Digital Photography August 7, 2009

One of my classes this summer in a digital photography class. I love it! Because it is a summer class, it moves fast but it’s a lot of fun. The instructor for the class I am in is fun and he makes the class exciting. Even though the photography class has nothing to do with my major, I still learned about my camera. I have a Canon Rebel XS, it’s a DSLR and it can be kind of confusing to use. One of my projects over the summer was to take a picture of a complete stranger. It was an interesting task to complete but I did it nonetheless. I decided that it would be a good idea to walk around downtown champaign to find strangers to take pictures of. The first guy I asked told me that I couldn’t take his picture because he was Muslim, but he did however introduce to his friends who allowed me to take a picture of her. One of the waiters that was working outside that night asked me to take his pictures as well. But over all I had a good experience with that particular project. Over the eight week course we completed six projects. Each project was interesting and fun to complete. I would recommend this class to anyone who is interested in photography.

*Above are the pictures of the strangers I took*

Summer Time June 19, 2009

It is finally summer vacation! With summer time comes new found freedom but the question is, what do i do with all this free time? For me, it was an easy decision, take summer classes. Now you may be thinking, “why would you choose to take summer classes during your summer vacation?” To be completely honest, I wanted to keep my job as a student worker at Parkland College over the summer and into the fall, but in order to do that, I have to be a full time student. But as I began to sign up for classes for the summer, my reason for taking the classes changed. I have been wanting to take a digital photography class  and summer was my perfect opportunity to do so. I also wanted to take a Mass Communications course to explore my careers options in the field. 

I always imagined myself relaxing during my summers in college, maybe do some traveling, visit some friends and not have a care in the world. But that theory has proved wrong, along with taking six credit hours over the summer I have three part-time jobs. First, I work in the marketing office at Parkland, I babysit once a week for about fours hours, and I will be working at Clark Lindsey Village. In staying busy this summer, I have already seen how difficult it can be if I do not plan ahead so lesson number one so far is to plan accordingly. I went out and bought a planner; they are fairly inexpensive and I find it rewarding to write everything down. But if you are one to write things down and not go back to read what you wrote, the planner becomes useless. I encourage everyone to have a planner or at least a notebook to write down all there engagements. Lesson number two, get good sleep. The other day when I came home, I went straight to my bed an slept for about and hour and a half. I couldn’t figure out why I was s sleepy all the time but then I was asked what time I was going to bed. I had been going to bed around 2 a.m. on most nights then waking up around 7:30 a.m. to be in class by 9. Yeah… that’s not a good idea. It’s  no wonder why I was exhausted all the time! It’s a good thing that I realized all this early on rather than later, otherwise I would have been drained by the end of the summer.

Advisors May 1, 2009

I can’t say that the first time I signed up for classes at Parkland wasn’t intimidating. When I was growing up, even though I wasn’t the youngest, I acted like I was the youngest. Since I acted like the youngest, I was always being told what to do. I did have a choice to refute my parents and their rules, but that would only land me in trouble, so I did what they told me to do for the most part. When I was signing up for classes for my first semester at Parkland, I came with that same mentality that my classes would be chosen for me and I would have the choice to refute, but I wouldn’t, thinking that there would be consequences in the end. I have always realized this mentality that I have, but it wasn’t until this last time that I signed up for classes that I saw how problematic it is. Once you reach a certain age, no one can stop you from making choices. In this case, no one can tell me what I want to do with the rest of my life. The advisors here at Parkland, know and understand that they can only do so much for a student. As I sat in the office talking to one of the advisors, I realized that I cannot expect anyone to tell me what to do with my life. It was one of realizations that was something I have always known, but it finally applied to my situation. 

I encourage everyone to take charge and take responsibility of their own choices. Don’t be afraid of surrounding yourself with people that challenge the way you think. And don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by other people. From experience, allowing people to intimidate me had some sort of a hold on me. By allowing myself to be intimidated, I automatically give intimidating people around me the power to guide my choices. So when you do go to sign up for classes with an advisor, know exactly what classes you want to sign up for. There are so many resources out there for you to look through that tell you what classes transfer, which classes fulfill graduation requirements and pretty much all the general information you need to know about Parkland. Do everything in your power to be self-sufficient. Be confident with the choices you make. And if you fail, take it as a learning experience and move on as quickly as possible. And always remember… Advisors are there to guide you, not to make the choices for you.

Online Courses April 29, 2009

This is just a heads up to all future college students. Before signing up for classes, I suggest you make it known to yourself how you learn best. I’m sure everyone has taken one of those surveys that ask questions about the preferred learning conditions at some point in life. Well, take them seriously. Online classes are great for people how do not have a problem learning the information on their own and who do not procrastinate. But if you are only signing up for online classes thinking that it’s going to be easy… think again. Some people sign up for online classes just because the quizzes can be open book. I have experience with online Psychology 101; there is no way I would be able to get away with taking a quiz not having read the chapter before hand; even if the book is right next to me. Now if you are anything like me, one who learns best by listening and doing, then online classes are probably not the safest way to go if you plan on getting a good grade in the class. As much as I would rather learn from the own comfort of my own home, I now know from experience that it’s not such a good idea for me. I learned the hard way, I hope that through my lesson, some of you won’t have to make the same mistake!

College life at Parkland College April 26, 2009

Growing up in Champaign my whole life, I always knew that Parkland College would be one of many college options for me. In fact, my mom and one of my aunts both graduated from Parkland. But because I grew up here, I had every intention of leaving town for college. I wanted a change in scenery, new people, I wanted a chance to have a clean slate. Since the University of Illinois is in the same town as well, I didn’t bother applying there because, like I said, I had my heart set on leaving town. The only reason I applied to Parkland College was so that I had a fall back plan. I applied to four different colleges, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Robert Morris College in Chicago, and Parkland College. It was amazing to find out that I had gotten into all four schools. My first choice was Edwardsville. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen complications, I was unable to attend that school. I decided not to go to Robert Morris because I was unsure if I was ready to move to Chicago. I know people that live in the city, so I would not have been lonely, but for some reason it just didn’t seem like the right time to move into a big city on my own. And the reason I decided not to go to Carbondale was because I wasn’t a big fan of their campus. That left Parkland College.

Although my first choice school fell through, I can tell you today that I am happy with my decision to live at home and go to Parkland College. It is not at all what I had first expected it to be. I had always been told that Parkland is a good school but I never knew why until I got there. Especially since I am still unsure of what exactly it is that I want to do as a career, it is really nice going to a school that allows me to explore my options without spending an insane amount of money. The instructors that I have had at Parkland are understanding and easy to to talk to. I know that if I have a question, they are only an email away and they will not make me feel like I am asking a dumb question. I haven’t had a single teacher that has not had office hours available to their students. And even when my schedule conflicts with office hours, they have been willing to arrange a time for me to meet with them. I was very fortunate that my mom let me stay at home as well. I don’t have any bills to worry about. All I pay for is my transportation to and from Parkland. I have had a great first experience at Parkland!