Visual Rhetoric

Before we discussed pathos, ethos, logos, and kiaros of an ad or a visual, I usually would just pass by them knowing that they had information about a certain subject. I never would analyze the facts on the ads. Now that we have discussed what each of those strategies mean, I understand them more fully and I actually stop and look at advertisments with a different perspective. I will think about what the ad is portraying and how it makes me feel. I take time to create an emotion about the visual. There are still some ads that I pass by that do not draw my attention, so i just glance at them quickly and leave, not taking in all the information. It made me realize that almost every single ad shows pathos, ethos, logos and kiaros in some sort of way, but some ads may display more of the strategies then other ones do. Advertisement is a big persuading technique to get people to act in a certain way or buy something. Knowing about the visual rhetoric can help in making my choice of if the advertisement moves me in a positive or negative way. This has helped me look at advertisements in a different way and realize all the details that go into making ads for viewers.

looking beyond the image

the first day when we sat together as a class discussing different advertisements everybody had their own input and i was struggling. i was like, "how did they come up with that?" and "my mind doesn't work that way" and "you are over analyzing that." then i realized that is was advertisements are about, to make you think, and also to persuade you to buy their product. when we got assigned this essay i was like oh great this is going to be really hard for me. then i found my advertisement and really studied it. i started to notice things which totally changed my perspective on the advertisement. for example colors, the colors that the company uses has a big roll in ad. totally using pathos, colors to play with our emotions. it showed me that a lot of thought goes into the preparation of an advertisement. as i have looked through magazines and driven past billboards i now studied them and analyze them. it has opened my eyes to find out what story the advertiser is trying to tell us!

Visual Rhetoric and Me

The discussion of visual rhetoric throughout or classes have made me think twice when I look at advertisements. There will always be more than there seems to each advertisement. I pay more attention to colors and how they make me feel, but even though advertisers maybe trying to manipulate me with colors or how they position objects or even through sex, I would say that it rarely works. At times I may see and advertisement and ask what image or light the advertisers are trying to place their product in, compared to how I react to it.

I know that colors should play a huge part in it, but I would have to disagree at times. For instance it’s common knowledge that cool colors are there to make you relax, and warm colors are often there to grab your attention, or to make you feel cozy, etc. But I would say it just depends on my mood when I react to an advertisement.

Often, I’m sure, advertisers will create the opposite feeling of what they’re intending for their target audience. I know that advertisers are trying their very best to draw me in to by their product, or invest in their company, but they have to make important decisions on how they portray their item/company, because that can draw in or chase away potential customers.

From this discussion I feel like I can better see through the many layers of advertising and get to the core of what they're selling or what is being promoted. Although I doubt that it will make a impact on my day to day life and what I purchase and so forth.

What is Nike saying to me?

From the website Nike portrays their product as something that is for everyone, every language and every sport. There are list of different languages that you can view the website in. The models in the pictures are not limited to any one ethnicity. It is geared toward those that are looking to be like their favorite athlete or those who are just wanting to achieve a certain image such as strong and determined. the bodies of the models are flexing or wearing clothes that show their muscles. The faces on the people are serious as if that have a focus and something in mind of achieving. These are people who are determined and will get what they want. There is the ability to create or choose your own custom type of clothing. By doing this it allows individuals to define themselves as unique but also a part of Nike with the logos still showing as part of a certain group.
The background that the website is on a football field, as if it was putting you there on the field as you look at the clothes you can see your self there. The main color used is grey, grey is said to be timeless and unexpected. This infers that the product will last. There are a ton of arrows and everything moves as you move your cursor over it. The arrows show movement and point to the main or suggested ideas. they move your eyes to see certain things. While there are different items for girls and guys it is more because of shape and build not because girls can or cannot obtain the same things. You can even instill in your children this kind of attitude or desire when they are young. the clothes are for them as well. The determinationthat transpires from working hard to schieve the look and capability that Nike is know for.

everything about it

How are the visuals trying to influence me?!  My question would be more like: How are the visuals NOT trying to influence me?  Everything about this web page has to do with influence that the visuals have on my buying experience. 

When web pages first started, they were more filled with information, lists, databases, and other informative and rather boring information.  The web was used for government purposes with the consumer end only being introduced within the last fifteen years or so.  Since that introduction, long paragraphs of information, exhausted explanations of scientific data, and ugly, almost useless informative web pages gave way to the current and innovative web sites such as nike.com.

This website is clean, orderly, and simple.  The grass football field in the background correlates with my thoughts of the current football season as well as the texture on ‘Adrian’s’ face.  I am immediately prompted to watch a video upon entrance to the site, a video depicting a war-like heroism associated with making football a way of life.

After watching the video, my eyes are attracted to the sidebar where I can view other products that can be viewed and ordered from the webs site.  Each subsequent site that I navigated to was filled with background images, videos, and graphics that make me feel like I could be a real part of ‘nike’ if I purchased their equipment from this website.

Visual analysis of nike.com

I went to the website nike.com to analyze some ads for this assignment. When you first open the website they give you an option to watch their newest commercial. This video takes up most of the screen and is very hard to miss. So I watched the video and the first thing I noticed was that they gave Adrian Peterson, one of the best running backs in the NFL, an "out of this world" effect to make it seem like the gear he is wearing makes him what he is. After watching it I would say it is very effective to people who want to be the best, by showing the best wearing their gear. I actually want to go out and buy some of that under-armor type of clothing right now. I'm not a football player but they made this commercial appeal to me with a mix of music, colors, and other visual effects.

Prada.com

Prada.com is a very interesting website. I think fashion is a very interesting thing. It's amazing to me how people can love what they're wearing and then ten years later think it's absolutely hideous. It's also interesting how many people don't like all the newest fashions that come out in europe but then when they come to America a few years later, everyone is wearing them. 

Some of the things I saw in these pictures really surprised me. I thought there would be a lot more sexually-related pictures. In some of them the models weren't completely covered up, but I wouldn't consider them sexual at all. Some of their clothing styles were appealing but some of them weren't at all. And all of the female models' hairstyles were hideous. I did like how some of the male models had their hair, however. 

The colors in the pictures were mostly very dark. From the background to the clothes they wore to the makeup they had on. I think the main purpose of this was that all the models had very pale white skin and blonde hair. This created an interesting contrast that made the pictures stand out. The models also never smiled. They almost looked angry, but I think that was also part of the effect and to show personality. 

