Final Inq Project!!!!!!

Final Project!

Inq Final Self-Assessment.

“This INQ section challenges students to immerse themselves in the college experience: juggle multiple tasks, be problem solvers, ask questions, take risks, grapple with difficulty, be creative, learn from failure, take ownership over their own learning, and apply abstract concepts to their actual everyday lives”. The syllabus described these goals. In the beginning of the semester I only had a few of these skills, but throughout the semester I believe I met these course goals and achieved the specific goals. I learned from my failures by correcting what I did wrong on one thing and making it better on the next. For example, on the midterm video project some of the slides had too much writing, so I know for the final video project I need to have less writing on the slides. Also, in gymnastics I learn from my failures. If I mess up on a skill or anything I learn how to fix it and make it better. I met the requirement of this course because not only did I complete all of the work I was supposed to, but I learned new things with each task.


One of the main topics we focused on throughout this semester was time-management. In high school I would always wait until the very last moment to do any work. If I had a paper, I would write it the night before it was due. I did the same thing if I had a project. Sometimes, with homework, I would do it the morning it was due or in the beginning of class. Now, in college I have learned how to manage my time. I create lists and dates of when I need to do parts of an assignment so I will not be overwhelmed the day before it is due. I plan my time according to how long I think it will take me to complete it. In high school, we had our parents there to tell us what to do and when to do it, but now it is up to us to do it or not. I think this is a very important skill to learn and I feel I have met this goal.


Another specific skill that we have been working on is blogging. Since we have to write two blogs per week, I have gotten much better at them. I feel my writing has gotten more creative and more on a college-level. I tried to be creative with the blog titles, pictures, and the content that was in my blog. Another thing we have been working on is juggling multiple tasks. While having a lot of work in this class, we had to juggle getting it all done along with all the work for our other classes. I learned how to deal with difficult assignments. Also, on top of juggling all of my school work, I also had to juggle time to do everything around my gymnastics practices. This got stressful at some points, but it was something I needed to do, so I had to make sure I had time to do it all. I learned a lot from the first video project that I would use and change for the final video project. For the first one, I tried at first to do it by myself but didn’t know how. I left it until the last minute and was extremely stressed. For this final video project, I asked questions and got help, and planned everything out. I started working on it a little every day. I did this so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed the day before it was due. I got it done early so I wouldn’t have to stress about it. This is the same with all assignments. I would do a little work every day so I would get done quickly and wouldn’t be stressed by leaving it until the day before it was due.
          In conclusion, I learned how to transition from high school to college. I learned time-management, and how to find my voice in blogging. I will definitely carry these skills with me for the rest of college, and even later into in life. Time-management is not only an important skill now, but it will be an important skill in the future when we get jobs. In future semesters I hope I will become more of a leader and step out of my comfort zone. Overall, this class taught me a lot, and I will use what I have learned in the future. So far in college I am a student athlete and have become a better academic student. I have learned a lot this semester, and I hope to keep learning new helpful skills in the future.

Successes vs. Failures...Which will win?

In my first semester here at Southern Connecticut State University I have had some great successes as well as some failures. I have done very well so far at balancing out my priorities. I have maintained good grades, as well as participating in gymnastics. Although I have had some bad grades on tests, overall I did anything I could to make sure my grade was not affected that badly. If I did not do well on a quiz or test, or any assignment, I talked to my professor to see what I could do to make sure I wouldn’t fail again. I do not like to fail, but some subjects are hard for me. For example, history is very hard for me to begin with, but this semester I took Western Civilization. Some history classes interests me, however this one did not at all. It was very hard for me to stay focused during the lectures which meant I didn’t take good notes. By not taking good notes, this affected my grades on the tests. After my first bad grade, I made sure I took better notes and paid attention more, so I could do better on the next test. This was really my only failure of the semester. Other than a few bad grades, everything else was a success. I have been doing well in my other classes, and in gymnastics. The only weakness I would have is getting distracted if my friends were doing something. I know what I have to do for next semester to be successful and I am looking forward to accomplishing it.

Second Semester Already?!

