Prewriting: Incoming Freshman

Incoming Freshman

Writing to incoming freshman is something I never imagined I’d be doing. There are many things I wish I could go back and change about my first semester at college. Whether it’s as little as buying a Glade plug-in the day I moved in, or as big as regretting taking upper division classes, they all played a part in my college experience. When I moved into my dorm, I always new I was a neat, and cleanly person. I folded my clothes, organized my shoes, made my bed, and took out the trash. After the second week of classes, I knew that I would never be able to keep up with all that. I think I realized it when I put on a pair a jeans for the 4^th day in a row, or maybe when I went to take out the trash and notice mold growing on the banana peel from the week before. Slowly your room will start to smell, and it is only when you decide to vacuum when you find the rotten bag of goldfish under your couch, or realize that your fridge is leaking, and the water is going stagnant on your carpet. This is when you start to understand the true beauty of Febreze and Glade Plug-Ins. In some cases, when the smell is unbearable, incense or candles can always be an answer, but must be used with caution around CA’s. Slowly you will fall behind on laundry, dishes, and sometimes even bathing. It is gross, but it is one of the harsh realities you will face in your new and stinky home.

Along with advice on cleanliness, I would also recommend buying a fan of some sort. On the warmer days of -15 degrees you never know what kind of smells will bake into the dorms. Having a fan will keep you, your roommate(s), and dorm mates’ scents flowing, and not leave them to sit and linger. There is nothing worse then walking into your room or hall, and taking a deep breathe of stinky feet and microwaveable taquitos. Another way to avoid stench in your room is to keep up with checking your fridge. You will regretfully one day realize after you take a swig of the last of your milk, that it is a week expired. And yes, those amazing late night Hot-Pockets eventually go bad as well. Routine refrigerator checks will keep this problem at bay. There are other things in a dorm, besides food, that can cause un-wanted smells. A roommate’s unwashed dirty clothes can smell of rotting death. This is where a roommate contract within the first week will come in handy. Don’t hesitate or feel uncomfortable, it will help you in the long run.

It is easy to stay caught up with classes and homework, but even easier to fall behind. Do not procrastinate on homework, because it will catch up to you. All the little things slowly add up, so it’s a good idea to start out with a planner. I bought one when I went school shopping, and didn’t actually start using it until the day I walked into math class and realized I had my first exam, and undoubtedly failed. Starting out the semester being organized will only help you in the long run. You will develop healthy organization habits that will stick with you until you graduate. After barely passing my first math exam, I started using my planner, and slowly realized taking the two extra minutes to write my homework and quiz dates were worth it. It made it a lot easier to remember meetings with my professors, and schedule times to meet with my advisor. My planner turned out to be my friend, not my foe.

Going to bed at a decent hour is something that will really benefit you. This also goes along with not procrastinating. Make sure you start studying in advance, and do not wait until 11 o’clock p.m. to start studying for an exam at 8 o’clock am the next day. Manage your time carefully, and buy a lot of note cards. Get to bed at a respectable time, and take short naps when you can, which FYI should not be taken in your 10 o’clock Math class.

"He Says She Says"

In these writings, the author talks mainly about the good and the bad ways of summarizing and using quotes effectively. As a writer I have always been very shaky on how to quote people correctly and use their information appropriately. For the most part, I get most of my information from the research and studying I do on other peoples work. Whether its information from a website, new article, or book, I still need to know how to use it without it being considered plagiarism. Summarizing can be a tricky and long process, but if you know how to do it right, it isn't as complicated as you think.

In the second article, it talks about how people do not like summarizing because going back to the writers exact text and writing it out word for word is a very long process. Now with the option of copy and paste, it has become a lot easier, and people should be able to quote a lot easier than before. The problem with this is that people might not know how to quote effectively, and there for they will do it wrong. You should put yourself in the other writers position, and try to be the reader and feel what they felt at the time they wrote it. I like the technique we used in class one day, where you read a paragraph, and then in one sentence summarize the entire paragraph. I feel like it was a very good and easier way of summarizing.