I think a lot of modeling and fashion is just to be different and to make yourself and clothes stand out. I think this is a big factor in the designs changing so often. Once everyone starts to wear the same styles then people want to change to be different and express their selves in their clothing and styles. 

scientology.org

When you first enter the Scientology website, you notice an emphasis that Scientology is a religion. They have tried to give the impression that they're a normal organization for everyone. Where the word Scientology is used, the words "Official Church of" or "Church of" is placed in front. Again, this tells me they are really trying to state that they are a church and not weird the way they are often perceived. The logo which uses a cross instead of a "t" in the name Scientology, tells me that they're a Christian religion.

The colours used on the website are mostly blues. Blues are cool, calm colours that give an effect of tranquility. The space is used wisely, it is not overly crowded but they manage to put a lot of information on the homepage. For example, there is a video at the center of the page which is clearly what they want you to look at. It introduces the religion and tries to get you to have an open mind when going through the rest of the website. There is a column giving an overview of what scientology actually is for those who don’t know, and the founders name is visible. With all of this they are trying to make themselves reputable.

Visuals, Pathogens & Questions

I checked out Dolcegabbana.com (from the list). This fashion/glamor-based website had models on every page that were backed-up with such softened dark colors (along with background music to match) that made me feel as though I was deep underwater.

I’ll admit, at first I didn’t quite know what to think, the beauty and the colors pervaded throughout, ambient background music gave me distant feelings, and the models were well... creepy. Make-up and fashion on beautiful people with no expressions whatsoever seemed to push me away. I suppose the influence here was one of education: I need to be a part of this realm or simply recognize that a new style is coming and I should be prepared.

I felt like there was no logos in this at all (if we are referring to straight “logic” that is). Because if all these models (male and female) are wearing these ridiculous outfits only fit for (stereotypical) models’ sizes (which I’m pretty sure they don’t come in plus sizes) then they have quite the small market for themselves, especially if they’re trying to sell to America (sad but true). Ethos however was used when they had popular celebrities wearing these outfits.

I also experienced a different kind of feeling, and that was one of purpose. What kind of people are going to visit this website? (on a regular basis?) Why even have this website anyway? Is it good to have these kinds of things in the world simply to fill a space in reality? (or an alternate reality)? Why would anyone want to purchase these ridiculous outfits other than for display? It just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me.

Everyone appeared to be perfect (besides the mannequins of course) which brings to mind another odd question, why not have oversized/‘obese’ fashion mannequins on display? I’ve never seen one in a walk-by window, have you?

Eric Osmond

dolcegabbana.com

For the visual analysis assignment i went to the dolcegabbana.com website. I have never thought that the way high fashion chooses to represent their products and models are very attractive. Dolce & Gabbana is one of those high fashion stores. When i first pulled up the web page there was a collection of pictures with clothes, bags, and such. The models were kind of scary looking but they did make the pictures seem intriguing. There was a picture of little kids in the corner which surprised me. When i dragged the mouse over the picture a list of kids dolce & gabbana products popped up. I thought that was a really good way of getting people to look at those products. Over all i thought the website had a very clean looking layout. That is really important to me when i pull up a website or look at an advertisement. I feel like too many advertisements are too busy looking and if they look like that then i tend to not read anything on the ad. It was really easy to know where something was if i was looking for it. Overall, i think the website was very appealing and even though the pictures came across as a little scary looking, i think they gave an intimidating look. That helps the reputation of dolce & gabbana, it made them seem more serious. The color schemes went really well together and i think it was an affective ad.

Comparing Animalpak and Coldplay

When I looked at all of the different web sites I thought they all were done exceptionally well. The only one I did not like was coldplay.com because I could not tell anything about then on just their home page. They had intriguing pictures but on all of the other web pages the second it popped up it was obvious "boom" this one is a clothing store, or this one is for a perfume. This website on the other hand I had to click on some links and try to decipher it to figure out what it was. I did not like the rhetoric because of that, I felt that the pictures did not show you what the web site was about. On the other hand even the ones I had never heard about like animalpak.com I went there and the pictures they had posted up immediately led me right to what they wanted which was exercising training, getting in shape. Looking closer at it you see that the website is all in black and white, they use small simple white lettering. In the upper left hand corner they have their logo which helps show you about them. In my opinion the visual rhetoric was much better on animalpak.com.

Nike

When I first logged onto the Nike website I was greeted by a nice black and white gradient webpage with a menu that allowed me to choose my language and region. Which to me, gave them a large ethos. The fact that they are such a large company that they need to have a different websites to fit the needs of the different regions is impressive.

After selecting my language and region I was greeted by a webpage with a football field background, and a football player in the foreground. That is a sign of some good kairos going on there, with it being football season in the US right now. It seems that currently the ads are tailored to football players and enthusiasts, but it changes to the most popular sport that is currently going on in the different regions. Back to the US home page though, there was a video of Adrian Peterson (a popular player in the NFL) of the Minnesota Vikings. In the video it is snowing and the players on the team opposite Adrian Peterson (who aren't wearing Nike products) are slow/clumsy and can't seem to get a hold of Adrian (who is wearing Nike products) no matter what they try. Adrian easy avoids them with some fancy evasive maneuvers and scores many touchdowns. His team comes out victorious over the other team. What I got out of all of that is that if you wear Nike products you will be as good as Adrian Peterson. You will easily be able to evade being tackled by the other team and will score many touchdowns. Thus your team will be victorious just like in the video. The ad was mainly targeting young men who enjoy playing football. One last thing about the video, is that it is in black and white. What I got out of that is that even though everything/everyone is blending in together visually, you will still be able to stand out with Nike.

One last thing about the Nike website is that in most of its ads it have professional athletes. The ads with the professional athletes have the athlete's name in them. They also have some facts about the athlete which is none other than the use of logos.

The New Zune

When analyzing the visual rhetoric of the zune web site I noticed several interesting aspects that drawn to my intention. First of all they use sharp contrasting images that give the page a glossy smooth look. It makes it seem like its futuristic and new. The objects in the picture are artistically balanced with the larger objects in writing on the outer perimeter and with lines that draw to a center focal point. The center focal point is using bright colors. This creates an eye appeal to convey the perceived message. The message is very simple which makes it easier to understand with the first glance. The object is to help you realize the different accessories that are available with the zune. One of the images is displaying an AM FM radio. The one next to it is displaying a play list of different CD’s. It’s showing an album cover of the black-eyed pees, so it’s probably going for a younger crowd. Another image is showing a bright colored animated kids movie, so it’s showing that you can watch movies on it. The last image is showing a menu page of all the different options that are available in the new zune. Finally, the main title presenting the name of the product in a rainbow color, giving it a sleek psychedelic feel.

