The "Major" Issue

When you get a sufficient amount of time to work on a project, it is important to strategically plan out every step of it. Since I am a commuter, I needed to make sure that I accomplished all of my interviews during class time since it was not convenient for me to drive back to Southern over the weekend to finish it up. With this in mind, I believe I managed my time well. I interviewed all the students and professors last week, whenever I had a chance. Although I did not put the finished product together till Friday, I was working on the actual video on iMovie little by little. I believe that with the resources I was given and the time and effort I put into it, I believe I did a good job. I am proud of my finished product because I have never done anything like this before.

I achieved the goals I set for myself about being highly informative. I picked apart each persons interview and narrowed it down to the responses I felt were the most important. I believe that the professors, due to their experience, working with students and choosing a major on their own were the most helpful to me. As for entertaining, I hope it will be to those who watch it. It was not comically created but it is very interesting so I hope it will be entertaining in that aspect.

I focused my video mainly on the responses of the students and professors. I added some of my opinion in the beginning and end but I did not want to overpower the purpose of the video. I believe a lot of what my interviewees said corresponds with my own thoughts and feelings.  Overall, I believe that my video will be very helpful to any student who is having difficulty declaring their major! Watch and ENJOY!

Campus Safari #16: Is Anybody Listening?

Everyone has issues hidden below the physical surface. People do not always know how you are feeling or often how to comfort you. Sometimes all you need is someone who will listen to you. For this reason, SCSU offers many different means of service to help students who are feeling emotionally lost. I went to Counseling Services for this week’s Campus Safari and gathered some information. It is conveniently located in Engleman and opened until 4:30 PM on all weekdays. The friendly counselors and staff welcome walk-ins for those who many be having an issue. I asked them to give me one tip I should walk away with regarding mental health. Counseling Services promotes the idea of not waiting for an issue to get worse but to rather stop it before it becomes a major situation. I believe that so many people are afraid to speak up and say that something is wrong. Their feelings and problems often fester inside them until they reach a breaking point. I hope everyone takes this great source and uses it to their advantage. 

Having "Major" Issues?

There is an endless list of questions first-year college students have floating around in their minds. They want a feeling of security and confidence in everything they do. However, this is often difficult when so many things are new and unknown to them. Some students come into college with their whole future planned out in front of them. Others are unsure about where the road ahead will leave them. My video project will be especially helpful to those who do not know where to turn next. It will focus on the topic of choosing a major.

         Selecting a major may seem like the final decision which will determine the rest of your future. Although that is untrue, many students believe this. This notion causes so much pressure and anxiety on those individuals who are not 100% sure of what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I want those who watch my video to have a sense of comfort that they are not alone! Many others are undecided as well and are undergoing the same process. I want to alleviate the stress behind selecting a major for all those who are still choosing. Even those who feel like they are set on their major may have a change of mind. I hope that my video will show everyone that there are so many options available you just need to keep an open mind to see them.

         The questions I am going to ask each of my interviewees are as follows. What do you think is the hardest part about deciding a major? Why? Why do you think this topic causes students to have so much anxiety? How important do you think it is to declare a major early on in your college experience? What would be one tip of advice you would give to any student who was having difficulty with this? If you know what your major is, how did you come to this conclusion?

         Each of these questions will provide students with advice as well as reasons behind the uneasiness of this process. I believe that by finding out the possible sources of the problem, it will help the students to realize they are not having a problem after all and what they are going through is normal. I believe this video will be both informative and entertaining because it is relevant to everyone! I want to make this topic lighter and more pleasant than it is often looked at. Instead of making it seem like the one, single key to your future, I want to portray it as just a stepping stone in the right direction! 

Here's a listing of all the majors offered here: Possible Majors at SCSU

As John Lennon said, "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted..."

Time plays a significant role in every person’s life. It controls their actions and influences their decisions everyday. Typically, for example, a person is awake during the day and asleep at night.  Hours seem to pass so quickly when we are happy. While they drag on when we are low or exhausted. I often wish I was granted more time in each day to do everything that I wanted to do. Realistically, that cannot happen so I have learned to make the most of my time.

From studying the way I spend my own time I have learned a great deal about myself. Academically, I spend a large portion of time on my studies. Whether it be doing work at home or physically sitting in class, I am highly involved. I dedicate around 35 hours per week for my classes. I set aside the time in between my classes to do my homework. I feel much less stressed if I know I large portion of my work is done before I even come home for the day. From my high school I really learned how to manage my time effectively and I thank them almost everyday for that. College did not swamp me with distractions as it does for others and I am very grateful for that. I believe I have my priorities straight in order to keep me on task.

            Beside school, the next biggest time-taker was my job. I work at frozen yogurt café around 20 hours per week. Although I work late hours, my job has taught me how important planning ahead is. Since I know that I have to work at night, I make sure all of my work is done prior to that. I have been on pretty much the same schedule since the school year has begun and I believe it is effectively working.

            The number one thing that I can take away from this study is that I am managing my time well. It gives me reassurance that I am making positive improvements in my everyday life. If anything, I would maybe like to incorporate more social time into my schedule. While I’m actually on campus, I only do homework and go to class. I want to have more time to do different things around campus with my friends that are unrelated to school. I think it is so important to be well rounded and versatile which means allowing time in your day for a little of everything.

            I hope from this others can learn that it is possible to go to school full time and work a decent job. If you put the time in to work out your schedule and really plan ahead, anything is possible! 

Campus Safari #9: Take That Step To Get Involved

Most freshman college students are not involved in much. They go to classes and hang out with friends and that is pretty much the extent of their participation in college life. However, I want to be a more involved student. I believe that being involved allows you to gain more from each and every experience. I attended the Involvement Fair and gathered information about some clubs I would possibly like to join. I am a psychology major so I looked into the Psychology Club. I have a real interest in this subject so taking part in the conferences they attend as well as the service projects will increase my fascination with the topic. I would also hope to make friends in this department by joining the club. The second club I looked into is the SCSU Service Team. This team has many events throughout the semester where they work to help many different organizations. I love helping people so I feel like this club would be good for me. For example, they have a bake sale to benefit the Heifer Foundation. This club will help me take a more active role in the SCSU community. 

Those are just two of the many clubs offered here! For a full listing of clubs, click this! Clubs and Organizations at SCSU