"Know It All"

In the article, "Know It All", the author of the story talks about the pros and cons of using Wikipedia, and whether this website, and online database is truly reliable, or is more of a phony. After reading what the author had to say, I am a lot more weary about using this site, and now knowing that anyone can change the information and "facts" on any part of the site. Anyone in the world is allowed access to this popular page, and even White House Representatives have been caught changing and tampering with information. As a site that I regularly visit to figure out questions i have, I will now be a lot more careful about the research I get from Wikipedia. Not only do you not know who has posted the information on the topic you are researching, due to that most postings are left "anonymous", but you also aren't given the credentials and background of the person who has done the posting.

Then on the other hand, there are true postings, that have been posted by superior and well educated people, and unfortunately their postings can be tampered and messed with by young, and immature readers. They mention this in an article about Justin Timberlake, and how one entry accused him of losing his house in 2002, due to not paying his taxes. It is things like this that give Wikipedia its bad name. If it was up to me, i wouldn't let people join unless they had proof of some sort of degree on what they hoped to talk about. If this was the case, Wikipedia would be a much more accurate and trustworthy resource for students like me and my peers. It would not only become the new encyclopedia, but one of the most important fact resources of our time. I often use Wikipedia to answer everyday random questions, like "What is honey made from?" or health questions like "Why do i have a rash on my stomach?". It has become a great tool for me when I am in a hurry and need quick, helpful answers. I feel there needs to be restrictions on who can edit these websites, but also give onlookers a good place for finding good information.

Chapter 31

I really enjoyed reading chapter 31. I have always been so afraid that the information I use could be considered plagiarism. When i write research papers, I am extremely hesitant on how I word and phrase sentences without making them the same as the source I received it from. A lot of the "Types of Plagiarism" were very obvious, and a little repetitive, but I feel that they were necassary to point out, so there were no mis-interpretations. Using quotation marks is very important, and shouldn't be taken lightly. In 31e it explains how to integrate sources into your writings. That has always been extremely hard for me to do , so i found this section extremely helpful. Now i know to use Synthesis to help me make my information not plagiarized.

Chapter 30

In Chapter 30, it goes through how to realize if website are dependable. It tells you the steps you need to know to determine if your information is accurate. I always use google, so seeing all the new ways of finding information on it was nice. I never realized all the things i was looking over, until i saw the pictures in the book and read the ways to find what your looking for. It also gives good information on what other websites to use to help guide you to good information, such as DogPile.

I learned how to recognized reliable websites and who is making them. If it is a educational, non-profit, or government organization, only use them if they list their sources. If they do, go to that source and check its professionalsim and organization. Expert authors will most likely include there credentials or degree on the website. If you feel like some information is a little off, you can email them if they leave an email account, if not, then trash the information. I found out that publications from newspapers and magazines are just as reliable as the original form, as long as the information is continually updated and checked. For the most part, most biased writings are not very reliable, and shouldn't be used in considering your research.

Chapter 28

Chapter 28 gives you good ways to find reliable information you will need for your project. Whenever i write, i always find it hard to start. The first step is always the most difficult to make. In this chapter it explains that you should really narrow down our topic, and make it extremely specific. I think this will really help me in my research, because i tend to be too broad with most of my information. I can narrow down my information by writing it all out and then determining which information is most important. Later on in the writing, it talks about sources. Primary sources is information you receive directly from the subject itself, when secondary sources are sources that you analyze from someone else's work, someone else has relayed the information to you. Secondary sources aren't as reliable, and therefor should be checked carefully for true facts.

I was glad to see the information on how to organize bibliographies correctly, because i have always had trouble putting those together right. It explains about all the sources we will be needing for this research paper : Books, Periodical Articles, and Online Sources. It will be a helpful guideline for when i need to do bibliographies. The interviewing section gave a lot of help in how to approach a formal interview. t tells you how to critque body language, and nervousness from your interviwer. It gives you hints on if they are uncomfortable or not.

Portfolio Guide

After reading the portfolio guide, I notice some things that were a little confusing, and also things that I felt really could help me grow in my writing. I was at first very confused about the grading system, and was unsure about how many people were involved with the grading. I think the could have touched a little more on the third person who could possibly be involved if the grades of the other two people were indesicive. More explaining in that area would be helpful, considering its the main factor in our essay passing or failing.

I like the idea of two people grading it. I like how they can't really judge you, because they don't know you. I feel that it gives everyone a fair chance, and your actually being graded on your writing, not necessarily a popularity contest. I also like how they assure you in the paper that the reader's of your essay will be very educated and professional in the grading of your essays. They made a point to say it would be very anonymous and confidential.