The advertisement is well designed with a lot of eye-appeal to attract the targeted audience. In my opinion they succeeded in their goal.

just do it - nike

the first thing that shows up when you hit go to nike.com is the "choose your region" page. although my region is: english, united states, i clicked on another region to see how it differs. spain's home page the main picture is of a sports star from their country and the sport that is big right now. on america's home page there is a video clip of adrian peterson who is one of the top football players in the league right now. this is good for two reasons: 1. boys will watch this clip and want to go out and buy the nike pro combat gear. of course if you put a professional athlete in your apparel everyone will want to go out and buy it. it sold me and i am not even a boy nor do i play football! 2. right now it is football season. it is the big hype every where and everyone is so excited to start consuming their free time watching football. the video showed great kairos. watching the video of adrian making great plays against the strong defense on the field in the blistering cold and then at the end of the video when he is in the locker room is what the advertise what he is wearing. that video spoke to me as if nike was saying, "if you wear our gear, you can be strong and endure anything." having the football video being the main focus on the page was also great kairos. football is what is in the season right now, of course you wouldn't have a video of kobe bryant being the mvp that he is because that is not what is in season right now!

in the video adrian's skin looks like the pig skin of a football. you know the saying, "you are what you eat?"well to me this is saying, "you are what you wear." if you want to be strong and fast like the pro's, you have to wear nike, it is the way to go.

of course not everybody likes football or plays it so they do do a great job of advertising for other sports. like for instance, lebron james is the star advertising basketball. i couldn't think of anyone better to advertise then him. he is the michael jordan of our time.

when you click on the different sections the colors and music appeal to the different kind of people that would visit that sites. for instance, basketball is very crisp colors and the music is the kind that basketball players would listen to. the kind of music that would get you pumped up before a game or workout. the women's page has bright fun colors that would make women happy and want to work out. this is defiantly great pathos. defiantly hitting the emotions key right there. not only does the colors and music play with your emotions but so do the models. they all have great bodies and that is what the american dream is right? to have a rockin' bod?

nike does it well.

Animal Pak

I went to animalpak.com. The first thing I notice is an extremely muscular man right in the middle of the page. The guy is lifting weights in a gym. This immediately tells me this is a website for bodybuilders. By having a bodybuilder right in the middle of the main page they are using the rhetorical strategies pathos and ethos. Pathos, because it makes you have an emotional response like “oh my god that guy is huge”. Ethos, because the guy’s giant size gives credibility to the website it shows you that the advice, product, or service they are providing or selling might possibly work.

The page is entirely in black and white. It’s very simple, no pretty colors. This tells me that the people who run this website are serious about bodybuilding. They don’t want any distractions; just black and white right to the point. I notice on the top left corner there is the letter A in a circle very similar to the anarchy symbol. It makes me think that maybe that’s the sort of mentality they want you to be in when lifting to get that huge. A sort of crazy intensity where nothing else matters and you’re focused on attaining a certain goal; which in this case is getting huge.

As I read some of the text I notice some swear words. This tells me people who come to this website might have similar interest and attitudes so the owners of the website feel comfortable saying whatever they want without fear of insulting anybody. As I click the link “what is animal” it takes me to a page where they have a product. It’s some sort of supplement. In this page we finally get some color. The page and text are still black and white but the product is shown in color. This tells me they want me to notice the product, so I assume this is what they’re selling.

When I read some of the text I notice they begin to use the rhetorical strategy logos. I come across links for charts that show the benefits of the different Animal products. There is also a link to feedback from users of the product which is using the rhetorical strategy ethos. They are relying on the character and experience of their customers to try and sell the product.
Overall I think they do a good job selling their product. I think if you were into bodybuilding this might be something you would want to look into.

Rhetoric in Nike.com Website Design and Content

Upon first entering Nike.com, I am asked to choose my “Nike region”. First I am to pick a language, and then a location. This page is important for obvious business and consumer reasons: shipping, language, consumer information, etc. However, I think there is something else to it. One of the first thoughts that come to me is, “Wow, this company is everywhere!” From a rhetorical standpoint, the page demonstrates ethos. When you see that the company operates all over the world, you know that they’re the ‘real deal.’ It lets the consumer know that they are a trusted name, and gives the company credibility.

So I’ve picked my region. I’m now taken to Nike’s homepage. Everything is a bit dark. The color scheme is grayscale-oriented. I think this gives a feeling of importance to the viewer. It tells the viewer that ‘this is more than just sports.’ I can’t help but feel like maybe football is much more important than I had always thought.

As I’m thinking about the colors, a huge, stark-white font contrasts with its dark background and shouts at me to “VIEW ADRIAN’S ALTER EGO.” The request is in all capital letters. I click play, and the sense of importance is again prevalent. The video is in black and white. The music is dark and mysterious. If I didn’t know better I’d think I was watching a murder mystery or perhaps a suspense-thriller. The content of the video uses pathos rhetoric. Scenes of large, muscular players colliding with each other as snow falls from the sky make viewer envious. Nike=Tough. Or at least that is what I’m led to believe as I watch the remainder of the video.

I start browsing around other parts of the website, and find that the dark, serious portrayal I encountered on the home page is completely abandoned. I click on the tab that says “NikeWomen,” and see the exact same picture on the background that I saw on the homepage, except this time the color is bright. The tabs are a similar bright green as I roll over them with my mouse. I click on “Nike6.0.” and am greeted with a new bright, artistic background and images that caters more to the likings of the ‘extreme’ sports enthusiasts.

Each new area I visit, I encounter different styles and ‘moods.’ If I enter the store, I can find a lot of logos rhetoric in the details. If I go to the “Livestrong” section on the website, I find heavy amounts of pathos rhetoric: Stories of cancer and hope, the Armstrong story, etc. The website employs many forms of rhetoric to appeal to its viewers, and I think it does a pretty good job of it.

Nike.com

The site that I browsed and observed the visual rhetoric was nike.com. Each different page creates pathos and ethos. The sports pages for example basketball, soccer and football all had emotions of excitement and energy for the game. They showed professional players wearing the Nike brand and different quotes flashing about how you can “start your season strong, train like a pro”. Using professional players wearing the Nike brand promotes quality and allows the person to feel that their sports performance will increase and that they could even be like the professional player. Wearing the Nike brand will enhance your game play and only the Nike clothing and shoes fit the needs of the sport. There are many different links on the Nike website that have different colors, quotes, writing text and pictures depending on what the link is about. For example there is a women’s section and it is full of bright colors, bright shoes and clothing and women in shape. It portrays good health, states that women too can play sports and if they wear the Nike brand they have power and strength just like the men. The Nike website fulfills a purpose that makes the person want to buy the products and become great athletes. It promotes a healthy style of living by working out. The website uses the right amount of strategies to get their point across to the person looking at the site. It makes the person looking at the website want to wear Nike brand and become strong and powerful by playing a sport.

