My tips for those planning to study abroad: (from personal experience, as I am going through the planning process)
1. Start planning early. This goes without saying. Visas and passports can take who knows how long to be processed these days. I don't want anything trivial to stop me from going overseas. You also need to know ahead of time what program you will use; what credits will transfer; how much it will cost, and how much money you will have; and countless other facts.
2. Don't let those you love hold you back. This can seem harsh. My boyfriend and I of 13 months have had to talk seriously about whether we will break up when I go overseas, and whether we will still be together at that point. It's a difficult thing to think of, but I won't let this boy, as wonderful as he is, hold me back from achieving something I have dreamed of doing since I was twelve years old. Additionally, family members or friends may be discouraging without realizing it. A friend or family member who complains about you studying abroad is stifling your educational expansion. Politely let them know that this is something you would like to do. Be confident that what you are doing is good for you.
3. Talk to the right people. Advisers can be helpful, but not always for students who plan to study abroad. Most advisers are professors whose specialty lies in helping students keep on track in terms of their core fulfillment, major, and career paths. They do not always have experience knowing what credits will transfer, and what classes will need to be taken ahead of time. If your school has a study abroad or international study coordinator, take full advantage of this person. They are paid to help you. I am having to do all of this mainly by myself; the school I attend does not have such a person, and I can tell that if it did, this would be much easier and much less stressful for me. But, money determines priorities, and there's not much I can do except deal with it.
Much more to come, but that's all for now; Right now, I need to do homework so I can keep my GPA up!
xo
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Every woman is a feminist: random thoughts
The following is my opinion. Please do not take offense; it is presented for you to think about. Keep in mind that although I am not a "feminist," per se, I AM a woman. Therefore, I am qualified to say what I want about these topics.
Every woman is a feminist. If a woman is working for the advancement of herself in terms of education and/or her career, she is working towards the advancement of women in their respective fields of work.
If a woman wants to stay at home to raise her children, she is doing what she wants, and in turn she is promoting this right for all women.
My view on reproductive rights
Until very recently, I was undecided on whether or not I agreed with the pro-life or the pro-choice side of the agenda. As a woman, I feel it is something that I need to have an opinion about.
The fact that I am pro-choice combines my religious background, my moral beliefs, and my belief in certain American (and sometimes God-given) freedoms. To my view, abortion may or may not be a sin; it's all how you look at it, as far as that goes. I'm not a "Bible-thumper;" the Bible is not a daily guide to life because there are so many contradictions throughout it. To my mind, it can be interpreted thousands of ways by thousands of different people, and this is something that is taken advantage of, by televangelists, Catholic priests, Christian inter-faith ministers, everyone.
I was raised to believe that my body is a temple. The Catholic view of this says that, if you treat your body as God's temple, you will be rewarded in Heaven. I would rather treat my body as my own temple. Whether or not I am sent to Heaven as a result of it is up to the Big Guy. This idea sets humans up for one religious contradiction: if your body is God's temple, why was self-flagellation so popular in the past? People wanted to transcend their normal daily lives and experience the pain Jesus felt; this contradicts directly with the idea that a body is God's temple.
I would never want to kill a human being growing inside of me. The thought of it is cruel. However, as the law is right now, I am blessed with that choice. If I were a different person, and I viewed abortion as a convenient method of birth control, I would want that option open to me. Yes, the Bible says life is sacred; but not everyone uses the Bible as their religious or spiritual guide. Although the United States was founded by a primarily Christian group of people, our nation today is much more religiously diverse than it was in the 1700s. Our laws need to reflect our people.
I was raised Catholic; my family and I went to Mass every Sunday, I was an altar server for three years, I was confirmed, the whole deal. But did it really mean anything to me? I support gay marriage, I am pro-choice. If my mother knew my political views, she would freak. But that is her opinion, and she is entitled to have it, just as I am entitled to have mine.
That's the beauty of this country.
On gender equality
I saw a great poster on my neighbor's door. It is from Crimethinc's Gender Subversion Kit.
For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.
For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence.
For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep.
For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes.
For every girl who throws out her E-Z-Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.
For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry's attacks on her self-esteem.
