Bringing the Semester to a Close

Now that my first semester of college is coming a close, it is important to take a step back and reflect upon how I have managed myself and my schedule over the past few months. Overall, I felt very little stress, if at any, and was not worried about my performance in the courses I was enrolled in. Since the first week of the semester, I have put forth my best effort in every course, and by doing so, I felt confident in my academic knowledge, allowing me to feel levelheaded on exam days. I took the time to prioritize my schedule, and gave myself ample time to complete all assignments. I even encouraged myself to make a habit of going to the gym roughly three days a week. I feel that this balance that I established in my lifestyle was crucial to my success, and can accurately be portrayed by the following picture:

I had hoped to be able to maintain this balance in my life throughout the entire semester, however as the last week of class is approaching, I am beginning to fall off track. With the list of assignments I need to complete overflowing and the amount of final projects that I have to finish growing, I have lost track of my daily regimes. Throughout the entire semester, I have dedicated a portion of the day to working on assignments in a corner of the UNC Charlotte library on the seventh floor. This location has proved to be the most effective spot on campus for me to think, and is where all of my major written assignments were completed. With few interruptions and a satisfying overview of the entire campus, my thoughts are able to flow freely and I am able to perform my best when working there. With the overcoming stress of finals and the short amount of time I have to finish end-of-semester assignments, however, I have not had time to work efficiently in the library. I have completed the majority of my work within the past week in my dorm, and this has proven to be very ineffective. Although I am able to eventually complete all of the tasks I need to, I am more likely to procrastinate and waste my time in my dorm. I have had no time to stick to my plan of going to the gym weekly, either, and this sudden change in my lifestyle has put me off balance. Rather than resemble the above picture, I feel that my mindset at this point at the semester is now more accurately portrayed by this picture:

Although I am significantly more stressed out at this time in the semester than I have been at any other time, I know that if I take time to relax and focus on my courses, I will continue to be successful in my academic performance and in my final exams. 

Reflection on "The Sacrament of the Present Moment"

After taking the time to read the short commentary "The Sacrament of the Present Moment" by Richard Rohr, an American Franciscan friar who often provides daily meditations and advice on his social media and in his works, I feel more awakened about where I stand in my life currently. Rohr encourages people to stray from the typical dualistic method of thinking that we are so often predisposed to, claiming that "only unitive, non dual consciousness can open our hearts, minds, and bodies." He explains that the dualistic pattern causes people to see reality only as it is, dousing the mind's capability to step outside its comfort zone and admonishes one from fully experiencing God.

Although I agree with Rohr that it is important to allow the mind to be open to everything and all possibilities, I feel that it is equally fundamental to see reality simply as it is. I have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test on multiple occasions within the past five years, and have always received the same personality type: INTJ. The "N" stands for intuition, and means that rather than always focusing on evidence and practicality, I prefer to envision ideas and the global concept before adhering to details. Likewise, I think being able to remain open-minded in life's experiences - being able to envision 'the big picture' - is an aspect that is beneficial to everyone, allowing one to understand perspectives different from their own and ultimately experience paradigm shifts.

Rohr states in his commentary, however, that "reality cannot be seen with any dualistic operation of the mind," and this is where my opinions differ from his. I agree that non dual consciousness is more mature, but I think that dualistic mindsets are useful as well. To me, the formal is more significant when it comes to ethical interpretations, but when it comes to more practical applications, I feel that the latter is more important. Ultimately, I feel that establishing an equal balance of being able to see reality as it is, while also being able to keeping their mind open to new experiences is crucial.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

In his TedTalk "Do schools kill creativity?," Ken Robinson emphasizes the importance of education defending, rather than undermining, creativity. He explains that globally, technical courses such as math and sciences, languages, and humanities are more heavily regarded than art courses, speaking about how fundamental arts are to society.

