Week 11: Free Writing

One of the things that irks me the most is when people don't take handicap accessibility into consideration. Obviously, having a father with MS has drastically changed my perspective on this issue, however more people should be aware of it. When choosing a college, one of my first concerns was if it was handicap accessible or not, because I wanted my dad to feel comfortable when he'd come and visit or come watch one of my basketball games. After looking into Defiance College, I thought it was suitable enough for him. However, after having my dad actually come here, it has come to my realization that the campus is not all that accessible after all. Yes, Defiance has gone out of its way to provide elevators and handicap accessible sidewalks, but there are also many things that are not adequate enough. The bathrooms do not provide doors that open for those with walkers or wheelchairs, and the dorms also have very tight quarters that are hard to maneuver through. Many students that are enrolled in the Cultural Diversity class have also realized this due to the "wheelchair project" that they conduct. I guess what I'm trying to say is, people assume that a place is handicap accessible just because it has parking spots and buttons to open doors, but in reality much more is needed.

Week 11: Transition to College Writing

Dear Seniors,

"College work requires new kinds of motivation and self-discipline." When I read this line out of Keith Hjortshoj's book, The Transition to College Writing, I couldn't think of anything else that was more true. In high school you can get by with studying the night before for a test, but if you do that in college you can kiss your GPA goodbye. And believe it or not, you actually have to pay attention in your classes once you get to college, because in a blink of an eye you can be 10 slides behind and lost on what the professor's talking about. Another point that Hjortshoj makes in his book is that the variation between high school and college is most dramatic in the first year, and he is not wrong about this. Obviously your first year in college will be the most different. You won't have to get up at 7 AM every day for school, and some days you might not even have class. Another dramatic difference between your senior year of high school and your freshman year of college is the amount of studying you'll have to do. It's not a joke or a suggestion, you need to study. A LOT.
However, there's a couple things that Hjortshoj didn't mention about your transition into college. Although the coursework is more difficult, and you really have to manage your time, you're not alone on this. There's plenty of people that are willing to help you with homework you don't understand. And another thing that may not seem important is managing your time and when you're going to sit down and do your work. A lot of first-year students skip over this step and end up missing assignments or stressing about due dates. Just a little tip, set a scheduled time to study, do homework, and catch up on the classes you're having trouble in. If you do these things, your first year will be a piece of cake.
Some people do not take these tips into consideration. For some reason, they think that these are just myths, when in reality they're not. If you believe that you can walk into college and keep the same studying procedures, you're lying to yourself. If you come in with this mindset you can end up hurting yourself in the long run, and no one wants that.

Week 7: Free Writing

The first snowfall of winter is such a beautiful thing, and the way the sun makes the snow sparkle is even better. But seriously, I'm ready for all this damn snow to melt. Sure, it was fun and all at first. Snowball fights, sledding, making snowmen with your friends, but halfway through all those activities you start to realize that the cold has crept into your fingers...and then you wish you'd never sunk your hands in that 4 feet of snow. I'm tired of doing the fast-paced mom-walk to all of my classes, and tired of looking like an Alaskan Eskimo when I like in Northwest Ohio. I simply want it to be warm. So yes, I understand that snow can be beautiful, but it would be even more beautiful if it would pack up and go somewhere else.

Regrets

One thing that everyone on this planet has is regrets. For example, some of my biggest regrets are staying in my comfort zone and not telling people how much they mean to me. I regret these things, because it has held me back from so many things in my life. If I would have went outside of my comfort zone in high school, I could have made so many more friends and made so many more memories. And if I would have told some people what they truly meant to me, they might still be in my life, and I wouldn't regret how things had ended between us. However, I still have a chance to do these things, and no longer make them regrets. I can take my time in college & open up to those I do not know. I can also let all of my loved ones know how truly thankful I am that they're in my life. If everyone had this same mindset about turn regrets into something better, we could all be much happier, thus making our community and planet a much happier place as well.