Last Post of the Semester!

1. What I have Learned.

I have learned a lot this semester. I have learned technical things about management but overall I have been able to retain skills that will  help me in the future. Since this is the first time this class was given to us as an online class I think that the learning outcomes will improve in the future. 

2.  Improvements.

I think that having class time once a month would help. This could help the class bond and get to know eachother a little bit. Most of us have come to WIT because we enjoy the class sizes and we like being in class to learn. Personally, I would have never chosen an online class because I know it is not my learning style. I think in the future you should give the students a choice whether they want to be a part of this online class rather then forcing it apon them as part of the curriculum (I know that Prof. Hafford might not be part of this decision, but i'm just saying!)

Have a nice winter break!

How to avoid the end-of-semester pile-up?

I am almost completely positive there isn't a way to avoid the end-of-semester pile-up. It's true, at the end of the semester is when we have learned the most in each class, and that is when teachers decide to put all of our new knowledge to the test. Truthfully, I don't think its a bad thing. It's nice when we can pull all our new knowledge together and put it to good use.

Finals are all during the same week, so no, there is no way to spread that out either.

Procrastination is the only way I see to help avoid this pile up. For most classes, we are aware of projects that are going to be due towards the end of the semester quite early on, yet, we all choose to wait until the end to start it or get it done. It's like how we all decide to post our assignments on thursday rather then get them done early. Or why I am posting this blog 5 hours before it is due. Its just the college life, and I can personally say I've gotten used to it.

Christmas Lights

So, School is coming to an end. During thanksgiving break me and my father always put up christmas lights around our house. My mom and brother never seem to be around to help us, so we have made a tradition out of it. First, we have to go up and bring down all the christmas decorations and lights down from the attic. We bundle up and begin our outdoor fiesta! We put lights all over the bushes and such and have to figure out how to make is all work with only two plugs available. We have extension cords everywhere, i'm surprised we don't blow up the whole neighborhood. And there is always that one string of lights that has half of the bulbs out. By the end of it we are both frustrated out of our mind, but it always looks nice, and for the rest of the winter we get to admire our beautiful lights out front.

Thanksgiving.. For Real!

So tomorrow is thanksgiving, so our professor thought we should take a moment and share some of the things you are truly grateful for:


There are many things in my life that I am grateful for.  One of the things is my family, and how they are able to keep me in a great college. They really have the best intentions for me in all that they do and by pushing me through college they are really helping my future, and I appreciate that. I also am thankful for all of my friends who I have been able to stay in touch with since high school, i'm so happy that we can all come back from college and still be the best of friends. I am also thankful that I am going to see my extended family tomorrow and we will all get to eat a great meal, it means a lot to be close with family like that.

Thanksgiving

So, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means winter break is right around the corner... which means I have ALOT of work to get done. I have finals, obviously, but I also need to find a co-op job for next semester. I have recently just finalized my resume and I am now on a job search. This is a very stressful time of the year, because on top of worrying about co-op we have projects and finals. During Thanksgiving we have  a couple days off and every year I think that I am going to use the time to catch up on everything, but that never happens. It usually ends up with a weekend of turkey, friends and family, and somehow I am never able to configure homework into the whole mess! Depending on how much work we have this month I might be forced to change that ritual...

Crew

As I've mentioned before, this Fall I participated in the Crew Team (Rowing) at Wentworth. It was a great  experience and I really loved it.... other than the 4:30 am practices. This morning was my last practice of the season, and Saturday is my last regatta (that's what you call a race). Crew is a sport that is like no other. It truly works every part of your body and waking up at 4:30 every morning is sometimes a struggle. The sport starts back up in the Spring, sometime around March, but I don't think I will be able to do it because of my co-op. When I have class afterwards I am so exhausted, and I cannot imagine having to work 9-5 after a practice at 4:30 am. So, there's always next year!

Journal Assignment #3

SMART versus BHAG


SMART goals are very realistic and planned out, while BHAG are kind of outrageous. I think it depends on the situation for which type of goal I would be more likely to use. If I was running a business I would definitely choose a SMART goal, simply because, it is smart. If you chose a goal that was so out of reach that you could never reach it you could end up losing a lot of money and maybe even have to shut down your company. For something like a life goal, I think it is important to shoot for something that seems beyond your reach. It's liberating to think that one day you might actually reach it, and it may make your life more interesting on the way. If you don't have anything large at stake I think a BHAG is the way to go!

Redux

redux rēˈdəks adjective [ postpositive ]brought back; revived

Weather

So, going along the path of heating my house.. today it was 73 in my apartment! The other day I was freezing in a 55 degree room and today with the humidity I seriously contemplated turning on the air conditioner. Very weird weather, and next we it looks like its going to drop down to the high 40s. Some kind of crazy!

I cannot wait for it to snow, i'm tired of rain, if all of this rain was snow I could be up skiing by now. I have a house near loon mountain and every year I get a seasons pass. It is great fun and during winter break it is like I practically live there. I have a lot of friends from home and college friends too that like to come skiing. If I could say my favorite thing about skiing I would have to say that I love the speed you can gain going down the mountain, but still feel so in control. I have been skiing since I was 3 years-old and I hope I can do it for the rest of my life. Skiing is a rather expensive sport, while in college I get an amazing discount, but once I am out of college it will cost $80 a day to ski! That doesn't even count the prices of equipment.

