Changes

Wow, it’s so close to the end of the quarter. The closer to the end I get, the closer to my vacation I get! I’m in my Forensic Science class. Today the CSI sketch is due which is where we pretend to be a CSI and we make our own sketch of a crime scene. I handed in my paper about 2 weeks ago, and I got a 99 even though it wasn’t due till today. Right now, the professor is going over the exam that we will have next Monday. It’s nice of her to do a whole review for the test so we all know what to expect. She’s pretty much giving answers to the test if you know how to take proper notes. Oh, and did I mention that the test is open book AND open notebook? How can you fail?

The fall is going to be so busy for me, that I’m actually kind of dreading it. I already saw a career fair being advertised around campus that I should really attend to. I wish there were more events going on during the weekends instead of Fridays. I as well as some other students have other responsibilities such as work during the week day so it’s hard to attend activities to Six Flags, Mountain Creek, etc. I’m not even exactly sure why activities are usually only on Fridays.

I mentioned in my previous blog, I was interested in doing shadowing of an event planner to learn what work is like for that career. I went to the career services office and spoke to one of the advisors. The advisor for the Marketing Dept was out of his office, but another advisor was very helpful. I told him what I was interested in and he came up with different people and ideas of what/where I could do the shadowing. Within a day or two I got a call back from him which was very nice. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the place the shadowing would take place is a little far from me, and I just do not have time to travel that far to do the shadowing. Maybe in another quarter I’ll consider doing it again.

Their changing the activity period! Freshmen now have Wednesdays off and classes on Fridays, so they’re moving the activity period to Thursday. This change messed up my whole schedule and I wish I knew about the change when I made my schedule for the fall. I found out when I went to Mr. Maher to have him approve my brochure for the International Business Club. I didn’t see any forms by the library to prepare my schedule with (this form shows when the activity period is), the advisor didn’t tell me about the change, and they haven’t changed it in such a long time, I had no idea. I’m not sure how this will affect my participation in the International Business Club because on Thursday I have night classes. I originally planned on maybe running the club at 3:30 on Thursdays but most students are already gone at that time. I can’t come to school during activity period because I do substitute teaching, so I will be busy during the day until 2:35. I’m going to have to talk to Mr. Maher about what I can do to hopefully work around this.

Shadowing

I am so sleepy! Its nine fifty in the morning and I am sitting in my Statistics class waiting for the professor to show up. My Forensic Science class let out early today so I have a little time to spare. Today was a very interesting class. We learned about DNA and also got to watch the OJ Simpson trial. The movie was a bit long but it was a lot better than taking notes all class! Before we started watching the movie the professor gave us all the details of the trial and all the mistakes that were made. It was amazing to me how many mistakes were actually made for this trial when it came to collecting evidence and preserving them correctly! Next week were learning about finger printing and more details on DNA. That should be exciting!

I wonder what we’re learning in Statistics today. Last class I had to leave early to prepare for the Freshman Fest so I didn’t get all the notes. In class today I asked Maria to lend me her notes and luckily they were very neat and easy to follow. It turns out I ended up only missing a small part of the lesson which made me relieved.

Recently I have been having a lot of thoughts about my career, and where exactly I would like to go with it. I have had a lot of thoughts of starting a business of event planning. I’m a very organized person, I have always made appointments, been good with following up on things as well as I have always loved working with people. I like the idea and think it would be fun, but things in theory often sound a lot different than things turn out in reality. To pursue something like this, I’ll have to contact the Career Services Department and see if they offer something along the lines of job shadowing. I know it’s similar to an internship, but it’s a lot less formal and likely not a whole quarter commitment. I did something similar in High School when I was interested in starting a fitness center. When I actually shadowed the owner of a fitness center I totally changed my mind about wanting to own one! Shadowing is a quick way to find out if what you are interested in is really what you want to do. Hopefully I can get some insight to my new idea!

Well, the professor has arrived, so I have to go do some learning now!

Confusion

Freshman Fest was so much fun. Right before the event I had to leave class a little early to go print out brochures and get make copies. Then when I got outside I saw Mr. Maher and asked him to make the copies for me. Next I searched for the table that was set up for the International Business Club. I was so glad that the tables were set up in the shade! Activity period started at 11am, but students didn’t actually start to arrive until about 11:30ish. Many students had to go back to class at 12, so many new students didn’t have a chance to learn about different clubs if they arrived after 12. I had to leave because I had to go to work, but I’m sure I will be able to meet more new students during orientation.

There seems to be a lot of confusion going on around Berkeley about the Berkeley Blue Card. I got a comment on one of my blogs that somewhat explained the card better to me. I read that the card is not a credit card and it does not affect your credit score. The confusion is most likely caused by the MasterCard logo on the card because that logo is typically associated with credit cards. I got a call earlier today informing me that I can call a number to learn more about the card. I called and left a message earlier, but I did not hear back from anyone yet. As soon as I hear something I will post the information that I have found out.

