The First Year Experience

By Danny P. The first year of college can be an exciting time for many young men and women. The courses that most people take in their first two semesters are good introductions to the college atmosphere. There are lessons to be learned within the duration of those courses. Some of those valuable lessons include easy stuff like getting to know the campus and accessing grades online, or more complex life lessons like drug awareness and avoiding sexual abuse. Students can take the lessons learned in those courses for what they’re worth or they can blow it off completely. The GSC 100 course that I took during the first semester was helpful. It gave me an introduction to the Glenville campus and community. I was particularly surprised when the course instructor told the class how welcoming and caring the GSC staff is. When I first considered college, I had this crazy idea that college professors try to distance themselves from their students. Since GSC is a small campus professors are more likely to know most people by name and it can be beneficial and an advantage for students. It was shocking when I actually realized that many of my professors like me and actually know a little bit about me and my interests. I expected to be plummeted into a lot of harder material in my first year of college. My first semester was really a nice buffer that bridged the gap between high school and college. The content of those classes wasn’t too difficult to grasp and the professors were nice. This past semester (my second) has been a step up as far as the work goes. I recently selected a major and I don’t think I would have found this path if I hadn’t had a good introduction to college during the first semester.

Why is it Important to do Your Research?

by Danny P. It has become imperative throughout this course that research opportunities are there to help us. I think that the first year of college is a good time for expansion. This expansion includes learning new ways to do things that we’ve been doing since high school. College doesn’t get much easier as you progress, so having assignments that put your abilities to the test can be a big help. Writing a research paper can be hard work, but finding sources and using them correctly will make the process less challenging for the writer. At the first-year college level, many students should already know some of the basics on writing a research paper. My first assignment of this type was back in eighth grade and it served as a good introduction. The assignment was a simple 3-5 page paper that required students broaden their horizons in terms of finding good sources. Throughout high school there were so few instances where I had to do research papers, but I feel that a vast majority of my peers are also in the same boat as me. This is the kind of assignment that is best fit for the end of the semester because it can be used as a building block to see if we (the students) are ready to move on to a higher level English course in the fall semester. The whole semester has prepared the class for this assignment that many of us have been curious about from day one. Learning how to correctly write our reading responses and cite the reader have been good examples of writing and citing sources on a smaller scale. The short 3-5 page essays have also been a nice preparation for this assignment because it’s taught the class to compile a wealth of information into limited text. These types of assignments have been put in front of us on multiple occasions this semester with the intention of leading us in this direction. The research paper will help the instructor to see whether or not we learned these skills over the past few months.

Changes to College Admissions Testing

By Danny P.

I find it interesting that college admissions tests are seeing some major changes now. In some instances it can be seen as both good and bad. The content of the assigned article mainly focused on the SAT. For years, students have struggled with the SAT for a multitude of different reasons. A lot of the struggle comes from students trying to reincorporate aspects of their high school education into the process of preparation for such tests.

One of the factors that led to a need for change is that academic skills of students aren’t given the opportunity to be fully utilized. Students are being penalized for guessing wrong answers as opposed to the ACT which doesn’t penalize it. More and more students are also being tricked or somewhat confused by the use of unnecessary vocabulary. In many cases, the test takers are bright students but they are having obstacles thrown at them for no good reason. Some might argue that tests such as the SAT and even the ACT have too much of a bias attached to their persona.

For years we have heard of the folklore that comes with standardized testing and its favorability among certain demographics. The students that are more affluent tend to have more success when it comes to taking the SAT or ACT. Many students that are minorities or come from lower income families have more of a struggle taking these tests. This is not always a one sided battle, and in some cases, the letter mentioned students do very well on these tests. Overall, these tests have certain biases that could easily be eliminated with different guidelines in accordance with the tests.