Visual Rehtoric Analysis

I went to zune.com. This website was all technology. Their major products were on the main page on their website. The products were made to kind of pop out at you so you would focus on them. It was very simple there was not that much writing on the page. If there was righting it was about there new Zune HD. It was really easy to navigate the website. There logo was also all over the homepage. You can listen to music to see if you want to buy it. They use pink and purple a lot on their page and I think they do that so that the lettering kind of pops out on the mainly black backgrounds. This website is all about you buying their product so they try to make their website appealing to the eye.

Only the best

I went onto Nike.com. Everything about this website screams health. The many pictures of professional athletes try to convince the consumer that if you want to be successful in sports you need, or even have to wear the Nike brand. In the woman's section of this website the colors are brighter causing a sense of creativity while still showing the strength and determination of athletic women who wear the Nike brand.
The football section of the Nike website is all in black and white. I believe that the website designers did this to give a sense of solidity and power. One of the pictures in this section is of football a player pushing his hardest to win the game. On the picture in larger words it says "Witness the transformation" to tell you that wearing Nike products will increase the consumers performance.
In the background of all these pages is the type of field that that particular sport is played on. Everything about this website is focused on enhancing an athlete's performance. They are trying to convince you that the only way to be as good as the professionals is to wear their products and I think that Nike is very good at doing just that.

Scientology- a religion

When I visited the scientology website the very first thing that I noticed about the website is the that they have a cross instead of a 't' in the title of their website. I think that is important because people who don't know about scientology might automatically be turned off by the term from a lack of understanding. They may assume that they don't believe in Christ just from the very name, but they make sure to make that stand out with the cross in the title.

This website also addresses further issues about what Scientology is, by stating on the left side of their website what they believe. They also have seven sections at the bottom of the webpage that give you more evidence that what they believe in is not far-fetched, or strange. The name itself is not commonly heard of, and as I stated before, it's hard to guess what they believe in. They are very upfront in what issues they would like to address. They do support many traditional beliefs.

I also believe that the blue color they chose for their website was a good one as blue is often known for relaxing people. They don't only use it for their website, but they use it at the end of each commercial and it gives off a very relaxed feeling. Their ads are also very appealing. They are able to sum up, in a poetic way, life. They present it in such a real, human, living and incredible way that it draws you in and makes you want to learn more. They claim to have the truth, and they present real problems that everyone is dealing with, and how you can be united in Scientology. The ads do not look like they were set up, they look natural. They look like scenes that could be very well present in your own life, which I think is a large part of the appeal.

Zune is Soo Shiny and New!

I went onto zune.com because I knew its eye candy would be different from the normal fare. Everything was not only colorful, but crisp and 'shiny'. All the images looked to be in HD and the gadgets had light reflecting off them. I noticed all the images were of current movies, television shows, and musical artists considered the haute couture of young, American culture today. It gave me a feeling that I was looking at state of the art technology in Mp3 players and I would be considered 'sick' if I owned one!

Exam Help!

On Tuesday I had my very first college exam for my Astronomy class. I was so certain that I was going to get an A on the test. I had prepared myself for the test and studied for hours with my study group. We studied for about six hours all together. I made myself flashcards and we all helped each other understand the concepts and ideas that were going to be on the test. I also studied for about an hour before going into the testing Lab. I walked into the testing lab feeling confident because I had studied many days and put forth a lot of effort. Getting good grades are important to me, so I tried my best to study. I have always been a bad test taker and even when I am prepared I get nervous and blank out. On Tuesday my mind was open and I told myself I wasn’t going to blank out because I had prepared myself for the exam. Once I was done with the exam, I went through the test again but then I doubled guessed myself and thought, oh maybe it’s this answer instead. Then I changed some answers and hoped for the best. I turned in the scan tron to the girl so she could run it through the machine. They give me the score back right away by looking at the computer screen. When I saw my grade, I was in shock. I got a 74%, even though some people may not think that’s a bad grade I did because I was so positive my grade wouldn’t be less than a B. I was disappointed and upset because I spent so many hours studying. How can I become better at taking tests? Is studying for many hours not good enough for getting a decent grade? Are there tips for being a better test taker? I really want to succeed in college and grades are important to me.

is being healthy such a crime?!

I love to work out, be active, and healthy... it is a hobby of mine. Probably a hobby I should be more dedicated to, but I am working on that. Every time I talk about going to the gym, or go running, or watching how many snacks I assume in a day I always get crap for it. I have recently been very diligent about working out and every time I walk out the door to go to the gym at least one of my roommates says, "you don't need to work out, you need to gain a few pounds!" Obviously gaining weight is not what my metabolism has in mind for me, or all the times I have tried to put on a few pounds, I would have. Anyways, just because I am skinny does not mean that I am in shape! I get winded every time I walk up three flights of stairs to my apartment which is rediculous and every time I play my favorite sport volleyball, I embarrass myself because of how weak I am! So anyways I work out to 1. be healthy and happy. working out really can boost ones self esteem and endorphins really do make you happy! 2. gain muscle and have a toned body! 3. to blow off steam from the day at school or work, to forget about everything else and get lost in the music and pumping iron. 4. to get strong enough to sock the next person in the face when they tell me that I do not need to work out!!

Parking really sucks in Provo.

It seems like everywhere in Provo they are really strict about parking. But then I get home to my apartment complex and can NEVER find a place to park. Did they not make enough parking spots for the residents that live there? Or are they the one place in provo that doesn't care about who is parking where. Last night my roommate had to park across the street in a super 8 motel parking lot and we walked back to our apartment. That is sooo ridiculous and should not be a problem! We both have stickers on our car that we paid for so why do we have to park across the street?? I wish I knew a way to fix this problem! Also, when i come to school everyday it takes me 10 minutes to walk from my car to the school. It is so frustrating! Why are there never parking spots available? How am I supposed to walk 20 minutes everyday from my car to school & back with my huge bag everyday?

Quizzes Online

So in my Psychology class my teacher had us log on to the website called "Connect." So about half of the class has not been able to register on this website. So he decided to put the Quiz that was due last Monday on Blackboard and he gave the people who weren't able to log on extra time. I find that very frustrating because I got logged on and had to take it Monday or it wouldn't be counted. So the half of the class that got logged on has less time to read the fifty page chapter! I just think it is not fair that he is giving extra time to the class who couldn't get logged on. I could be being selfish but I would have liked extra time to read the chapter and do the quiz with that half of the class. I think he should have changed the date for everybody and given everybody extra time because of how hard it was to get registered online.

