My Biggest Regret

Overall college has been great. Every single day that I’m on campus I enjoy my time. I always see my old friends from high school but also the new friends I made throughout the school year. College did have its tough moments when it came down to midterms but it was mainly relaxed if I did my work. This school year was one of learning not only in the classroom but also on how to deal with managing school, work, and the bit of a social life one may have. My first semester went very well but unfortunately this second semester has not been the same. I thought I was going to be able to manage everything going on in my life. It’s not much but it keeps me busy. This second semester I began working at AutoZone and it has had both its pros and cons. The main con though is that I have noticed how time consuming this job has been for me. I work part time but the part that affected me was the late shifts at night I would work. Closing the store at eleven but still having to finish closing task and be getting home past midnight and then resting to go to class. I know that having a job has played a huge factor on limiting my full potential in school. It takes the bit of time I have to work on school assignments. Even with time management it’s not enough as I end up mentally and physically drained. I regret working and dedicating so much time to work as I know what truly matters is school. It’s a mistake that I can’t undo but learn from.

My Huge Student Debt

Going to a four-year university is no joke. You have to pay for so many things that eventually you get in debt. Parking permits are $182 a semester here at Stan State which is a ridiculous amount compared to the $30 at Modesto Junior College. In addition to that our books range from being as cheap as eighty cents to a crazy two hundred dollars or more! Stanislaus state has made me get into debt and it has played a negative effect into my life style. I owed an amount of SIX dollars to the school. I had two months to pay off those six dollars I owed but I didn’t because since it was a small amount I didn’t worry about it. Until two days ago I logged onto my school account and saw the tragedy that happened. I had a hold on my account! That is the worst that can ever happen. I need to choose my classes tomorrow and with a hold my class selection is in major jeopardy. I couldn’t risk having to go through that so I finally paid off my student debt. It took less than five minutes online and I questioned myself on why I didn’t do it sooner. The issue though is that I checked my account and even though I have paid off the six dollars it still states that I have a hold. I am in fear for my academic life that I won’t be able to get the classes I want. Pray for me guys. I love you all. God bless.

Stan State Parking Lot

            Waking up in the morning to go to class is a hassle for me. I wake up, curl up in my blanket, and tell myself five more minutes. By the time I know it I only have thirty minutes left to go to school and make it on time to my lecture. I make my way into my car, turn it on, and head out to class. I become relaxed and confident that I am going to make it on time but I suddenly face traffic. I have no other choice but to speed my way left and right through the road. I make it to campus but then I face my greatest enemy…the parking lot. Parking here at Stan State is such an issue. You have problems finding a parking spot as everything may be taken up or because students do not know how to park either! Some spots are too tight that it’s not even worth risking it to fit in. I know Stan State is not that big of an university but the school should take into consideration the parking space available versus the number of parking permits that they sell. I make it on time to school with ten minutes before class but sadly I take about half that time cruising around the parking lot to find a spot for me. One of the main contributors to this problem may be that we all want to park as close as we can but even when I don’t mind park a bit far there is no parking available.

Summer Courses

With spring semester coming to an end it is time to start thinking ahead. We need to choose our classes for fall and see what are our best options. I am ahead of what I am supposed to be by nine units. This gives me an advantage in completing my general education requirements in less than two semesters. I want to be further ahead by taking at least one summer course. The issue is that I am curious to see if financial aid can cover it for me. Having my summer course paid for would be very helpful but it’s risky in a way. In order to be considered for financial aid covered one must be registered for a summer course regardless. So at the end of the day if I do not get financial aid to cover my course I will be enjoying summer in school and also working to pay the bill I will be receiving. Stanislaus State stressing the idea of graduating in four years. I know this is barley my second semester but when I think about it that goal seems hard to achieve for many. Depending the degree trying to be pursued also depends how many prerequisites there is to be taken. So those prerequisites may then take up an extra semester. That is where the university plays a role in help out students in order to achieve that four-year time frame. That can be done with the help of providing more affordable classes or rearranging the game plan they have for students. 

The Beauty of Stan State

Stanislaus State was not my first-choice school to attend for my college career. It was my emergency university that I knew I could attend regardless of the situation. At first I wasn’t super hyped because I was still staying in the region. I felt as if I wasn’t really achieving anything since I didn’t have to move anywhere to attend school but as the months have gone by I came to the conclusion that I made the right choice. Stanislaus State is a very nature oriented campus that has lots of green beauty. There is a vast number of trees and green field to see that one may not be used to. Having so many trees purifies the air and gives a sense of liberty that is not offered in the city life. Along with the trees and green grassy fields are the ponds and wildlife that lives within it. Geese live here on campus and provide an additional beauty to the campus. Even though they may be annoying and leave feces on the sidewalk it is cool to have them on campus. I can’t think of another university that has geese living on their campus. It is a trademark feature of Stan State. One of the major highlights is in the spring when all the trees blossom and it is such an amazing view. People are taking pictures and being proud that this is their university. The only downside is for individuals with allergies. Overall, this is a great campus and I am glad to call it home.