Some believe that college admissions tests should put further emphasis on the skills learned throughout high school. Others might argue that these tests should just be eliminated completely. It’s easy to say that when students are applying for colleges and wanting to major in something average, but what about students that want to get into medical or law schools? It’s important to take tests that will record your strengths and weaknesses in the classroom, but doing away with these tests completely doesn’t exactly help everyone. This is why subtle changes are slowly being incorporated into this test taking structure.

In conclusion, college admissions are beginning to see some more changes. These changes may or may not be in the best interest of all students. Some of these changes will be aimed towards more of the students that are bright but just not the best at standardized testing. Only time will tell if the changes to the SAT will even the field for all students

A Good Deed Unnoticed (But Not Forgotten)

By Danny P.

            Some of the best deeds one can perform are the ones that receive little or no recognition. I am no stranger to these kinds of occurrences because I learned a long time ago that it’s important to do good things regardless of public recognition. Sometimes, you get a rewarding feeling from your good actions. Most often, it’s a feeling that you can hold close and don’t necessarily have to tell people about. I don’t care if anybody believes me on this one, but I once saved a man’s life and the good deed went relatively unnoticed.

            My most noteworthy good deed was performed at Myrtle Beach during Senior-Week back in May of 2013. Some friends and I went out to a nightclub on the second or third night of our trip. Everybody else seemed to be having a good time, but I just wasn’t having the time of my life in the noisy and overcrowded atmosphere. I stepped out to get some fresh air and was separated from the rest of the group for the majority of the evening. During this time, I ran into another friend of mine from back home who was also having a night under par.

            This friend’s name was Hunter and he wasn’t enjoying himself at this club either. After some time passed, we decided to go back in and hangout for a bit. Even though we were underage we were able to full the bartenders into serving us alcohol. After a fairly intoxicating amount of drinks, Hunter noticed this girl on the dance floor that he thought to be pretty cute. It took me several minutes to talk him into getting up out of his seat and approaching her.

            When he finally went over and talked to her, it took a little while for them to really hit it off. Eventually they started dancing and once again, I stepped back outside for another breath (or two) of fresh air. At this point, I checked my cellphone that had been on silent most of the night and found a plethora of unread messages and missed calls. Everybody from my group had thrown a fit and thought I was lost, kidnapped, or worse. Everything was eventually settled and they were relieved to know I had just gone for nice little stroll.

            I was lucky enough to find out that my friend Jake had made it to the car before everybody else had. I made it to our parking spot and the two of us just played the waiting game from there. About 3 or 4 minutes had passed when we saw a man stumbling his way to the car that was parked diagonal to us. I can’t remember what kind of car it was, but he was trying to unlock it the old fashioned way with the keyhole in the door. It was quite clear that he was scratching the hell out of his car door with his key when he finally got it opened. As he began to start the car, I can remember Jake saying, “That guy is definitely gonna kill somebody on his way home tonight.” Jake’s ex-girlfriend was also awkwardly waiting with us at the car when she begged one of us to go over and say something to the guy.

            I went over and talked to this man who looked not much older than myself. I was able to probe enough information from him to understand what drove him to this belligerently drunken state of mind. His fiancée of about 2 years or so had just broke up with him earlier that day for another man. He had been wasting away, getting drunk at the bar next door to the nightclub since the early hour of that afternoon. By this point it was close to 1 A.M.

            I tried as hard as I could to identify with this man and he kept telling me that he didn’t care what life had in-store for him anymore. The point I was trying to make with him was that he could really hurt someone else or even himself if he would’ve made the decision to get behind the wheel that night. I embraced the poor guy and gave him a hug. I might have even got some of his tears soaked into my t-shirt, but I told him he was not leaving in his car that night. Our car was already packed so I waited with him as he called for a ride and was eventually picked up.