UVU or UVSC?

By: Anton
Should UVU be considered a University? Or is it still only a college? In my opinion it’s all just a bunch of hype to bring in more revenue for this money making institution. For example parking last semester at UVU was horrific, and this semester enrollment is up 12%. That means 12% less parking, 12% more crowded classrooms, and 12% less available classes. Becoming a university is supposed to be a step up that will benefit the students. But who is benefiting from a 12% overpopulation? It is absolutely not the students! Since the students can no longer afford parking passes (due to the increase in tuition), they are now required to take 30 to 45 minutes circling the FREE parking lot, just to be late for a class (that that they are hoping someone will drop out of so they can take their seat). How does that benefit the students? Was it a responsible decision to allow an increase in student population by 12% before addressing these problems? I think not! I think that the debt we take on as students (excluding students with rich parents) is worth more than what UVU is providing under the decision of the administration.

Another concern of students is the lack of complete bachelors and masters programs available at UVU. What is the point of enrolling at UVU when after just two semesters you would have to transfer to a more qualified university, where the cost of tuition is the same! For instance the engineering department only offers a pre engineering degree, which is basically just the generals. Where is the benefit to the students!? So should UVU really be considered a University, When it is acts like a community college? I think not.

Social Agenda

This being my first year of college, the transition from high school is a difficult one. I come from a very small town where everyone knows… everyone. In this situation it’s not hard to find friends. Moving to Orem all alone is a big change. I’ve always been the shy type. I find it hard to just walk up to people and start talking. Because of this, I have been mistaken as stuck up many times. That’s not what I want.
I think that many other people share this problem with me. It’s not that we don’t want to get out and meet new people; it’s just hard to do it alone. If I had friends down here already then I could go with them and meet new people just fine. I just hate doing it alone.
My whole life everyone has been telling me that I need to break out of my shell and stop being so shy and start doing things for myself. Now I understand how good that would’ve been for me. I understand that I still need to or the rest of my life will be miserable like this. I’ll always be the one sitting in the corner listening and analyzing everything that goes on. I’ll think about everything, but my mouth won’t make a sound unless I’m talked to. This needs to change.
As much as I could do all of this on my own, I don’t want to. Maybe I need to. Maybe I need this experience. Maybe I don’t. I guess I’ll find out.

Crushed For Time

From getting homework finished on time to a part time job every college student finds themselves pressed for time at some point. The stress that is put on us by our professors, family, and work place can be overwhelming at times. The question that needs to be answered is how do we, as students, accomplish the tasks lain at our feet without feeling an over powering strain of stress.
There are many possible solutions though one that works for one person can be added stress for another. Learning time management may prove to be of the most helpful tools to relieve stress. Along with time management finding time in our schedules to relax and enjoy ourselves would greatly reduce our stress. In attempting to reduce our stress however, we could very well be adding more stress to our lives. If we think that taking time to enjoy ourselves is so crucial we may be creating another stress by trying too hard to fit it into our schedules.
This question is of great significance because if we do not find a way to relieve our stress our grades may begin to slip. Our lives may become dismal and full of pain. We may grow so stressed that is may end up sending us into a grave depression. Studies have shown that great amounts of stress have been linked to a greater risk of illness and disease. We must find a way to handle all of the stresses in our lives.

I am a 37-year-old student on campus. And, I have to admit that I feel a little like a fish out of water surrounded by students close to 20 years younger than I am. This is my first time back in school for almost a decade. Though I am bright, and usually very confident, I have never mastered the skills it takes to be a good student. So, I find myself in constant need of guidance. It has definitely been a humbling experience going to individuals a decade or more my juniors for that guidance. I am also feeling awkward socially for the same reason. The school is very actively working to engage students socially. But all the extra-curricular activities appear to be just for younger students. Personally, I feel the needs of my age group are being ignored, maybe even avoided. This needs to be addressed because there are probably a larger percentage of ‘older’ adults at UVU than at other universities. Not making us feel welcome would be a big mistake. We are a source of knowledge and experience that lends itself to helping younger students academically, as well as with life’s struggles. We are also a percentage of revenue for the school that I know they want to encourage to continue. Not seeing us as a priority group would mean the school would be missing out on a lot of opportunities.

My Problems at UVU

There are two problems that I as an individual face as a new college student. I would say that the major problem I face as a new student at UVU is parking. The earlier I leave to try to get to class on time it seems like there are even less spots open. When I do eventually find a parking spot it is a long walk to the class across a huge parking log full of bad drivers.

The second problem I face is getting to know people. None of my classes have anyone I am acquainted with and I am not a very outspoken person. So I always find myself just sitting there looking into oblivion thinking about going golfing after I finish each day. Yeah, some classes do minor introductions like we did to try and get us to know one another, but I find that those do not work for me very well since I can't remember the names of everyone in the first place.

My Problems This Semester.

I feel that I have had two main troubles at UVU this semester. The first being that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. I have lots of classes this semester, which means lots of work, and I don’t seem to have enough hours to study and get everything else done. I have to get my homework done; I have to study, not to mention the time that I am already spending n classes. On top of all of that I still have family things I have to do, and I still mutual that I have to go to which also puts on more pressure to what I already have from classes, if I ever want to have down time I feel guilty about taking any because it always reminds me that I have to much to do to have any spare time. It is like a never ending circle, because I need to give my brain a rest and take a few minutes to myself, bit I can’t because I automatically feel guilty, or I am thinking about what I should be doing right now.

Secondly I don’t feel safe when I cross the streets or in the parking lots. I can not tell you how many times I have had the right of way, and started to walk but seen that a driver was on their cell phone or just not paying attention and almost hitting me, I hardly feel safe walking in the parking lot most of the time. I would feel safer if the college students just left there phones alone while they were driving, it would be safer for us and them.

Ther just aren't enough hours in a day!

Well, blogging is a new experience for me. I've never done it before. Even so, it is not as new as the experience of being a full-time father, full-time student, and a full-time employee all at the same time. It's been a little difficult for me to balance the required to fulfill all my duties that are necessary. Especially since my wife has to work part-time so we can pay all our bills.

Consequently, when she is at work, I have to dedicate that time to tending to our three month old baby. So I have found it difficult to make time to complete my assignments for my various classes. It's very important to me to also make time to spend with my family.

Maybe there are people out there that are faced with the same things that I am faced with. When there are more people faced with the same issues as other people, they can discuss the problem together. This can help people see the problem from other angles or perspectives. This can provide additional insight to an individual that may not otherwise have access to. Furthermore, the more insights that are available to a person can make it a little easier to solve the problem that they are faced with.

