Transfer Summary and College Life Overview
Bravo to those of you who spent the time to do an outstanding job of learning the transfer process through the Transfer Tutorial and Worksheet. Both the tutorial and worksheet were created by one of my colleagues, Anne Schleicher, who you have found out has a finely tuned sense of humor. Her 500 word essay assignment frequently makes hearts skip a beat and then a sign of relief and a chuckle. It's amazing how emotions can be transmitted by some online assignments. Anne and the other transfer experts are important to visit when you are getting down to the fine details of the transfer process. They know 4 year college representatives and are knowledgeable about all the latest transfer admissions information. 4 year colleges change transfer admissions criteria every once in a while. In order to best prepare yourself for transfer, meet with these specialist. They are located on each of the three campuses.
This week you will be learning about the importance of college life. I think of college life as everything you do during your time in college that is outside the classroom. Many of you have very busy lives that require your time outside the classroom (virtual or on campus) be spent at work and caring for family members. I would encourage you to find time to add one more dimension to your college experience. I can hear some of you saying, no way, no how. Let me challenge you to find the time - it will be worth it.
Take a look at the chart you kept during the Time Management module during week 3 of this course. Several of you said, you spend too much time watching TV. What you will learn this week are some things that you can do instead of watching TV that will help you develop inter and intra personal skills as well as add experiences that employers want to see when hiring students right out of college.
Montgomery College, Germantown is starting a Student Ambassador program at the end of this semester. This program is sponsored by the First Year Experience and Student Life groups. It is designed to develop leadership and mentoring skills of returning MC students. It will be a fantastic opportunity for the 10 students who are selected from all the applicants. One of the responsibilities of the Student Ambassadors will be to be a mentor in a DS 107 course. That mentor will work with the instructor on a weekly basis to help the professor teach the First Year Seminar course. The ambassadors will also meet as a group to participate in other activities. You will participate in leadership training, belong to a group of other MC students, and have a lot of fun. This position has a stipend attached to it. If this sounds like something you would like to do, please let me know through WebCT email and I will hook you up with the information and write a recommendation. There aren't many students who are qualified to be an online mentor, so you have an outstanding chance of being one of the ten. I would be thrilled if any of you would be interested in serving as a mentor in my fall online DS 107 course in the fall. It does require some time, but the rewards will be incredible.
Another aspect of life both inside and outside the classroom that is core to having a meaningful college experience has to do with who you meet and what relationships you develop. We've discussed mentoring relationships with instructors, counselors and other employees. Now I am talking primarily about the other students you meet. Learning about people who are different than you are is one of the most valuable opportunities you have not only in college, but for the rest of your life. Here's a very recent situation from my life.
I guess I have been living under a rock this year. I usually manage to see most of the academy award nominated pictures, but until yesterday all I had seen was the Penguins. So I plopped myself in a theater and saw two movies - Goodbye and Good Luck and Brokeback Mountain and then watched the academic award show last night. I can't believe I haven't seen Crash, Capote, and probably a few others. These movies all have a social justice theme. Watch these movies and put yourself in the shoes of people who are being judged not by who they are or what they can contribute to the world, but by what "groups" they belong to. Think about what it does to them, to the people they love, and to all of us when society prevents them from being able to live the life they want to live. We all lose when any one of us can't be all we want to be.
Just some things to think about as you read this week's articles, read each other's summaries and answer each other's questions. Also, now you know why this summary is late.
Get an started early on the work for this week. There is a fair amount to keep you busy. I look forward to a lively discussion. You'll see me throwing in my 2 cents often. Anita