            By the time he was leaving, the rest of my group of friends were making it back to the car and wondering who this strange guy was. I had tried to explain the situation in a text message to one of them minutes earlier but they didn’t believe that I was actually in a situation like that. We all went back to the hotel after that and my friends praised me like a hero for the duration of that night. Eventually, the week carried on as planned and it seemed like everybody else distanced themselves with the memory. Maybe it was because it was a blemish on their night of fun and excess, or it could have had something to do with me getting all the recognition for once. One thing I knew for sure was that it didn’t matter how they all felt because I truly did something good. I stand by the decision to talk to that guy to this day. I’ve had a lot of good days, but I think about that night on the days that aren’t so good and I’ve been feeling down-and-out. It is proof that good deeds are meant to make you feel god, not look good.

What Makes a Good President?

By Danny P.

Many people have different opinions when it comes to our Commander in Chief. Those differing opinions usually pertain to how he runs the country and what he’s doing right or wrong. As the leader of the free world, a president must have the ability to make tough decisions for the safety and well-being of the American people. Those decisions won’t always be as simple as yes or no, and there may even be more than one solution.

            A good president can be defined by more than just his political party. There hasn’t been a single president in the history of the United States that has ever won over the heart of every single American, but it shouldn’t have to be a popularity contest in the first place. When the President can keep his composure and do his job in face of adversity, it becomes clear that he’s a working man that earned his position. Sometimes, presidents should be praised for avoiding conflicts (wars) instead of starting, ending, and winning them.

            The ideal president shouldn’t lead his people to believe that they live in the “greatest” country in the world. What he should do is encourage them to step back and evaluate why each and every one of us should feel lucky and honored to live in one of the countries that first defined what it meant to be free. The best presidents are the ones who lead in a way that lets the rest of America go to sleep in peace every night without the troubles or worries of what might happen tomorrow.

Freedom

By Danny P.

In my eyes, freedom is important and should not be taken for granted. All of us should consider ourselves lucky to be citizens of a “free” country and not living somewhere in which the conditions of life are tough on everyone and everything. My grandparents lived through WWII in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. They saw many close relatives and friends taken from them and put in prison camps. I have always counted my blessings and been thankful that I was born here in the United States and never had to experience those kinds of things. There are other ways to look at freedom and one of those ways is by examining the legal system. I understand that freedom is taken away from criminals in an attempt to secure the safety of society as a whole. When I think of people like Amanda Knox and Ruben Carter, it is sometimes hard to determine what’s true or false in murder cases. Freedom for Hurricane Carter was an especially harder goal for him considering certain attitudes towards African Americans at the time of his conviction. I, myself, have been charged with a felony and it’s never a fun situation when your freedom comes into question. Luckily, everything worked out for me in the end but it was a long process. I was not a happy camper when I thought about all the local criminals that continue to walk free each day. It made me think of other people who serve time in jail instead of the real bad guys. Nelson Mandela over two decades in prison for doing what he thought was right. If you know your history, South Africa had a lot of racial tension in those days. In conclusion, I believe that freedom is perceived as being free from persecution and having the free will to think and feel for oneself. 

A Look at Logic and Argument

By Danny P.

Personally, I strongly believe that argument and logic go hand-in-hand. Many people may assert their belief that the word argument is nothing more than verbal disagreements or other things of the same nature. In my 19 years on this Earth, I have learned that an argument can pertain to anything that can be proven or disproven with facts or at least some kind of physical evidence. I find it slightly harder to win an argument or debate without being fully prepared and studying one’s topics.  When I think of logic, common sense is usually the first and foremost thought that comes to mind. Logic to me would include everything that goes into the “critical thinking” process. My dad always use to tell me that the most important thing I could do in public was to take the time to think about everything I say or do before I say or do it. I also like to think of the character, Spock, from Star Trek because he is well known and associated with his logical thought process that can both help and hinder the other characters in different situations. Also, I’ve used my internal logic to hold myself from getting into physical altercations in the past. Now going back to the beginning when I said argument and logic were similar, it can help a person out a lot if they just take the time to think about their actions. Sometimes evaluating a situation and thinking over the potential consequences can  keep a person from doing something they might regret later.