LIFE 101

Thought I would blog today about something more light than I usually write about. I want to tell you what I think everyone should take in college within the first two years of being enrolled. Now, granted, everyone will have different professors, or different roles within their respective classes. And some professors will not know what the hell they are talking about. So I will even tell you how to find the right professor.

I need to preface this blog with the fact that I totally sucked in High School! I was really intelligent, and insightful, and found high school lacking for my capabilities. Not to mention that my high school was not the most conducive place to find a good education. I took what I could get from it. But in the end, I graduated with a D average and a 23 on my ACT. Not a very impressive feat. But on my first attempt at college, I hated it! It was just not the right time for me to focus like I could. I didn't really get as much as I did this second time around.

When I went to college after time away from it all, I totally thrived! I made the Dean's List of Academic Achievement! I had A's where I used to get D's and F's because I was really there to learn! It was amazing when I got A's on papers that I worked so hard on. And one of them was the highest grade in a class with a really difficult instructor who didn't like me much prior to turning in that paper. She really saw more to me after that paper. And I cherish her today! It was such an accomplishment! And I took a lot of pride in my work. Do it in your time. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't break boundaries in class or status. Because with a good education, you can surpass the boundaries anyone has ever put on you.


1) English Composition - You have to be able to write well in order to get ANY type of degree. And this one class, along with the 12 years you have supposedly been taking English in elementary and high school, should prepare you to properly express yourself in concise and readable form. It is essential that people know how to express themselves in written form. And the sooner the better! This is an elementary class in college, but of such importance that you need to take it in your first semester! I would suggest asking students who have taken this course, which professors allow for freedom in writing projects, as each person has their own experiences to bring to the table which interest them.

2) Oral Communication - This is really a great class for opening up to complete strangers in class with dialogue that is personal, in a way to express yourself in public! It is great for both the shy type personality, and the outgoing personality. I was really quite informed on this subject with a Professor who gave me an open mic to express my views on a broad range of subjects. I preferred to speak on topics that interested me. From my coming out story, to age of consent laws, to homophobia in our society. It was a fun way of getting to know myself, and sharing that with others.

3) General Psychology - This class has a slightly different set of rules for paper writing. It is a little complex as far as citing all your references for research. But in this class, you really get to understand personality, behaviors, disorders, and it is all stuff you can actually use to understand others and yourself better! It broadens your horizon, to start looking at people in a more global sense. You can see how Psychology has evolved in thinking and perspectives from behaviorists, and those who believe in cognitive approaches, to now new research methods dealing with brain functions and neurological sciences. It is amazing how much stuff is available for us to just understand other people. And they cram a brief overview into a very short semester. But if this stuff interests you like it did me, you will be taking a lot more psychology courses in the years to come (as did I), including Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Sexuality, Child Psychology, Adolescent Psychology, Crisis Management and Intervention, and a host of others. What an amazing field of study!

4) Theater - Rehearsal and Performance. If you are lucky enough to be cast in a play in college, you will really have fun learning all kinds of methods of acting preparation. You will get into the local theater scene, and attend performances with a new perspective. You will really enjoy working together with all the players, with parties, preparation, performance, and wrap and post-mortem. And in it all, you will really become more like a family than anything else! Great times. Great people. Great experience. HARD WORK! Don't think you can coast by in this class. It takes a LOT of effort from so many people to put a production together that is really good! And once it is over, you will know the rewards, of finishing that long project with others and celebrating together after each performance. You may even turn into a master thespian! And you may look forward to more casting calls once you finish! Even if you don't get cast in a performance role, there are so many production positions which are so crucial to the great performance! From set design, to sound and lights, to back stage props, to stage manager, to advertising manager and house manager! There are no small parts! And EVERYONE shares the success of the show! Break a LEG!!!

5) Along with the theater, there are other creative outlets. I happened to choose RADIO BROADCASTING! Some colleges didn't offer this. But I thoroughly enjoyed preparing for a 2 hour long weekly call-in talk show about love, romance, dating, relationships, and sex! I brought in friends to be my co-hosts each week, and we were able to pre-record a lot of the segments. We played my music list. We touched on topics that were geared to a younger audience, including teen mag gossip. And we played a little candy pop music. It was an intense RADIO HIGH! Each and every night we were on, it was like we had a successful show!

6) Stress Management for Optimal Health - offered in some nursing programs, or medical fields programs. You should really find this course. The Professor I had was not really that amazing, as far as professors, she didn't stand out in my mind as charismatic or enlightening. But it was nice understanding the stress response mechanisms we have. It is nice being able to find things to focus on when I have no control over what is going on around me. Dealing with stress is one of the most influential aspects on our health. Some physicians report that over 75% of all illnesses that are treated today are caused by the underlying stress we go through each day. Although this class is at times a little "New Age," we can all find ways of transposing mindful meditation and the techniques in this course to our own belief system. Pray, read, take time to unwind. We are all so driven. And we put our bodies through so much. No wonder we are filling nursing homes with elderly. This is a take what you can course. Like I said, there are some things that are redundant with General Psychology, as far as dealing with the neurological aspects of stress. But there are lots more interesting ways of dealing with stress in this class. It is a good thing to understand!



I wouldn't suggest taking a psych course when you take a science course. Keep your loads light when taking these courses as they require a lot of time and energy in producing quality papers and learning complex formulas.

Aside from those classes, I really hope you realize that college is supposed to be fun! It can not be so fun that you ignore the real purpose of being there. You need to focus on deadlines and dates. Because falling behind in a course, missing a single lecture in some courses could mean the difference between a solid grade letter and a lot of useful information. Be committed to what you are doing there. Yeah, have fun! But keep your mantra, work hard, play hard. And college will become as fulfilling as any time in your life! You will meet people who will be there for you in your future, unlike some who loose friends from elementary and high schools. And you will cherish learning like no other time in your life. I have found that being away from school for summer breaks and holidays, and even now, having not attended in a while, I miss it.

As time goes by, I will add to this list. I just wanted to pop something in here for you all to find a little lighter since the last week or so has been a bit dark for me. I am sure all of that other stuff I have been experiencing will pass and things will be fine again. But for now, this is all I have the energy to write about. I will bring you more on another day!

Thank you to Dr. Frances-Dee Berlin, PhD Psych, and all the Psych Prof's at CCCC, Prof. David Still, Prof. Lisa Zinsius, Prof. Michael Tritto, and a special thank you to Nick StJohn, who passed away just a year after I left CCCC. You were truly a friend and mentor to me. Thank you for encouraging me in all my endeavors! You will remain in my heart always.