Learning is supposed to be more than just the stereotypical perception of sitting in a classroom and getting lectured by the professor. Going into my First Year Seminar class I honestly did not know what to expect. I was initially nervous that this class was going to forcibly push me out of my comfort zone, and it did, but in a way that was exciting and comfortable for me. One of the reasons why I enjoy this class is because you never know what you are going to expect. There is never a day where you do not learn something new, whether it is educational related or discussing a topic that pertains to our life experiences.
I honestly enjoy the connection between the class and the professor. I love how our class lessons are taught in a more hands-on aspect because I learn better that way. Throughout the semester, my overall learning experience was broken down into four categories: course learning experience, service learning experience, my Type Focus assessment results, and the profile of my chosen major and career. These all exemplify what I learned from being in this class, my educational goals, and my overall experience as a student at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
Course Learning Experience The first category pertains to my course learning experience. Throughout the semester we have covered several chapters in our textbook, The College Experience by Amy Baldwin. In our syllabus there is a set schedule where the assigned readings correspond with the days we have class, so we are always aware of what we need to read and what will take place in class. The textbook basically highlights all the important information and the tools you will need to know in order to have a successful college experience.
It instills this mindset in you based off of what is called GRIT. GRIT stands for Growth, Resilience, Instinct, nd Tenacity. The overall goal for GRIT is so we, as college students, can perform well in our classes, complete all of the requirements for our degree, and it helps prepare us for a great job once we graduate. Out of all of the assigned readings, the chapters that I found most important were Chapter 2: Goal Setting and Chapter 4: Time and Money. I have always been the type of person to set goals for myself but there is a huge difference between personal and education goals.
I think it is essential to create goals for yourself while you are in college. Goal setting allows you to put your future plan into perspective nd it helps create the steps you need in order to fulfill your ultimate goals and dreams successfully. My main goal this semester was to redeem myself academically and receive a grade no lower than a B in all of my class, in order to raise my GPA. Reading Chapter 4, I learned the importance of managing your time. This year I decided to incorporate the use of a planner where I write down every assignment, my goals, and important tasks that I need to get done.
Without my planner I would be so unorganized and it would be more challenging to complete each assignment by the due date. In class, once we ere assigned a reading, the following class day was dedicated to understanding the material through a discussion or a game, which I love the most. The game we play is called Kahoot and each student would use their cell phone to answer specific questions related to the chapters in the book and we would have to multiple answers to choose from. The student who wins receives extra credit points.
I love how the game gets the whole class involved and it is a fun and different way to learn something new. 2. Service Learning Experience The second section revolves around my service learning experience. My overall freshman experience was very different in comparison to my 1st semester. I originally enrolled at North Carolina Central University in the Fall of 2014. So coming back was bittersweet because I was already familiar with the basics of living on campus and the structure of classes, but I still had to get use to the changes of being in college again.
I am thankful that I have a strong support system because it makes the challenges you face in college a lot easier. Some of the struggles you may face financially was thankfully taken care of by my family, so I would not have to get a job and have that interfere ith my schoolwork. I also have friends who help keep me on track. They definitely are an important factor when it comes to my college experience. One thing that I love about attending NCCU is that there opportunities available to you on campus.
From amazing guest speakers, community service opportunities such as blood drives and informational lectures, to spring fling events and dances, there is always something to do at NCCU. One of the guest speakers that came to NCCU was Dr. Angela Davis. I was honored to listen to her speak and the lecture itself was so moving. Personally, I admit that I have not been taking dvantage of some of the community service opportunities like I should because there is a requirement of hours that all freshman need to fulfill. Considering that the semester is almost over, I am dedicated to getting as many community service hours as possible.
I have signed up for an upcoming event called “Relay for Life” which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. That is just one example of the type of events there is at NCCU that include fundraising walks, food and games and you can earn community service hours just by participating. Overall my freshman experience in college was very eye opening. I earned the importance of independence and the transition was like a wake up call that I am an adult now. There is no one telling you what to do, how to do it, and forcing you to get anything done.
You are in control of your future, and it is important to stay focused because college is filled with many distractions and you have to be able to balance the social aspect and your academics simsutantlously. I am proud to say thatI have managed to balance everything and I have had a successful re always so many different activities and freshman year. 3. Type Focus Results One of the assignments that were required for this class was the Type Focus Assessment. The assessment was broken down into three sections focusing on your personality, interests, and your values.
My assessments results classified me as an ISFJ, which stands for introversion, sensing, feeling, and judging. They described me as someone who is very warm, quiet and sensitive. Those with my personality identify with others easily and are the type of friend that will always be there to lend a helping hand. It also describes me as someone who is dependable and conscientious. Given my type of personality, they linked me with careers that focus on caring and helping eople such as healthcare or teaching careers. I completely agree with the results from my personality assessment.
