1). Keeping up with assignments and working ahead when I
know that I have a busy upcoming schedule have been the most important for me
to succeed. We are all college students and by now we all know how to
effectively budget time for work, so I would just say time management skills of
keeping up with lectures and assignments. One skill I have developed further
would definitely be stepping out of my comfort zone. By no means are many of
these assignments typical weekly reading quizzes or assessments. I have learned
to just go with the flow and know that even if I feel out of my element, I know
that I am growing as a person by accomplishing everything thrown my way.
2). I am currently studying abroad, so I am taking this
course in Rome, Italy. I believe it is much harder taking this class abroad
because for starters, I don’t speak the same language as the people around me.
I have wanted to give up on multiple occasions when assignments have required
us to interact with our outside environment such as the customer interviews and
free money exercises. It is hard enough going out and immersing yourself in a
community you are comfortable with and live in, but for me, I can’t even walk
into a café and have a conversation with a stranger because of the linguistic
barrier. Another challenge to taking this class overseas is that I am always
traveling. I only have class in person on Tuesday and Thursday morning, so I
travel about 5 days a week, almost every week. Thankfully, we have the option
to work ahead in this course, but feeling as if I am always on vacation, it is
difficult to get work done and remember that I am a student first. I have
definitely developed a tenacious attitude throughout these past few weeks. One
thing that sticks out the most was staying up very late and going to a coffee
shop with wifi in Milan just to turn in an assignment. I had to be persistent
in knowing that I would find a way to make it work even with the jet lag and
time difference. Being persistent and prioritizing have been extremely important.
3). My three tips would be be to 1: Work ahead! I know I
mentioned this above as one of the ways I have succeeded in this course, but it
is an invaluable tool that the assignments are open for us to complete at our
own pace. Take advantage of that and never let yourself get behind. 2: Do the
extra credit. Not many upper level courses offer extra credit, especially not
an entire letter grade, so go ahead and complete the extra credit because you
never know when an emergency or something might arise and you won’t be able to
complete assignments. 3: Go with the flow. There will be a few assignments
descriptions that you will read and not be thrilled about, but I promise it’s
better than cramming for an exam. It could be much worse, so I promise stepping
out of your comfort zone a few times won’t kill you.
Hello Michelle:
ReplyDeleteIf you'd ever have the chance, I'd like to talk with you about your experiences being a study-abroad student in Rome and taking this class. What a challenge! But perhaps there are some tips you'd be willing to share, exclusively for students in Europe? If you'd like, follow up with me at cgp@warrington.ufl.edu ... maybe we could do a quick Skype check-in later in the semester?
Thanks for a great reflection, too!
Chris
I like your idea of tenacity through proactivity. It is hard to be effected by a barrier if you have made the proper preparations and done the work ahead of time. You also gave great advice about working ahead to future students. It is great that you have been able to use forethought and determination to make sure your work gets done, even if you are in a situation where you feel more like you are on vacation. Overall a great post and interesting read.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to my post: http://greywilliams3.blogspot.com/2016/02/halfway-reflection.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I agree with your tips a lot! Working ahead is one of the best things to do in this class and can help prevent you from missing an assignment. Also, being able to go with the flow is another thing that is really important. There have been many assignments where I did not want to do them, but did and found them to be very rewarding. In all, great half-way reflection! Feel free to check out my blog post on this!
ReplyDeletehttp://ent3003mt.blogspot.com/2016/02/half-way-reflection.html