Having attended a predominantly STEM-oriented high school, Sacred Heart Academy, I have experienced this radical difference between the two subject areas firsthand. When I first applied to Sacred Heart, there was a significant emphasis on dance, art, and music capabilities, and all students were required to take a full credit hour of one of these tracks. Throughout my years there, however, more science and technology course were introduced into the school system, allowing for courses such as 3D Design to be an accepted substitute for a drawing or painting course. Sacred Heart still continues to advertise itself as a school with enhanced art programs, but the STEM programs have grown extensively and have gained more attention in recent years, and some of the art programs have gained less.

Although I understand where Robinson is coming from in saying that the education systems need to encourage more creativity, I am also inclined to argue that some of the subjects at the top of the hierarchy do encourage creative thinking, albeit in a less traditional way. As I just stated, my high school recently introduced the 3D Design course, and allows it to be taken rather than a more hands-on form of artistic expression. Nevertheless, I feel that technological courses like 3D Design are higher up in the education hierarchy, yet encourage a similar form of imaginative release.

 Have artistic courses risen or fallen in the academic hierarchy since Robinson's speech in 2006? With the increase of innovative technology, such as smart pens, 3D printing, and art tablets in the past decade, have these courses benefited or suffered? Since I do not have extensive knowledge about worldwide education, Robinson's speech makes me interested in researching more about the current focus of and future expectations for education systems.

Responding to Hard Choices

When it comes to making difficult decisions, I always compile a list of the benefits and disadvantages of all possible choices, ultimately selecting the option whose benefits far outweigh those of its competitors. Should I ask for new clothes or new books for my birthday? Which wall calendar should I buy? Should I accept my admission to UNC Charlotte, Clemson, or another college? Creating a list to determine the best possible solution always seemed the most reasonable approach when stuck between choices. After listening to Ruth Chang's TedTalk, "How to make hard choices," however, introduced to me to a new perspective on decision-making.

Chang explains that "the reasons that govern our choices as correct or incorrect sometimes run out, and ... we have the power to create reasons for ourselves to become the distinctive people that we are." She supports that hard choices are hard because values cannot be quantified. In my earlier statement, I used terms such as "outweigh" and "solution," but Chang argues that at times, there is no way to determine which alternative is better than the other because aspects of some choices cannot be given a number. Rather than being rational about decision-making, she suggests finding reasons for choosing a decision. By allowing ourselves to take a stand behind one choice rather than the other, Chang explains that we are able to come up with our own reasons to make the choices we do, and this makes for a more effective decision, as there is no better alternative other than the one we make reasons for. 

Although I had some difficulty comprehending what Chang meant, I can try to apply her reasoning method to everyday choices I make. I find it confusing that there is no way to quantify decisions. If I were to give an alternative some reason to choose it, I would still see this as a benefit. I do not understand how can be more options other than one alternative being better than the other and alternatives being equal, as Chang stated. Nevertheless, I will try to think about my personal reasons to make decisions in the future. 

On Writing and Procrastination

I recently read Megan Mcardle's article, "Why Writers are the Worst Procrastinators," published on the online news network The Atlantic. Before delving into the writing, I thought to myself, do I really have time to read this article? It's so long! Thinking about the four-page reflective memorandum due tomorrow that I have yet to start for my engineering course, I decided that I did have time and began to read.

For the majority of the article, I was stunned by how much I found myself relating to the poor mindsets explained by Mcardle. For years, I have nodded off my extreme procrastination habits to working better and more efficiently under pressure, however this article made me understand my true reasons for putting off writing assignments until the last possible minute: given an excess amount of time and in fear of writing badly, I would rather not write anything at all until the pressure of a looming deadline becomes too extreme, and the fear of not performing well is overtaken by the fear of not turning in the assignment. This article has made clear to me what I have been blind to all throughout high school and my first year of college. I see talent as an innate and engrained ability, rather than a skill that can be taught and developed.

