Interdisciplinary - Education 1020:
Essentials of College Study
To satisfy the Interdisciplinary General Education requirement, I signed up for The EDU 1020: Essentials of College Study course for the Fall Semester of 2016. My reasoning for signing up for this class instead of any other Interdisciplinary (ID) linked one, had to do with my anxiety over starting college off on the right foot, and also hearing about how this class helps students become more successful, and knowledgeable of how college actually works, through the Bridge to Success Summer program at Salt Lake Community College. At the beginning of the semester, I thought this course would be more of a technical class where they teach you strategies to help you succeed in your courses, and while it definitely accomplished that aspect, it also was a fun class to learn about valuable information for college and life in general. I learned concepts such as time management, budgeting, and how to embrace diversity on the college campus and beyond. One challenge I faced within the course was completing my public speaking presentations by the end of the semester. This was mostly because of my social anxiety and fear of being judged, but through dedication and a lot of courage I finally presented in the front of the class, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The assignment I'm submitting from the EDU 1020 course is a letter to an incoming student at Salt Lake Community College titled "How to Succeed as a Student at Salt Lake Community College."
How to Succeed as a Student at Salt Lake Community College
Dear incoming student, you’re probably more nervous than you’ve ever been in your entire life to start college off on the right foot and to make sure you’re adequately prepared to take on all the responsibilities and craziness that comes with being a college student. Lucky enough for you I have some tips and strategies to ensure that you excel in college and start off on the right foot. The first thing I would advise you to do is to participate fully in all of your courses by asking questions while lectures to ensure that you grasp the concepts, and are staying up with what is being taught at that particular moment. Answering any questions the professor throws your way can also help in fully understanding concepts, and it gives you the chance to share your voice or opinion in the class, which can lead to the instructor and classmates knowing who you are other than a body in a desk.
Another way to participate in a positive way is to start conversations with your peers on the first day of class. They probably share your fear of starting out in a new school, and it will alleviate any anxiety you may feel in regards to starting the course. Another reason why this is an excellent idea is the fact that by communicating with your peers, you may be able to form study groups, or even just make some friends to enhance the course and talk to before the lecture begins.
I would also advise you to introduce yourself to the teacher in some way or another on the first day of classes because it will set you apart from the other students that show up late or even just sit down on the early days of the course. Also, that action shows to the teacher that you care about the subject they will be teaching you, and you may develop a rapport with the teacher, that could evolve into a mentoring relationship if they happen to teach in a field you have decided you want to pursue. I have found that most professors are excited, and love it when students show interest in their course, and especially when you tell them that you would like to pursue a career in the subject, they are teaching. When they hear that, they become very enthusiastic and eager to tell you about all of the different career pathways that are available in their field. It just makes their day, and perhaps even their year if you happen to be one of their favorite students. I know this from experience since I found a mentor in my History teacher through asking about another subject he teaches for the upcoming semester and conveying that I desired to go into a History related career field. I learned that there are way more possibilities than I could have ever imagined for professions to go into if you have a History degree, gained an extraordinarily valuable mentoring relationship with him, and a resource for more information about exciting career pathways that I intend to pursue. So it undeniably pays off exponentially to converse with your educators.
Another way you can succeed in college is by embracing all of the different diverse cultures, age groups, differing abilities, and opinions that are around the campus. How you can embrace diversity is by starting conversations with people of a different race, culture, age, or ability level than yourself, like they were any other person you were conversating with from your culture, which means being respectful and open-minded. Also, if you find anything interesting about them such as clothing, hairstyles, or ways of thinking and perceiving the world, or religion and phrase it respectfully, most people will be happy to answer any questions you throw at them. Most people love to talk about themselves or their culture at length, but if they would prefer not to talk about it, then you should be understanding and respectful of that fact and start a conversation about something else, such as what they plan to major in or what they enjoy doing recreationally.
An important habit you should try and make second-nature is to start on your course homework as soon as you can do so. This practice allows you to put forth your best work, and to complete the assignments efficiently since the content is fresh in your mind. It also keeps procrastination at an all-time low and ensures you complete your assignments early, or at the very least on-time, which will, in turn, relieve all of the anxiety you feel about getting everything done on time, and sets you up for success in all of your courses. I would also advise you not to worry about starting assignments or stress out about finishing them too much because that is not productive and can become a cycle of terrible anxious fear and regret, about not starting on the assignment early enough to complete it efficiently or even decently. Then worrying about how this will affect your future dreams and aspirations, and neglecting to finish all of your other assignments from different courses. Instead just start doing the assignment early, and try your best just to focus on that one task and nothing else until your anxiety goes away or you’ve completed the homework, and reward yourself after for finishing it even though it was hard and stressed you out.
Overall, I want to assure you that you are ready to face this whole entering college thing and that as long as you put forth your best effort you will see the positive results pop up along the way. I also want to tell you that you shouldn’t be anxious or scared to be starting college because it is not that scary. Instead, you should be excited and happy to be starting on your career path and the rest of your life.
Reflection
Enrolling in EDU 1020: Essentials of College Study in the same semester as History 1700: American Institutions strengthened my understanding of diversity and privilege as it pertains to the past and the present, since I learned specifically how schools, businesses, and the world were integrated into the diverse world we are currently living in, and about how underprivileged groups had to work, and protest to receive the same rights as more privileged people throughout time. It also set a connection between how actions of the past such as the Brown versus Board of Education court case and Loving versus Virginia have impacted the world by allowing everyone the right to a quality education, and to love whomever they desire regardless of race or cultural identity. Through the combination of these two courses, I now understand how past protests and legal precedents have impacted the current era, and how to embrace diversity on the campus, and in my community.