Is School Prioritized Enough?

Do we truly prioritize school? Do we wake up every morning eager to go to class? I’m sure we have all questioned ourselves “why am I even here?”. I have come across that question several times as soon as I began college. During high school, I had to go regardless but in this situation, I have a choice. I question that decision because of money. Money has had a great influence on my decision making. I am currently employed at AutoZone and ever since I have only cared about making money. I am living my life with the motto, “money is the motivation!” and “gotta rack up them hours!”. On my days off I call other stores and work extra hours because I am striving to get my checks looking like phone numbers. The issue though is that I do that even when I know I have school assignments to take care of. If I have something due next day I take full shifts that take up my time when I could’ve done homework instead. Also, the fact that I’m working takes away the importance from school because I have more responsibilities to take care of. It is then that I begin thinking on how I would much rather work full time and be making money already instead of going to school to obtain a career. As much as I would want to dropout though I know that I’m going to continue with school. Working full time at a minimum wage pay will only be good for a short-term period. It is the long-term thoughts that make me stay in school as it’ll be the best decision.

The Greatness of Technology

Isn’t technology great?  As time progresses, we are using more and more technology in school.  I am pro technology in the classroom, and I believe it benefits both the student and teacher.  Technology helps us communicate more easily.  If a professor is not going to show up to class, they typically send out an email to their students so the students won’t show up as well.  Also, if a student has any questions about the information being taught in class, he/she could easily email and get in contact with the professor.  Another way technology is a great help is because of Google Drive.  I have gotten used to Google Drive back in high school as this is what we would use.  It is a great program that allows you to create documents, slideshows, and sheets.  If one is not able to purchase Microsoft Word, they can simply sign up for a Gmail account for free and use Google Drive.  One of my favorite features it has is how it saves your work automatically as you go.  I cannot tell you how many times my computer shut down when I was using Microsoft Word, and all my work was gone.  Because of this, my go to for creating any type of document is Google Drive.  Lastly, our society is shifting into a world in which technology is everywhere.  By us using technology now and getting more accustomed to how everything operates, we will succeed and have no trouble learning it in the future.  Overall, technology is a great tool we have as students.  

Was Spring Break Too Soon?

It is always nice to have some time off from school, sleep in, and catch up on the many lost hours of sleep. The only issue is that I believe that we got spring break too soon this semester. I am not sure how others might have felt with this but from a personal stand point I was not exhausted to the extend in which I needed a whole week off from school. As of now school has been steady and not difficult. Yeah, I have had my few essays and midterms to do but nothing to an extreme in which we should get a whole week off. For me it wasn’t much a break because I still had work and woke up early so I would have preferred to kept on going with school. In addition, all my classes still left homework to complete so that didn’t help to the “break”. Spring Break would have been better further down the semester maybe in mind April. That would help all the students re-freshen their mind entering finals week and help evaluate test scores and the passing rate of classes! Stanislaus State must do some scientific research and a large sum of surveys to help decide when would the ideal time be to have spring break. This is an alarming issue that should be funded in order get an answer. Overall, spring break is a good idea to incorporate in a student’s semester but further planning has to go on from administration to decide when we should have spring break.

Declaring The Right Major

Declaring a major is an exciting sensation as you finally feel you are taking control of your life and have your next few years laid out. The only worry you have is to get the classes you need to graduate in time and prepare for your future career you are pursuing. I recently declared a major after a semester of being uncertain what I wanted to earn my degree in. There are many questions that contribute to declaring a major, the most important being what does one want to do for the rest of their life and is the career I want going to be giving me a great pay? A huge dilemma that many may have is should one go after a career one will enjoy or go after a career that pays well money. It is broken down between happiness or money. The degree I declared was in history as I want to become a history teacher. A high school history teacher makes about $45,000 on average which isn’t bad but I know I can go after a degree in the science field and can make more money. I am already doubting my decision to earn a history degree and change it to have a career that will earn me more money and open more doors for me. The reality is that a history degree doesn’t allow me to do anything other than teach history or show that I have a Bachelor’s degree while another degree such in computer science, chemistry, or biology I will have many job possibilities to work in. For now I will be remaining as a history major but I have a feeling that it will change as money is the motivation.