Following along with the article's examples, I had always been the child who would finish readings and projects before my classmates in elementary school. I had always told myself that this was simply because I was good at reading, or good at the subject the project was for. Even now, as a college student, if I finish an exam earlier than the majority of the class, I tell myself it's because I am naturally good at solving differential equations. This article has allowed me to recognize my error in this perception. I now realize that, although I may be more inclined to easily remembering how to solve differential equations, my success in this course is not because of natural talent in math - it's because of the dedication and commitment I put into understanding how to evaluate solutions and learn equations.

I did not expect to undergo a paradigm shift by reading this article, but now that I have, I am going to try to change my working habits. Rather than put off writing assignments until several hours before the deadline, I will attempt to at least create an outline or introduction several days in advance. By acknowledging the error in my judgment of my own abilities, I hope to be able to make a change in my habits for the better.

Happiness

In his TedTalk "How to buy happiness," Michael Norton argues against the typical belief that money cannot buy happiness, articulating that way in which people spend their money influences their happiness. Norton produced several results from experiments he instigated worldwide that ultimately revealed the same trend: people who spend money on others rather than themselves tend to be happier, as doing something for others makes people feel that they have made a positive impact on someone else.

I thoroughly agree with Norton's statements, and have experienced this personally. When I worked at Target as a cashier, one of my coworkers, Barb, would always offer to buy the other cashiers a drink after she ended her shift. She did this every day, not limiting the number of people she bought drinks for. I felt bad saying yes to her because I didn't feel that she needed to, so I always refused her offer. One of the last days before leaving my hometown and my job for college, Barb talked me into accepting her offer, explaining to me that doing little things for others, like buying something to drink, honestly made her day. The joy that she caused others by giving them a drink in turn made her feel good about her influence in our own lives.

Between having a person in my life like Barb and listening to Norton's speech, I am encouraged to do the same. Although I cannot relate specifically because I haven't spent money on others except for birthday and holiday gifts for my family, there are some things that I do for others that make me happy. Recently, I bought an abundance of holiday cards for my friends back in my hometown, and plan to send them in the mail to wish them the best in their end-of-semester exams and a happy holiday. I enjoy doing small acts of kindness for others, and will continue to look for opportunities to do so.

Who is a Scholar, Really?

The experiences that Ed Dante explained in his story "The Shadow Scholar," published by The Chronicle, made me extremely worried, as I have several contradicting opinions about his work. Dante retells several correspondences he has had while working for his individually owned custom-writing company. Although he makes a living by writing an extensive amount of papers, Dante's name cannot be found on any published work. Commissioned by hundreds of students a year, he formulates essays for high school students and college graduates alike, who would rather pay Dante to write their graduate thesis or college application essays a ludicrous amount of money rather than take the time and energy to create a report in their own words. Needless to say, the name 'Ed Dante' is simply a pseudonym this writer has used to share his stories about his aboriginal career without bringing his identity to public knowledge.

Dante's business goes against everything I had learned growing up about honesty and success. In high school, I was familiar with the idea that some of my classmates had tutors who practically worked on their homework or wrote essays for them, but the business explained in this story takes this enterprise to an entirely new level. I knew that companies similar to Dante's had to have existed, the amount of students unwilling to dedicate their time to writing with their own words being fairly large, but I had no idea that this type of company could be so engrained into the education system.

Dante takes a significant portion of his retelling to explain how he had written an entire graduate thesis essay, totaling over 130 pages in length, by simply using capricious sources found online, even mentioning how he often relies on Amazon previews and corresponding reviews for information. Several aspects of this worries me. Firstly, the fact that a graduate student had chosen to rely on the efforts of an uncredible stranger to gain a degree is terrifying to me. What does this say about our education system? How can a person with so little motivation so as to not even be willing to attempt to write their own thesis statement have been able to earn the title of 'graduate student', and potentially 'graduate'? Also, how does this falsification impact me as a current student? Does this make my efforts matter more or less valuable in the future job world, if some of my future coworkers had been this student? The idea that a company like Dante's and many more exist, and have a reliable number of customers, makes me question the legitimacy of today's education.