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.