I'm sure that I am not the only student that is, or has been faced with this issue or one like it. So together, we can solve this problem by having various points of view so that I can find the best angle for me to approach and solve this problem.

These are the reasons that I feel this is an important issue for me to discuss. It will make it easier for those of us who may be faced with this problem to solve it.

Frustration With Teacher and Book.

I have had a frustrating ordeal at UVU recently. It envolved one professor in particular and a specific book for the class. Alright, so anyways I signed up for this class that is required for my major, right. Well, I thought I would be a good student and get the book for the class before the semester started. I logged onto blackboard to view the class' syllabus and low and behold the teacher had not mentioned which edition of the book we needed. All that it mentioned was the title and the copyright year. I then took this information to the UVU bookstore to figure out which book I was supposed to get. So, at the bookstore they said I needed the 6th edition of this particular book (note that was also the only version that the bookstore said that they had). It was high priced at the bookstore, so I had decided to get a little bit of a better deal and buy it online. The first day of school rolled around and I was to the point in my schedule of that particular class. At the beginning of class the teacher stated that we would get extra credit if we had the book with us. I was thinking to my self, "ya I totally got this extra credit." Low and behold, she said that she did not recognize the book that I had. This is where the issue started. I then found out that we needed to have the 5th edition. This meant that the bookstore had ordered the wrong book and I had too. She said to just return the book to the bookstore and get the right edition. I had bought the book online however and therefore could not return it (I was out about $90 since I bought it online.). This particular professor had not even mentioned the edition of the book in her syllabus, and then she expected the whole class, since we had all bought the wrong edition, to get this other edition. I just find this outrageous, especially since the 5th edition even though it was out dated was $95. I could go on and on about this, but I will not. [If you new all of the details about this, you would find it quite funny. Particularly about the name of the course in which this occured.]

(THE END)

I'm scared of the Parking Lots!

One thing I've struggled with here at UVU is parking. The parking here is terrible. First of all it takes me about fifteen minutes to find a parking space each day, which means I need to leave at least twenty minutes earlier. Secondly, people drive crazy in the parking lots! It feels like you're at a drivers ed range. I can't count the number of times I've almost been in a collision in those parking lots, and I've only attended this school for a week and a half. I believe some of the hectic driving is a result of the fact that we're all fighting for spaces. People are speeding up and down the rows trying to snag parking spaces. We're all trying to get open spaces first. Something I've seen done and actually did myself is when you see someone walking to their car, you follow them. Then you can get their spot when they leave. Yeah it probably creeps people out, but sometimes you're desperate. I need to be able to get to class on time and that means getting parked ASAP, and I'm sure that applies to many other students. So really none of us have time to wander around the parking lot looking for a spot. Lastly, it takes up gas to drive around the parking lot for that long. I already have a twenty minute drive to school and gas isn't cheap. So the parking situation is hurting me financially as well. I just think college would be a much more pleasant experience if I didn't have to plan ahead almost a half hour for parking and not need to worry about dying in the parking lot.

Struggles I'm facing...

There are many challenges I am facing as a UVU student. First off, I am having a difficult time adjusting from high school to college life. People always told me that college is way different from high school, and they sure were right. College brings about many new experiences and struggles for me. My parents always told me in high school that I needed to read because in college the majority of the homework is reading. Even though I knew they were right, I never would take a chance to read a book. Now that I have started college and have received reading assignments, I wish I could go back in time and listen to my parents counsel. I struggle with comprehending the text and staying focused while I read. I really hope I will be able to overcome this issue, it is going to kill me when I have a test and I don’t know the answers because the lack of effort I put into reading the textbooks.
Another struggle I am encountering with is being away from home. I’m from Oregon and I came to Utah leaving my parents, grandparents, oldest sister and my niece back home. My family and I are very close and I would always see them every single day. My mom and I would watch my niece who is 20 months old. She is so cute and now that I’m gone she walks around the house looking for me and saying “Heathy, Heathy”. At times I will be in my apartment and think to myself, “Is being in Utah the best choice for me or will I be better back home?” My other sister and her husband live in Utah so that’s my only strength when I feel like I want to go home. I’m hoping that with time I will be able to accept that I won’t see my family every day.

Buses....they are so evil at times.

I ride the bus. There are days when I hate them and I want to just hang all the bus drivers by their toenails, then there are days when I just want to hug them all. Yesterday and today were one such days. Yesterday, was a day when I wanted to be unchristlike and give the drivers the bird.

For some reason, the buses were late most of the day. I was on my way to my 12:00 class, and it was 10 minutes late. I thought no problem I'll get there. So I got there, just intime to ssee a transfer bus turn around the round about to go down towards the EB building where my class is. So I waved my arms and it came to a stop.

The jerk of a driver just sat there as if he thought i was going to cross the street. He kept honking his horn while I kept trying to beg him to let me on the bus. I was going to be late! And this was one class that I didn't want to be late for. After all, we have great decussions in this class.

Well, of coure he refused to let me on and started off, so I ran after him yelling at him. It really made me mad because I know of some drivers would've let me on. I mean seriously, who knows if a student is late for class or something.

Many times I really wish the driver would wait just a few minutes if they see a train or a bus coming, just in case those people wants to get on the bus. OF course not, some drivers are so mean, rude inconsiderate. Today, i asked a driver what time he was leading, he just looked at me rudely and ansswered. Since i was deaf, I asked again. He acted like it was some huge inconvience.

There was another time, when I got up, trying to gather my groceries, I said i was getting off but he started off anyway. He yelled at me of course I yelled back and said, "Yeah? Well I"m deaf and blind!"

I don't know if he heard me or not but, I hope that gave him soemthing to think about. Another thing I hate, is how drivers start up before people site down. Why do they think I'm walking slowly? To be annoying? No, its because i have bad balance. You'd think that drivers would learn that you never know what person might have a disability. In fact, I think they should have a class in being considerate and learning that you should wait until everyone sits down because you don't know if somone has a bad balance. I mean, what if i was like them old ladies that would sue at the drop of the hat? Stella and Mcdonald's anyone?

And maybe, they should make it so that if they see another bus, they wait...just to bee considerate. After all, you never know if that person is running late and its not the person's fault he was late in the first place. After all, it wasn't my fault that my bus was 10 minutes late. So cut us some slack.