Cold, cold, cold

So, as a college student we are all trying to save money, and the best way I know is to cut down on utilities costs in apartment, and yes this does mean not turning on the heat until November. So I'm currently sitting here freezing, with multiple layers of clothing on. Last year I stayed in an apartment with girls who weren't too worried about the money put into utilities, I lived on the 3rd floor and my room used to be unbearably hot, but we would get a heating bill every month for almost $450 dollars... that's ridiculous! I was spending more money on heat than I was on food! One problem was the way we ran the heat, but the other problem was the building we lived in was completely inefficient. There was one thermostat in the entire 4 floor building, and it was located next to the front door, so when someone opened the door, the heat automatically turned on and made every room a million degrees. So this year, I hope that it is much different and my money doesn't fly out the windows with the heat.

Scooter

As many of my classmates know I drive a scooter too and from class. My house is approximately a 20 minute walk up the hill, but on my scooter it takes about 3 minutes, give or take a couple minutes because of traffic. Here I am!

It gets 100 mpg with just me on it, which is AMAZING compared to my car that gets like 10... I saved a lot of money on gas this summer! I originally wanted a black one, but my parents were paying for it and insisted that I get a color that would be more visible on the road... so orange it is! The boys in the class love it too.....

October 7th Entry

Based on all you’ve read, how would you characterize your own level of group competency? What do you think are the most important KSAs relevant to groups and teams that you should master next?


After all  I have read I think my level of group competency is average. In most of our classes we are learning to work in groups. At first it is very difficult, since we are only with each group for a week or two, it is hard to get to know how each person in the group works. I am getting used to working in groups, but it is definitely a fairly new concept for me. Readings in this class as well as all of my other classes have helped me to learn to manage my time and stay organized. When working in a group it is important to stay on topic, and follow through to reach your goal. I think that the most important KSA that I need to work on is attitude. Going into a project I can sometimes be stubborn, but if I go into a project with the right attitude I think it would help me succeed and step up to finish the project in the best way possible.

If I ever had a time machine..

So, everyone has those friends that you hung out with when you were 5. There's pictures of you when you were younger, but as you grew up and went to high school, you did not really stay friends. You know the kind of person i'm talking about? You always smile at them in the hallways, because you know that you used to be friends, but that friendship has clearly faded over the years.

Well, sometimes maybe you should do more than just give them a smile every once in awhile, because you never know when they might be gone.

I've encountered this recently when a friend like this passed away last week, and it was truly a terrible situation. My whole entire high school class was definitely effected by it. It made me really think about how to seize the moment, always do the things that are going to make you happy and always let the people you love know how you feel about them. In this situation, I wouldn't go to the extent that I 'loved' her, but we really lost touch when we went to college, and that is something I would change if I ever had a time machine...

New Beginnings

For the first two years at Wentworth I did not participate in a sport. I had always been active in highschool with cheerleading and gymnastics but those sports didn't really seem to fit in here, plus, I never had enough time to even think about practice schedules. Now that I switched majors, I have time to do things I enjoy! So, I signed up for the crew team! We went out on the mystic river in somerville this morning and it was my first time ever rowing. Let me tell you, it's a lot harder than you would expect. The boat is little and tippy, and your rows are so long that it makes it so wobbly. Coach says he hasn't ever seen any boats tip over, but I think it is very likely for me. I had to wake up at 4:30, it was miserable, and then when I got back to my house around 8 I tried to take a shower, but conveniently, the construction workers outside my house hit a water pipe and instead of water coming out of our faucet and shower, it was now flooding the streets. It eventually turned back on just in time for me to go on a field trip with my 11 am class.

Journal Entry#2

Changing My Major!

So, as many of the other students in this major have done, I switched my major from interior design to facilities management. All of the interior design professors and some of my classmates tried to convince me not to switch, and that it would be a big mistake. The entire summer I contemplated whether or not I should switch, it was not easy because there were many pro's and con's for each side. I finally decided to switch, not considering what others had said to me but basically just going by what I thought felt right, and I hoped that I would not regret it when it came to school time. One of the reasons I really wanted to switch is because before I came to this school I really loved art and design. I would draw all the time on my own and I would really enjoy it. But once it became and assignment, I didn't enjoy it as much, and it really became more of a chore to me than something I truly enjoyed.

Now, two weeks into my new major I do not regret switching majors at all. I love this major and everything that is a part of it. My classes are great, and instead of floaty design ideas we are given precise directions. I love the diversity of the teachers and classes. So, I mean we are only two weeks into classes, I'll check back in halfway through the semester!

Journal Entry #1

How do you feel about your ability to successfully complete the work required by this course?


     I believe that this class might be a bit of a challenge for me. I am used to classes meeting twice  or more a week, where the teacher will remind and badger you for assignments. This class is much different, but I also think that it will be beneficial. Yes, it is nice to meet in a class on a regular basis, but this online class will allow me to build skills that a normal classroom would not. I will learn how to be more independent with my work and I believe that my time management skills will improve as well. So, although this class may be a challenge for me, I think that as my first online course, it will help me gain knowledge in ways a normal classroom setting cannot do.