Education Abroad Program and my job

       While I was unable to make the visit to the Education Abroad Center, I am still able to discuss this amazing program through my work perspective. I work at the UCSB Annual Fundraiser as a caller. The Annual Fund is a nonprofit organization here on campus that supports free student programs such as CLAS, EAP, Women's Center, Counseling and Career Services, and more! My role is to call alumni and parents and ask for donations. Not the most appealing sounding job to most, but I actually truly enjoy and value the conversations I have with people!
       Right now I am calling a donor pool called "YFD EAP", which are recent graduates that traveled abroad. Often times I will strike up conversation with them about their experiences traveling out of the country. I talked to one recent graduate who spent a year in France after studying French, and I took french in high school. She gave me great suggestions about where to go and what to do if I decide to travel to France. Another person I talked to originally intended to spend only a semester in Spain, but thankfully chose a program that allowed her to extend her stay for a year. I never knew this was an option, and after talking to a student supervisor who travels plenty, I found out about a flexible program that actually fit my criteria for traveling abroad! I am thankful I chose an on campus job that supports student programs because I am learning so much about my university.

This is sometimes how I feet at work. Mostly I don't look like this though!

Dr. Don Lubach and Library Visit

Don Lubach's presentation was not my favorite of all the speaker's presentations we have had, but nonetheless it was interesting. I guess you don't really think about who is responsible for all the fun freshman activities we've been having and that we will have this upcoming year, so when he said that  was his job I was a bit surprised. I appreciate the thought and effort that goes into making my first year of college the best it can be. I also thought it was quirky and interesting when he discussed Reddit, the "social networking site for nerds". I also appreciated the refresher of the steps of critical thinking: understanding the data, distinguishing opinions from facts, analyzing sources for validity and accuracy, and exploring alternative explanations. I will try and apply these steps in my future classes, for example Sociology.

Unfortunately most of the material covered during our library visit was review for me because I'm taking the intro to library research freshman seminar. The note about finding last minute resources for papers was helpful (thanks for the question, Zack!). I am glad I took the course and that you scheduled the visit because I think it's super important to know your way around the library, especially if you are going into research at UCSB.

I included a picture of cereal today, because I'm starting to eat it more and more as I like DLG food less and less...

Plagiarism

The articles "What is Plagiarism?" and "How to Avoid Plagiarism" discussed topics and methods that are actually quite familiar to me, and I'm sure to my fellow class mates as well. This is because the concepts of cheating, copying, and stealing have been ingrained in students by teachers and parents since a young age, as to avoid these issues from early on. While this is effective in preventing cheating among students, sometimes I worry that young students now perceive plagiarism as a "rule" they must follow rather than an ethical standard that should come naturally. Then again, it is difficult to force values upon people, so perhaps there is no other way to prevent plagiarism than strictly enforcing cheating rules with consequences.

My sophomore year in high school I witnessed a cheating incident with a friend, and it was gnarly. Parents, friends, friend's parents, teachers, principals, and teaching assistants were all involved in the nasty process of pinpointing the cheating to an individual and then punishing them. My friend was sort of criminalized for committing an act of plagiarism, and they suffered several consequences because of it. Seeing this happen to someone else further encouraged me to never cheat. At the same time, plagiarism is so pointless in my opinion. College is a place for expressing your own new ideas and thoughts, not for copying someone else's. And if you do use someone else's thoughts, it is important to give them credit! They probably spent a lot of time producing that idea or thought.


 

Librarians and the Career Counseling Center

I really liked the librarian who spoke last week. She was entertaining and funny, not to mention very easy to listen to. She explained that the role of an academic librarian goes far beyond manning the check out desk, which was not a new concept to me. I am taking the introduction to library research freshman seminar right now, so some of what she discussed I had actually already learned. The job of an academic librarian seems difficult but fascinating, especially if you are the librarian for a topic you are passionate about (which is what every librarian should do!). She also discussed how academic articles, books, and encyclopedias are the most reliable and thorough sources, which I completely agree with.

The career and counseling services trip was not as exciting, unfortunately, but I did learn about some valuable resources. I actually came to the career services center my second week at FSSP because I wanted a job. I went onto Gaucho link, clicked the first on campus post, and applied. I got the job! I have a shift later today actually. I work at the Annual Fund, which is a non profit organization on campus that funds free student programs such as CLAS, EOP, Women's Center, etc. The job is tough because I have to carry a conversation with a potential donor, so you have to make them like you! I am enjoying it though, and there is no way I would have found out about the job if it wasn't for the career center.

2nd post!

College is exciting to me because I get to meet new people with completely different histories than my own. Some interesting ways to meet people that I heard about in class include rushing, getting a job, going to the gym, and joining sports teams. However, what I find most helpful in making new friends is being outgoing and nice! Can't go wrong with that. 

I was actually super impressed with the Student Resource Building. Not only were the resource programs helpful, but the architecture and internal decor was very modern and creative. One of my favorite decorative/utility elements was a cushion bench whose shape reminded me of a Chex Mix cracker (bottom middle):

Sorry if I made you hungry. I was also impressed with the landfill bin I saw, way to go green UCSB! And lastly, while I was sitting on the Chex Mix chair, I looked up through the glass windows to see a sunny patio with tables and chairs. I hope the patio is accessible to students, I would love to do homework up there sometime.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Majors and Minors Fair due to class, but a friend brought me some pamphlets. I chose the Psychology Honors Program one as I am interested in the field. I didn't know there were honors programs specific to majors until I read about it in this pamphlet-maybe that is something I will check out further. I was particularly excited that it offered the unique privilege of increased priority for class registration. I don't know about you, but registering for classes was possibly the most panicy and stressful 25 ish minutes of my life!

First Post!

Hello! My name is Madison. I am from Menlo Park, California, so I’m reppin for the Bay Area! I went to a big public high school called Menlo-Atherton High, which was a school full of diversity and energy. Looking back, I’m happy my parents refused to pay for private school tuition because I believe my experiences at M-A have shaped me into a stronger more accepting person. At MA, I played lacrosse for four years, and I absolutely love the sport. My senior year was probably my favorite season because I was captain and had the pleasure of playing with my sister, who was a freshman who made varsity (woohoo!). Hopefully I will be playing for the club team here at UC Santa Barbara, but I’m not sure if I have the time commitment for the A team.

 As a student, I’ve always been a hard worker but a terrible test taker, which made the SAT a living hell. I enjoy challenging myself and prefer studying subjects like literature, psychology, sociology, and business. Eventually I will turn those broad interests into some sort of major, but for now I’m not worrying about it. I’m also curious to learn more about the psychology of business and marketing though, so perhaps I will go into that field. So far, my first week here at UCSB has been a blur. If you ask me what I did last Tuesday I could honestly not tell you.What I do know is that I'm having a good time and enjoying the freedom. I’m also still obsessed with the idea that I live on the ocean, and I really hope I never get tired of my beachfront view and those colorful sunsets.