Of course there are good days when the buses seem to run in perfect usion. For instance, there was this one day when it seems like all the buses were on time and I only had to wait five minutes for each bus or train. Then there are the drivers who are a bit more laid back and let you bring food on the bus. LIke iceburg's milkshake. Mmmm

At any rate, there are times that I really hate the people who can drive because they have no idea how easy they have it. But then again, you drivers could probably say the same for me in regards to insurance and so forth. But then I"ll just say back, "At least youdon't have to worry about having too much groceries for you to handle on the bus!

Okay, I'm done.

A Paradox

(FORENOTE: I don’t feel entirely comfortable with posting this. In fact, I feel extremely uncomfortable with this. This is the sort of thing I’d tell my closest friends, not a class of students I barely know. But I couldn’t write anything else with as much openness and candor as I could this. And I remembered what our professor mentioned about it having to be something we genuinely cared about, or it would come off as dry. I just felt like I should mention that. Also, I would gladly accept comments or suggestions on this article. Either on the text or on the questions in the text. Thanks.)

I feel so liberated. I feel so free, for the first time in my life. I grew up in a very strict household, and being out on my own is easily the greatest thing to ever happen to me. With that said, I’ve thought about what problems I am currently facing, and I have struggled to think of much of anything. But this liberation that makes my life feel so perfect might be the largest problem of all. It’s a bit paradoxical, but let me try and explain myself. I was raised in a LDS family. I’m now 18 years old. It’s a big time in my life. If you’re familiar with the LDS religion at all, you know where I’m going with this. When I turn 19, I have a family, a home ward, and an entire LDS community back home expecting me to leave on a two-year LDS mission. This presents a problem, because due to various aspects of my life, I do not feel like this is necessarily what I want to do. Now that I am living on my own, I am finally allowed to make my own choices. And I fear my choices might be looked down upon by the majority of those that I love and grew up with.

But it goes a lot deeper than that. You see, my mom has a long history of extreme depression. She’s been hospitalized for even trivial matters. And one thing that is more important to her than anything else in her life is the church, and that includes me going on a mission. When my older brother left the church several years ago, and chose not to go on a mission, it almost killed my mother. And I mean that literally. My mother has attempted to take her own life on several occasions. And my brother’s situation sparked the deepest depression I had ever seen my mother in. I’m, as the saying goes, between a rock and hard place. I’m not the type of person who would go on a two year mission just to satisfy those around me. But at the same time, I’m very worried that if I don’t, it will kill my mother (metaphorically, or not).

I think anyone can understand how hard this is. I cannot have something as awful as my mother’s death on my chest. I’d never be able to live with myself. And I’ve put myself in an even deeper situation by never talking about this with my mother in the past. I’ve been questioning my religion for years now, but she is still under the impression that I’m going exactly where she wants me to. This is my current greatest problem, worsened evermore by my going to college, and making my own decisions.

. . . I just bore my soul to a website. . .

The Problems I face!

So this year has been a tough one for me so far. I have a couple of problems that annoy me. I hate how to some drivers a cross walk is not a cross walk. I have almost gotten hit a couple of times by stepping out into the cross walk and a car comes speeding through without seeing me! I mean come on aren't cross walks there for people to get across the street in one piece. Then when I am in the parking lot I feel like I am walking into a death trap. The cars don't slow down when they are in the parking lot it seems they go faster then when they see you they want to beat you to the punch so they speed up and almost hit you.

The next problem I have is that it is hard to adjust from highschool to college. I thought college would be way easier but it is not. I get an assignment every day. I really don't have time to breathe sometimes it seems. I also feel like classes are crammed. An example is in my psychology class there is no room. People are sitting on the floor and you are so close to your neighbor that every time you try to take notes you slug the person by you.

Declaring a Major..

This is my first year at UVU and it's been really complicated so far. I don't know which generals and classes I need to take! But from the first day I began registering during the summer I couldn't get any specific help from someone that works at UVU. I have about 3 things I am considering majoring in... but I don't want to declare a major yet! But at UVU it seems that if you don't declare a major you are a nobody! I have tried meeting with a generals counselor and they were really vague so that was no help... I understand the fact that eventually I need to declare a major for the sake of not taking classes that will be pointless if my major doesn't require them.. But is it really necessary to declare a major as a freshman?? It's been really frustrating trying to get answers out of anyone and I almost declared a major like 3 times but I'm glad I didn't because I know I'd regret it later! I just don't know what I want to do in the future yet... and UVU makes me feel like I'm the only one who feels that way! Why can't anyone tell me some basic classes I need to take? A counselor even told me that I should declare a major really soon if I want to know which classes to take. I don't understand it! Is college supposed to be this complicated and confusing? Did I miss something? This is an on-going problem that has been facing me at UVU. Hopefully by next semester or the one after that I'll have things figured out.

UVU Residency

I love that im from California, but I hate that I had to pay out of state tution. It's sooo expensive! However I have finally been in this state for 1 whole year and now the rude residency lady is giving me the hardest time about my residency application. She always has an excuse about why she can not approve my application. Where can I complain about her?! She claims that I must have proof of emplyment from May through August but what if I decided that I didnt want to work all summer?! What if i just decided that I was going to hangout and enjoy Utahs beautiful scenery! She also started complaining about how Im not a registered voter of the state, but when I did register, I was told to register as an absentee voter for the state of California. That is not my fault. I have to meet with her today, so I guess we will have to see how that goes. Im NOT looking forward to talking to her! I just might have to be rude back! I really do want to complain about her though. I also had a dream about her and I threatened to get her fired, if only it was real life! Residency lady...cut us some slack!!

UVU Residency

The balancing act called LIFE!

So I personally have a difficult time trying to juggle school, work, homework, friends, family and a little me time. I know that it is possible and many others have done it in the past and are doing it now. However it is tough to stay on top of everything all the time. I can always do my homework and do really well in school but if I only do homework then my work and social life suffers. If I only pay attention to one thing then only one of the many things in life will ever get figured out.
The grand idea that I can do a little of everything and everything will work. Maybe that is what I should do, not worry about just one thing but everything. Perhaps this is a form of spreading myself out to reach every facet in my life that is pulling for my attention. Each day I do homework, find time to talk with friends and family etc. Then everything gets done and we are all happy? Not so much it becomes a little to spread out and thin.
Perhaps a better idea is to let something whether it be school or family, not have as much of a focus one day. The next day you do focus on what you didn't the day before. Over the course of a week theoretically over you have worked on all that you see needs to be done. In time everything is addressed and the needs of the individual topic are met. You do not get bored of doing the same thing everyday but you still have structure enough to get everything done.