Strongly Disliking the Berkeley Blue Card

I am really starting to dislike the whole Berkeley Blue Card. The other day I finally made my fall schedule, and then I had to go clear myself with the Accounts Dept. When I got there, I found out that I got a refund which made me happy, but then I was told that I cannot get it unless I activate my Berkeley Blue Card! I did not want this card, and I still don’t, but now I feel that I am being forced to open one just so I can get my refund. I then got an e-mail that the college does not know how to give me my refund until I activate my Berkeley Blue Card. All I wanted was to get my refund as a check. This card does not make sense to me because once I activate it, I can still get my refund by check which is one of the options that you can choose. So why activate a card that will affect my credit report when I can still just get a check? I don’t think it’s fair for us to be forced to open an account just to get our refund.

So the other day I went to make my schedule for the fall. I could not take some classes that I need because they are not running in the times that I need. With my graduation date closing in, I am limited to certain classes that I can take. In addition to that, I also have my work schedule to work around as well as other activities. I ended up with Market Research, Business Strategy and Policy, World Cultures and Intercultural Communication. The advisor that helped me schedule my classes was very helpful and even recognized me from being a blogger. Since I already had all my classes picked out, it went by pretty fast and I was done in about five minutes. He was very helpful with questions too. I was looking through the Berkeley College website and I went to look at how the tuition rates have changed. Then I noticed that the amount of credits you can take before having to pay extra has changed from 18 to 16. He assured me that I can still take 18 since I was enrolled in college before the change.

Tomorrow is another club convention for the new incoming students. It should be really interesting to meet new people and see what the new crowd is going to be like. I have to remake our clubs brochure and find an attractive way to bring in new members. Maybe some students will recognize me from being a blogger!

Think Vacation!

I’m going to FLORIDA!!! I am so excited. I love the fact that Berkeley College has a break between every quarter. That means I get vacation while almost every other college is back in school. I can tell all my friends that I’m going on vacation while their stuck in a classroom! Want to hear another great thing? September is the best time to travel because everyone is back in school and at work, therefore all the resorts and tickets are all discounted because they don’t have many travelers. I get to go away for a whole week! Now I just hope the weather will be perfect.

The Fall schedule for day students has finally been posted. I have been procrastinating at making my schedule but I’m hoping to get it done today. I have to hand in a take home midterm exam today for my Graphical Business Presentation class. Last week in class, we did our presentations on where we would like to go on vacation if we had an unlimited amount to spend. Of course, I did a presentation on my favorite place Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where I’m going in September! I was hoping that I would be able to get my grade for my assignment, but it has not yet been posted on Blackboard.

Tomorrow Alex and I are hoping to meet and prepare for the freshman orientation on August 15th. I am looking into making new brochures and posters for the club. I’m sure we will also discuss other options of how to advertise. I think that students need an incentive to join the clubs at Berkeley. Many of those incentives include recognition as well as pride for their work. Hopefully we will be able to come up with something productive.

Mid terms already?!?!

Mid terms already? That’s right! It’s that time again to prepare and cram as much as we can. I feel like I have just started the summer quarter and now it’s almost half way over. This week is going by pretty slowly. Last week I had to skip one of my classes because my grandmother came to the USA from Poland. It was my Graphical Business Presentation class, and I had to e-mail my professor. She was so understanding, and e-mailed me all the information I need to catch up on my work. I was surprised she was nice enough to do that, because the information is also posted online on Blackboard.

Last Thursday was very exciting too. Berkeley College asked me to do a commercial for the school. I believe the commercial will be posted online on the Berkeley College website, so look out for it! We got to go all around the campus and speak about the different classrooms, classes, and services the Garret Mountain Campus has to offer. I was shocked at how many takes some parts took to get through, but it was really fun. I got to meet some great people and working together was really fun. Around noon we took a break and had lunch all together. I never really saw what the dorms at the Garret Mountain look like, and I was pleasantly surprised. I wish I could live on campus but I only live about 30 minutes away from the school.

The other day I was walking by the library, and I noticed that Berkeley College started a new thing where they give away free newspapers at the library. Even though it’s such a small thing, it really made me happy that I don’t have to go out of my way to look for the paper. The paper that they are offering is The Record and The Herald News. I like reading about things that are happening locally, and seeing what is new in the world.

Because of the summer time the International Business Club is somewhat suffering. Many students have left school, some have work, and some members don’t come because the weather is nice. I spoke to Mr. Maher about the problem, and he said he is not surprised and that this happens every summer. He advised me that on August 15th there will be a club convention again for the upcoming freshmen. It’s on a Wednesday and its being held at the same time as activity period is. I hope to meet some new people and hopefully get many new members into the club. I may change the fliers we have into brochures. This way it may be easier for students to keep them around and not lose them. In addition when Alex and I get together, hopefully we can also come up with new activities that the club can do.

Well, it is time for me to get ready for bed! I have a busy day of going to Mountain Creek, then class and then possibly out with friends afterwards. This is why I love having night classes! I can do whatever I want during the day AND get to class!