School Gym

Stanislaus State University is in a sense underrated by many locals. It doesn’t seem like a great school when it actually has a lot to offer to its students. My favorite luxury from this university is the gymnasium. There is no need to pay for a membership elsewhere when I have a gym free of charge with state of the art weight room and basketball court. Yes, this is great for students but I definitely think there is a few changes that can be taken in order to improve our experience at the school gym. To start off the number of students at Stan State is large in a sense but not to an extent when compared to other university’s such as Fresno State or Chico State. Still I do not believe that should serve as justification on why our gym size is so small. The weight room has a capacity for roughly sixty-five individuals. I go to the gym in the afternoon and there are times in which I cannot do the exercise I’d like due to the lack of equipment but most importantly room. It is still winter but when entering it feels suffocated and humid in the room. I simply imagine when the temperature starts to rise. The weight room should be expanded. Another addition that can be made to improve the facility is incorporate a steam room or sauna for a after recovery session. In-Shape has one and when I go there with a couple friends I use the sauna and wished that Stan State had one for its students. There should be funds for that to be accomplished.

Super-Human Students

College is the learning experience of a life time. First, you learn on how to be responsible for yourself such as doing your own laundry, having to wake yourself up for class, and making dinner. The most important discovery made and knowledge that can be gained though is that as a student you learn that you are super human! Your body and mind is put through so many tests mentally, physically, and emotionally. To start off your body does not get the rest it used to. With work and loads of school assignments along with preparation for midterms staying up late and pulling all-nighters simply become a part of your routine. In some cases, one may be lucky to get the recommended eight hours. Going to college means “balling on a budget”. The college life pays a toll on our bodies with the lack of rest it would be the best and reasonable decision to fuel our bodies with healthy food options and reenergizing goodies but instead we do the complete opposite. A cup of noodles is our daily bread! With large consumption of sodium, it is imagined to face fatal consequences but we are super humans and can survive off anything. Finally, the best super human power that you learn is that you can literally pull anything off in college last minute. You may procrastinate and leave an essay until last minute or studying for an exam and still can do the necessary to pull through and pass. It seems that the greater the pressure the greater our young intellectual mind works. College makes you accomplish things you never thought would be possible.

Random College Thoughts

College can be very dreadful. Too much pressure to meet deadlines, even with time management such tasks are impossible. College is a time of personal growth and prepare oneself for the world outside of school. In complete honesty, this blog won’t have a specific theme to focus on but just different thoughts that I have gotten as I have gone through college. To begin with I was always curious about the job of a janitor/custodian (if there is a difference). I wondered if they made a decent amount of money to at least pay off a couple monthly bills. I have thought about it and I think they should be well payed at least in the university level and I imagine even more in a private university or high rank schools such as Stanford, Harvard, and Yale. The life of a custodian or garbage man doesn’t seem so bad and it wouldn’t be if I was aspiring to acquire a minimum paid job with an annual income of $23,000 which is not the case and thus explains why I am in college. I would be a custodian and have a job just cleaning and taking it easy but sadly I cannot make a living out of it. On a side note the tater tots in the Warrior Grill are scrumptious!! I highly recommend them as a snack. You get a bang for your buck as for simply $2.46 you can get a large plate of delicious mini potato bites that melt in your mouth with every bite.

Is College Worthy?

Why do we go to college? What is the main purpose of college? Some may say that college is a gateway to a better job and have a luxurious life style that one desires. Others come to college because they want to further expand their knowledge in a certain field of study. There are also the individuals who attend a university with the hope of finding what they want to do with their live and find ones calling. I have the mindset of becoming a History professor but there has been plenty of times in which I think about dropping out and just working. Working to make good money as money is the motivation. I am currently a part time worker at AutoZone but I debate if I should just work to be full time and make even more money than I already do. There is plenty of entrepreneurs who do not have any college education and end up having a great business and making a living out of the company they started. I feel going to school is now a requirement in today’s modern day. The level of competition for acquiring a good job with a good salary is currently on the rise and will be even more in the future. There is also a social pressure to attend college and obtain a degree if not one may be considered a “failure”. Overall, I’m sure I’m going to continue through college as I always finish what I started but there has been countless times that I think that getting a degree may not always be needed to succeed in life.

Going To College

College for some may be scary while for others it is a sense of excitement as well as freedom. The thought of going out to the world not knowing what to expect and for once in your life having control of your time and schedule both can make an individual fearful or full of joy. The truth is that going to college is not as bad as many make it seem. Yes, there is midterms that one must study for along with finals but if you’re doing your job and putting in the effort at the end you should be good. One secret to succeeding in college is to stayed focused and do your work on time. For example, this blog is due tonight at 11:59 pm pacific standard time and it could have easily been done a whole day ago, but I go distracted by the super bowl (Go Patriots!!!! TOM BRADY equals GOAT!!!) but here I am though trying to finish it up last minute to get credit and start off the semester right. I am a second semester freshman but I feel so experienced already. Going to college allows an individual to have personal growth and learn good skills such as time management. I myself still need to get out of break mode and get into school mode but once you are in your zone things get accomplished so easily. Overall I have enjoyed college and glad I didn’t get a job and just work like I originally had in mind to do.