Textbook Problem

I am definately used to these first few weeks of school by now. This is my 3rd year at Utah Valley University so I have figured out a lot of things regarding UVU and am very comfortable here. However one thing that has always proved a problem is the bookstore and getting textbooks. Every time I go in there to get a book that is required for my class, the people there to "assist" you all have different answers. "Oh it'll be here tomorrow." "You'll have to order it online, sorry." "It's going to take a few more weeks, hang in there." We've now been in school for a week and I am still missing a couple books for one of my classes because they are nowhere to be found. Of course, reading assignments and homework have already been assigned from said textbooks, and naturally they are not available in the library. If I order them online, I risk a long wait. But who knows when they'll show up at the bookstore. It seems every single semester this has been a problem for at least one of my books. I'm sure I'll get them in the end, it's just frustrating especially considering the amount of money they cost. Although, this is the only complaint I can come up with for over 2 years of education from this school.

adjusting back into the swing of things...

summer is all about staying up to ridiculous hour of the night, swimming, taking road trips, spending all your time with friends, going to parties, and cooling down with frozen yogurt. well, at least to me it was. i actually graduated from high school half way through my senior year in january, so my summer was eight months long. when i graduated i never had a set schedule. i would sleep until noon, go to my dad's office and file papers for a couple hours then head home to hangout with my friends. basically my life was one big party with not many responsibilities or a set schedule i had to follow. it was fun for a while, but then i started to crave that feeling of responsibility like i was needed or had somewhere to go. i felt worthless. as august was soon approaching people would ask me if i was excited to start college. i would reply with, "i wish it started tomorrow." that "tomorrow" came very fast. the next thing i new i was decorating my new apartment, buying books, and struggling to find my way around the very large campus. when my alarm woke me up on the first day of school at 7:30 i felt as if that "tomorrow" came too fast. trying to adjust to a new schedule and find one that worked has been a challenge for me. i always eat my breakfast, lunch, and dinner at set times because that has what i have been used to. but, when i wake up late for school because i went to bed extremely late sometimes i would miss breakfast because i would be running out the door to be on time to class. or there are some days when i have a class during my usual lunch time and any breaks no breaks until late in the afternoon. and when it comes time for dinner my meals haven't been very nutritious because i lack in the cooking department nor have i devoted the time to go grocery shopping. with my whacky eating and sleeping habits that i have poorly managed the time to make them a priority i developed a cold on the second day of school. having a cold has also been a struggle. there were days when i contemplated not going to school but since missing a college class is so much different then a high school, i made the wise choice to go. although when i would go to class i would tend to keep to myself and then when it came for night time when everybody wants to be social i would be stuck in my apartment blowing my nose and coughing. the first week of college was quite a downer. i am hoping that i will be able to be able to manage my time and make taking care of my health a priority, and socializing a close second. 

what a mess...

I find that understanding what homework I have to do and when I have to get it done is proving to be the most challenging aspect of college life for me. Assignments with specific, and relatively soon, due dates are easy to complete; however, the ongoing study of textbook chapters, semester long projects, assignments with seemingly belated due dates (though I should be thankful for these kinds), and study guides for tests are the tasks that confuse my concentration the most.

I want to know exactly what assignments I need to do and when I need to do them. I would hate to procrastinate studying for a test, yet I also have assignments that are due sooner than the said test, therefore requiring sooner attention from me, right? In one of my sociology classes, for example, I have the study guides for both of the exams that we will be taking this semester. The problem is that I'm not sure exactly how long they will take me to complete, so it's almost impossible for me to know how to budget my time concerning them. I've thought about trying to write out a schedule will all of my assignments written on it, due dates, priority, etc., but with five different classes to schedule, I'm afraid that just trying to keep it up to date would cut into a big chunk of my study time!

I'm not sure if this issue is just something that only I seem to have a problem with, something that I'm not smart enough to succeed in. And if I'm not the only one who struggles with it, then is there a better way that individual classes, or even the schooling system in general, could structure classes? Are there ways to orient a class or homework schedule that would be more obvious or more simply completed? Or is the current way of organization (or should I say no organization?) for classes and homework actually the most beneficial for students? Maybe the program, as presently configured, challenges students to learn how to make priorities, organize their time, and prepare for a future career. Maybe I'm just supposed to learn how to function in a society or environment that is changing, uncertain, and challenging. Is the schooling system the one that needs to change and adapt, or is it me?

Problem finding a problem

Well i've had only one problem since starting school. I bought a laptop at bestbuy about two days before classes began then about three days into school it started bsoding on me randomly. So I took it into bestbuy and they told me it would be fixed by the end of the day, that it was a common problem. But that was Saturday its now Wednesday and i still don't have it back. It sucks because i need it for homework I had a couple short papers i had to write and all my math homework is done online. I need it to check whats going on in class and since i don't have another computer at home I can't double check things once i arrive home. So for the past few days I've been doing my work in the school library which is where this is being written now. Its not bad but it restricts me to having to finish homework while I'm still at school so that kind of blows. But I guess this is only a temperary problem but so far its been my only problem. I'm sure there will be other and maybe a little more serious problems but hopfully not. I guess another problem i've had is that i haven't had any interesting problems to write about on this blog. So I'm forced to fill it with obvious statements like this whole sentence in an attempt to reach the required two hundred and fifty words. I hope this isn't held against me and I'll try to have a more interesting life to write about next time around. Anyway have a nice day.

Really Cool Post

Hi. I'm in class, and this is a demonstration.

College: A learning experience

This last week of school has certainly been interesting. I am learning what kinds of experiences during school that we can have, only if we allow it. We can sit in our seats and stare at the teacher, our eyes glazing over, or we can find a way to use it in our everyday lives.

I am 27 years old and a sophmore. There are many reasons why I have delayed my education; emotional difficulties, mission, and so forth. Through these experiences, I have come to learn and grow in ways I never thought possible.

I feel that there are ways to take advantage of the general requirements as well as electives and take classes taht would benefit us in more ways then one. Currently, I am taking a marriage class because one day I hope to get married. Through this class, I hope to learn to better communicate and decide on what areas and goals I need to work on.

I am also taking Personal Finance. This glass isn't a requirement but I felt that this would be a good class in order to learn to better manage my fiances and to establish goals. Both these classes will benefit me in the long run.

We don't need to take classes just for the sake of taking classes so that we can graduate and be done with it. I understand that many are on student loans so they have to be careful. But I also say, that to make the college experience more meaningful, we should take advantage of the many classes that are offered us.

Not only that we can also take advantage of the programs available as well. For instance, health quest is a great program to help us get into better shape.

Its really all about how you take it. Each of us decides how our college experience will be. Will this be a great year in which we will learn skills that will aide us in life? Or are we just going to put our heads on the desk and sleep.

I hope this year will be a great learning experience for all of us. :)

cg