For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.
xo
Every woman is a feminist. If a woman is working for the advancement of herself in terms of education and/or her career, she is working towards the advancement of women in their respective fields of work.
If a woman wants to stay at home to raise her children, she is doing what she wants, and in turn she is promoting this right for all women.
My view on reproductive rights
Until very recently, I was undecided on whether or not I agreed with the pro-life or the pro-choice side of the agenda. As a woman, I feel it is something that I need to have an opinion about.
The fact that I am pro-choice combines my religious background, my moral beliefs, and my belief in certain American (and sometimes God-given) freedoms. To my view, abortion may or may not be a sin; it's all how you look at it, as far as that goes. I'm not a "Bible-thumper;" the Bible is not a daily guide to life because there are so many contradictions throughout it. To my mind, it can be interpreted thousands of ways by thousands of different people, and this is something that is taken advantage of, by televangelists, Catholic priests, Christian inter-faith ministers, everyone.
I was raised to believe that my body is a temple. The Catholic view of this says that, if you treat your body as God's temple, you will be rewarded in Heaven. I would rather treat my body as my own temple. Whether or not I am sent to Heaven as a result of it is up to the Big Guy. This idea sets humans up for one religious contradiction: if your body is God's temple, why was self-flagellation so popular in the past? People wanted to transcend their normal daily lives and experience the pain Jesus felt; this contradicts directly with the idea that a body is God's temple.
I would never want to kill a human being growing inside of me. The thought of it is cruel. However, as the law is right now, I am blessed with that choice. If I were a different person, and I viewed abortion as a convenient method of birth control, I would want that option open to me. Yes, the Bible says life is sacred; but not everyone uses the Bible as their religious or spiritual guide. Although the United States was founded by a primarily Christian group of people, our nation today is much more religiously diverse than it was in the 1700s. Our laws need to reflect our people.
I was raised Catholic; my family and I went to Mass every Sunday, I was an altar server for three years, I was confirmed, the whole deal. But did it really mean anything to me? I support gay marriage, I am pro-choice. If my mother knew my political views, she would freak. But that is her opinion, and she is entitled to have it, just as I am entitled to have mine.
That's the beauty of this country.
On gender equality
I saw a great poster on my neighbor's door. It is from Crimethinc's Gender Subversion Kit.
For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.
For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence.
For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep.
For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes.
For every girl who throws out her E-Z-Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.
For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry's attacks on her self-esteem.
For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.
xo
Monday, October 27, 2008
A million thoughts
A million thoughts flow through my mind every day. Some of them would make good blog posts, if I were to expand on them and put in examples and links to websites, stories, either personal or public, etc. But I never get them down in time. Or if I do get a stroke of luck and find a piece of paper and a pen (it's always near impossible to find both at the same time), what I write does not have the surreal qualities it took in my mind.
Some of these thoughts would be good to write an essay on. Some would even make a good TV show. If only I could get them to paper in time. Writing is important to me; I need to get everything down on paper. I need to see it organized in front of me before it starts to make much sense, and it is this that makes me such a visual person.
It's my belief that the essays written by the dramatists and gentlemen of Renaissance England are basically blogs on paper. Or we could be more correct and say that today's blogs are yesterday's essays. They wrote essays concerning everything from their thoughts on the weather to local politicians to plays and other forms of entertainment. Today, Perez Hilton covers entertainment, among many others, and several nameless people comment on politics and the weather. One look at reddit and you'll see an extensive list of such essays.
I won't bore you with more of my thoughts, essentially because I don't have many more. I just received a paper back in an English class that got a C+, which depresses me, since I'm an English major. On the other hand, I did not spend much time on the paper; I didn't come up with a topic until two weeks beforehand. What I can take from the paper are mistakes I made, and I can learn from those mistakes. Mistake number 1 was waiting until the last minute to do the paper. Number 2 was not writing a detailed outline before going into the final draft. I know to do those things ahead of time this time around. I also know to have a clearer thesis statement, and better supporting arguments.
Some of these thoughts would be good to write an essay on. Some would even make a good TV show. If only I could get them to paper in time. Writing is important to me; I need to get everything down on paper. I need to see it organized in front of me before it starts to make much sense, and it is this that makes me such a visual person.
