values and believes. You will have the opportunity to work with a
diverse group of individuals; do not be afraid to differences.
13.
Always ask yourself: “What’s my purpose?”
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