I keep to myself a lot but I am also not afraid to be social. I am definitely the type of person that everyone runs to for advice because I am a great listener and I have such as calm demeanor. The assessment also states that people with my personality, “.. get along best in jobs that are structured and offer the chance to work by themselves at times”. That is completely true. It is interesting to see that my personality fits well with the career I want to pursue. When I was younger I lways wanted to be a teacher so it is funny that they linked me with that career.
Once I got into high school I realized I wanted to pursue a degree in psychology and work in the field of mental health and counseling. The interest portion of my assessment categorized me as someone who is social, artistic, and investigative. Personally, if I was to describe myself I would not choose those three adjectives but I cannot disagree with them either. I am social when I have to be. I like to keep to myself a lot but I am a very friendly person and I love to meet new people. I am not the loudest one in class or the most talkative but when it omes to interacting with others, especially when I am in my comfort zone, I can be social.
As far as being artistic, I would replace that word with being creative. I cannot draw at all but I do know how to take an idea and create. When it comes to school projects I am always the one that goes creatively above and beyond with their projects, so I guess that is where the artistic aspect comes in. The last word that I was described as was investigative. It states that I would be good with working with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking, searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally. That is efinitely something that I am skilled at.
Psychology is all about figuring out problems mentally and sometimes you may have to use investigative tactics to find the solution. The last portion of the assessment highlights what my most important values are. The top three are independence, achievement, and relationships. It is important to me to have a career where I am allowed to work with others, but I also work best alone and I like being able to make my own decisions. My ultimate career goal is to become a counseling psychologist and open my own practice where I can have my own office, clientele, and I will be able to reate my own schedule.
Achievement is also an important factor, I think for everyone, because it makes you feel good knowing that you wake up everyday and go to work at job that you love. I want a career that I am passionate about and I am able to use my skills to help others every day. A job that is rewarding and that gives you a feeling of accomplishment everyday is something I definitely look forward to. The last value is the value of relationships. It is important that I have a career where I can develop a good relationship with my co-workers and a very professional yet personal relationship with my lients, once I become a psychologist.
The assessment was very accurate in expressing the type of values I find most important in a career. 4. Profile on Major and Career For as long as l can remember I wanted to pursue a career that involves helping others. When I was younger I wanted to become a teacher. It was not until middle school when my life experiences started influencing my decision on the type of career I wanted to pursue in the future. Once I entered high school I automatically knew that I wanted to major in psychology in college and become a counseling psychologist.
My declared major now at NCCU is social work. I just recently changed it from psychology. The reasoning behind this is because I always had a plan of becoming a clinical social worker and then getting my masters degree and then doctorate in psychology and ultimately becoming a counseling psychologist. Unfortunately, I learned that you cannot become a social worker with a psychology degree but you can still become a psychologist with an initial bachelors degree in social work as long as you continue and get your masters in psychology.
Because social work and psychology share a similar curriculum, it was not difficult to switch majors. I love that I am majoring in such an extensive field because it can branch off into many different careers. My short-term career goal is to graduate from NCCU with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Once I get my degree, it is required that I get certified and become a licensed social worker in the state in which I choose to work in. I am from Rhode Island but my ultimate goal is to permanently move to North Carolina.
Once I become licensed, I would like to work in the field of child protective services or work in a mental health and drug abuse clinics. I personally know what it is like to watch a loved one be consumed by an addiction and how it effects the family, so I always had a personally interest in helping others fight that battle. My long-term career goals involve getting my masters degree in psychology. Once I accomplish that I would then focus on what type of therapy I want to practice. As of now, Tam torn between a career in counseling psychology or working along the lines of marriage and family therapy.
The fact that you can do so much with a degree in psychology and social work is both a blessing and a curse because I want to do it all. I am currently taking a general psychology course now and one of my required readings is a book called Psychology: Foundations and Frontiers by Douglas Bernstein. From reading the book I started to become more familiar with the different careers that revolve around psychology. I also started to get more in depths with the psychological terminology, and began to learn about the fundamentals of what a career in that field would be like.
I personally feel like the more research I do on my career and the more in depth I get into my major required classes, I will then figure out what I want. Overall, I have had a very successful freshman year in college. My course learning experience in my First Year Seminar class taught me the essential tools you will need to properly transition into college. I also learned the skills that I will need in order to have a successful experience and stick to achieving my goals of graduating and getting a good job.
My service learning experience is a reflection of my entire freshman year. I have an amazing support system with my friends and family. I fulfilled my goal of getting only A’s and B’s in all of my classes. I also love the social experience you get from attending events, listening to guest speakers, and being apart of opportunities where you can earn community service hours. The Type Focus assessment used my answers as a guide to determine my personality and incorporate that into my best compatible career.
My results were very accurate, which I found interesting. My career and major profile revolved around my declared major in social work and my ultimate career goals. I want to become a social worker once I get my bachelors degree and a counseling psychologist once I get my masters and then doctorate in psychology. In conclusion, everything I learned in my first year seminar class has revolved around me having a successful college experience and it prepared me for the real world once I graduate and go into my chosen career.