| Postscript | |
| Achievements: As I reflect back on my first semester I have
already completed of college, I feel like I truly have achieved a lot.
When I first started this course in August, I was a very independent worker. What I mean by an independent worker is that I don’t like to depend on others to get the work done. I’m the type of person who would rather work on a project on my own. Don’t get me wrong, if I was to do some sort of group activity I would always try and listen to others opinions. Before taking New Century I really didn’t like group activities, because I always ended up doing all the work at the end, because some people wouldn’t come through. I honestly think the reason behind this is because I feel like I cannot trust my group members. So I would always volunteer myself to do more of the work. I guess you can say I have trust issues, but that has all changed because of my experiences in N.C.C. In NCLC 110 I was able to break down my barriers after the Hemlock field trip. During that field trip I was able to gain trust and confidence of all of my group members, and was able to form a quick bond with them all. My group members never let me down. We worked together on every course and made it to the end. I now feel like I can trust people easier, and that is truly a huge accomplishment for me. Because I was able to work out my trust issues it allowed me to work better in my group for NCLC 130. For 130 our group assignment was to create a museum. As a group we were able to work together, listen to each other’s ideas, and come out in the end with a creative and well thought out project. I also feel like my web page is another one of my achievements. When I first created it in NCLC 110 I was frustrated a lot because my computer skills were week, but now I feel like it has become my strength. In 110 we to create the basic outline for the whole year, but after the outline to just create an annotated playlist. Now in NCLC 130 we are to enhance our skills creatively and use our knowledge to further the features of our webpage. I have changed a lot compared to the first day of class. As I reflect back on the person I used to be I’m thankful at the fact that I decided to take New Century College. In group situations I have learned to give people a chance to prove themselves, before I just assume that they will let me down. I’m not a perfect person, I have my flaws and I have my strengths. My goal is to work on all the things I am not good at and improve on them. I realized a lot about myself from a learning styles workshop we had to take in NCC. It concluded that I am a visual and kinesthetic learner. By understanding what kind of learning style best suits me it will help me succeed in college. College is not the place to slip up or mess around. I want to make my college experience the best I can, and the way I will accomplish this is by taking criticism and learning from my mistakes. I can make my strengths last a lifetime, while continuing to work on my weaknesses. |
Challenges: Nobody’s perfect, everyone has their flaws. Mine in this case is public speaking. I can never understand why I am so afraid to speak out in public. Usually I am the life of the party when I am with my friends and family. They always complain about how much I talk, and when I tell them how shy I get in front of large groups they are baffled. I really want to change the fact that I get so tense around big crowds of people. I’m really hoping that NCC will take me out of my comfort zone and teach me how to relax enough that I can start up conversations all on my own. In NCLC 110 my public speaking skill was challenged when I had to present my Higher Education Project. The purpose of this assignment was to research a topic with your study group and present it in front of the whole class. The researching part for me was really easy, but what I wasn’t looking forward to was the presenting part. I remember as the presentation part was nearing, I began to feel really nervous and doubtful about my part. In NCLC 130 I was getting a little bit comfort with speaking in public because I had formed a closer bond with my group members. Still presenting our museum project to the class was difficult for me, but like always I tried my best to get through the presentation. In both NCLC 110 and 130 I never let my group members down. What helped me calm my fear of public speaking was a workshop we had in NCLC 110. I learned from this workshop that communication is really important in order to effectively convey my ideas. The night before both my NCLC 110 and 130 presentations, I thought clearly about all the pointers I had absorbed from the workshop. Make eye contact with some people, never fidget with your hands or papers, don’t go off on a tangent, and make sure you feel relaxed. I knew if I practiced theses general concepts, I would improve my overall communication skills.    |