Sam's 'Interesting' Blog

      The transition from high school to college has been pretty smooth, most likely due to me taking AP classes when I was in high school. I don't think I've changed much as a person and the work load is something I'm already used to. Though I do think I've gotten more used to being alone since I'm not around my friends as much anymore, nor do I have them introducing me to new people all the time (I'm a pretty introverted person). But I am excited to see what college will bring me with the coming years.     The picture itself is the part of the school I enter every day and I view it as the representation of my transition -- mundane and not to different from the past, just another place to enter.

  Appointment with your Success Team:  I had my appointment regarding next semester on November 13 at 3:30 pm. Create an Ed Plan:  I finally finalized my major, Theatre Arts, Film. I also picked out the type of subjects that I will be covering for the next semester (though not the specific classes I will be attending), which include math, physical Ed, social and behavioral science, film, and ethnic studies. Complete Supplemental Application:  I finished the application in class last week. Apply for Financial Aid:  I already completed it and my finances have not changed, which due to my finances I am unable to get any financial aid. Registration Date: My registration date is at 9:00 pm on December 10. Tentative Class Schedule/Backup Classes:  

      Since I don't have my own income, I had to base this on the expenditures my parents pay on me (this excludes all of their other payments on separate things that don't effect me).      I ended up with a surplus of $2,907 after taking away around $5,393 from an income of $8,300.      My parents communicate with me often about where their money goes, so I wasn't really surprised. The only thing that surprised me was how little me and my mother eat out on a monthly basis.     The way my parents money is spent reflects their and my own values, which mainly consists of saving up as much as possible.     If this was my own money I would be able to meet my goals of buying a new motherboard for my PC and even buying a car. Though I wouldn't let the amount of money get to my head as I still should be saving up.

       In my opinion, the compelling issues that are noted in the articles I looked at are that Prop 50 is a waste of tax payer money, a waste of time (due to having to redistrict), and that it may divide California communities. Though, further into the articles--these issues are settled by the fact that it will either be beneficial in the long run or that the people redistricting will attempt to keep counties and cities together.     The three articles I read are 'Majority of Calif. voters back Prop 50 in new poll' by Punchbowl News, 'The case against Prop 50--and why I'm voting for it anyways' by The San Francisco Standard, and 'Does Prop 50 divide California communities? Depends how you measure it' by Cal Matters. All of the links will be listed at the bottom of this post.     Surprisingly, most of the fact checking sites that I looked at did not even mention Prop 50--often only searching up articles featuring the word proposition/prop and leav...

      I will be honest and say I do not like planning out my week for my classes, it was something they attempted to instill when I was in elementary school (fairly poorly I will say, it was never really consistent); yet I found that it was more irritating than anything because due to personal issues, my schedule shifts often and I just don't focus on things that way. Still, I attempted to make a fairly simple schedule that just includes the basics; like sleeping, eating, studying, and personal free time. It was only kept simple because it makes it easier to work with my procrastination and my general way of going around assignments--the amount of free time left between each task letting me unwind for a moment before I start up that specific task again. Though, this doesn't necessarily align with some of the advice I was given from my classmates (such as pushing through the boredom that some of my classes give me), it may help me work ahead of time like they recommended a...

  Note-Taking:     Note-taking is something I struggle a bit with as I'm an easily distracted person. May that distraction be due to a notification on my phone, the sound of a car horn going off outside, or general conversations going on around me — I always find myself distracted. But, I find that once I'm outside (especially on campus) that despite the noise, I can still focus; which I think may be because I can focus on one noise, the wind, and ground myself in the present. Which helps a lot with the strategies provided in the textbook, specifically previewing the information I want to remember. I'm not great with flash cards and find that they've never helped me much, looking back over notes has always helped. It's also something I've used for a French class I had back in high school, a skill that saved me from failing many tests (though don't ask me to remember anything, I lost it all after we switched teachers). I'll definitely continue to use this...