It's my belief that the essays written by the dramatists and gentlemen of Renaissance England are basically blogs on paper. Or we could be more correct and say that today's blogs are yesterday's essays. They wrote essays concerning everything from their thoughts on the weather to local politicians to plays and other forms of entertainment. Today, Perez Hilton covers entertainment, among many others, and several nameless people comment on politics and the weather. One look at reddit and you'll see an extensive list of such essays.
I won't bore you with more of my thoughts, essentially because I don't have many more. I just received a paper back in an English class that got a C+, which depresses me, since I'm an English major. On the other hand, I did not spend much time on the paper; I didn't come up with a topic until two weeks beforehand. What I can take from the paper are mistakes I made, and I can learn from those mistakes. Mistake number 1 was waiting until the last minute to do the paper. Number 2 was not writing a detailed outline before going into the final draft. I know to do those things ahead of time this time around. I also know to have a clearer thesis statement, and better supporting arguments.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Studying tips
Just a quick note before I'm off to study with a group for a Renaissance Drama midterm that will probably kick my sass - I found an amazing website today.
I've always equated being a productive student with being a loser, so it's a little scary to think that I can make a positive change in my life towards being more productive, and in the end, a more relaxed, confident individual. Really, the benefits of being well-organized probably outweigh the feelings I associate with being lazy and watching TV when I don't feel like working.
The website is www.theproductivestudent.com. I've bookmarked it already, and made a Quicklink to it on Firefox. You should too!
xo
I've always equated being a productive student with being a loser, so it's a little scary to think that I can make a positive change in my life towards being more productive, and in the end, a more relaxed, confident individual. Really, the benefits of being well-organized probably outweigh the feelings I associate with being lazy and watching TV when I don't feel like working.
The website is www.theproductivestudent.com. I've bookmarked it already, and made a Quicklink to it on Firefox. You should too!
xo
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
My Life 101: An Introduction
This course will aim to educate students on the intricacies of the life of a famous author.
Instructor: Who knows?
Location: USA
Prerequisites: None
Fee(s): Not enough
Credits: 19
Other information:
I think you can learn more about a person by knowing the little things they do or like, or the guilty secrets they keep. For instance, here are some of my guilty little secrets:
I'm still totally in love with Fall Out Boy.
I love what my boyfriend considers "bad music."
I'm a grammar asshole.
I have no idea what I want as a career.
When I look at websites for Nylon, I want to be just like the anorexic bitches in those photos.
Already, you know that I'm into music, maybe I like reading and writing (well obviously), and I must be pretty young, if I don't know what I want to do yet. And I have a boyfriend.
Future posts may involve, and are not limited to, the following topics:
The election
Harry Potter mania!
Movies in general
Fashion in general
Music, music, music
Fitness
Diet/Exercise/Weight loss
Education
That's all I'll say for now, but I hope I can keep posting to this at a relatively regular interval. I have a LiveJournal for the angsty parts of my life, but that's private. This will serve lighter fare, and at a reduced rate.
xo
Instructor: Who knows?
Location: USA
Prerequisites: None
Fee(s): Not enough
Credits: 19
Other information:
I think you can learn more about a person by knowing the little things they do or like, or the guilty secrets they keep. For instance, here are some of my guilty little secrets:
I'm still totally in love with Fall Out Boy.
I love what my boyfriend considers "bad music."
I'm a grammar asshole.
I have no idea what I want as a career.
When I look at websites for Nylon, I want to be just like the anorexic bitches in those photos.
Already, you know that I'm into music, maybe I like reading and writing (well obviously), and I must be pretty young, if I don't know what I want to do yet. And I have a boyfriend.
Future posts may involve, and are not limited to, the following topics:
The election
Harry Potter mania!
Movies in general
Fashion in general
Music, music, music
Fitness
Diet/Exercise/Weight loss
Education
That's all I'll say for now, but I hope I can keep posting to this at a relatively regular interval. I have a LiveJournal for the angsty parts of my life, but that's private. This will serve lighter fare, and at a reduced rate.
xo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)