I can’t believe our first semester of college is over. It went by so fast! I have a lot of personal, social, and academic goals for next semester. One goal is going to be able to manage my time with new classes, new teachers, and my first collegiate gymnastics competitions. My goal is to be a contributor to the team by doing whatever I have to do. Whether that is just being there to support them or competing. A big goal, which I hope my team accomplishes, is making it to nationals as a team. That would be amazing and very exciting! Honestly, I am happy with my social life. I have made a lot of great friends who I know have my back. Next semester it is going to be hard to have a lot of free time. We have a competition almost every weekend, and on top of that I have my classes and schoolwork.  An academic goal I have for next semester is to get all A’s and B’s. I really would like to get straight A’s, but I will be happy if I get A’s and B’s. This semester, I really wanted to get a 3.5 or higher GPA, which I don’t know if I got that yet, but I don’t think it is that high. I am almost positive that I got all A’s and B’s this semester, which I am very happy with for my first semester at college. I am happy with everything, my personal, social, and academic life. I hope next semester I am just as motivated to do well, and I will take everything that I learned this semester and use it next semester.

English Class+Inquiry Class=Same Students in Both?

When I found out we were going to be with the same class for inquiry and english I didn't know what to think. I have never had everyone in the same class be in two classes together. I didn't know what to expect. It turned out I really liked having it this way. We all became comfortable with each other because we had two classes together. I knew I could talk to anyone if I had a problem, and I think we all felt this way. We are not only classmates, but we became friends. The downside to having the same students in two classes is you don't meet as many other people. If we had different students in the classes than we could make more friends with the different student. You're missing out on meeting twenty different students that can also be your friends. Although this is true, I did overall like having the same students in both the classes. I will miss them a lot next semester. If we were stressed about something, we were usually stressed together and could talk about it and help each other. We got very comfortable with each other and could talk about our problems and knew everyone was there for us. I know some of us have some classes together next semester so we will stay in touch. If we don't have a class together, I'm sure students will still stay in touch because we formed a bond by being together for six hours a week instead of just three. I am going to miss this class of students and it was great to meet everyone.

Crystal Ball...What Lies Ahead in my Future?

What do I want my life to be like after college? I mean everyone probably wishes they could have all the money in the world so they can do whatever they want, but that is not realistic. My best friend Marisa and I, have lately been talking about how we want to move to California after college. I know this really isn't the most realistic dream ever because we need to get a lot of money first, but this is what we would really like to do. Marisa and I have been best friends since we were five. We have done gymnastics together, gone to school together, and pretty much everything else. She is really like my sister and I know we will be best friends forever. Although she goes to school in Illinois and I now go to school in Connecticut, we still talk everyday. When we get to see each other, it is like we were never apart. Our original dream was to live all over the place for a couple years, then decide where we want to live. We wanted to live in NYC, Italy, and California. We soon realized this was never going to happen so we decided we really want to live in California. Marisa wants to be a teacher, and I want to work with animals, so we could easily find these things in California. However, the money is the issue. Also, I would miss my family a lot. I am very close with my family and to move that far away from them would be extremely hard. This would be my ideal life after college, but I am sure it is going to take me a while to get there.

Happy Turkey Day...Dig In!!!

When I called my parents a couple weeks ago about planning for Thanksgiving, they were already getting ready for it. They started calling butchers, bakery's, and spending their three hundred and fifty dollars in groceries to earn their free turkey. Orchestrating what everyone brings for the thanksgiving meal is an art in itself. Planning who brings the vegetables, stuffing, pies, and other delicious items. Also you have to worry about whose recipes to use, Grandmas, Moms or the one we heard from Rachael Ray. This Thanksgiving we had family and friends come over our house for dinner. My grandma, uncle, and aunt and other grandma came. Our close family friends, Carol, Larry, and Ari also came. My brother, Brandon, dad and mom were here too. It was great to see everyone because I had not seen most of them since I left for school in August. The day started with watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, which we do every year. My family came over at twelve. We had snacks for a while because we weren't eating until five. We had assorted candy, pretzels, chips and dip, cheese and crackers, and a new hersheys kiss that tastes like a chocolate covered cherry. We made our pool table into a huge dining room table which sat the twelve people comfortably, so we could all fit at the table after we ate. We had delicious juicy turkey, three different stuffings, olives, corn, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, mushrooms, peas and carrots in a special sauce, fresh rye bread, and sweet potatoes. Hours later we sat down reluctantly but excited about the blueberry, apple, pumpkin and strawberry banana yogert pies, assorted cookies, and blondies. After all of this food, we couldn't move and we sat on the couch watching football. It was a great day seeing our family and friends and eating all of that amazingly delicious food. All of the weeks of preparation for this feast, the hours of cooking, the shopping, was it really worth it??? You bet it was!