Blog 6

These past four months at Tech I have learned a lot. I have learned how to better manage my time so I can balance school and have a social life. Another thing that I have learned is how to study for tests in college. It took me a couple of tests to figure out how to properly study and take these test but I think I have finally figured it out. I have also learned the importance of getting the best teacher, not the best time that fits my schedule. As of right I have no intentions of switching out of mechanical engineering. There is no major, to my knowledge, that offers more flexibility then mechanical engineering. In the past four months I have also discovered that I am a very visual learner. I cannot read a book and expect to understand the material that is in it. I need to have someone stand in front of me and teach me how to do it, that includes doing an example problem. I have also learned that doing the homework in classes helps immensely in understanding the material. Over the next four years I have a lot of goals that I would like to accomplish. My first goal is to become a brother of the fraternity that I pledged to. My next goal is to maintain a GPA of at least a 3.5.  In the next four years I plan on completing at least 3 semesters of co-oping for a company. I would also like to study abroad in Australia or somewhere in the Middle East or china. I would like to also continue to participate in Student Foundation and take on more responsibilities in that organization over the next couple of semesters. Finally I would like to join Connect With Tech so I can help future students make the right choice. I would also like to enjoy my time here on campus, espically the home football games. I always have a lot of fun supporting the team.

The field during a football game

picture taken from

http://m1.smartmoney.net/mag/images/1216-gt.jpg

Blog 5

College life is really different then being in high school. In high school I went to class seven hours a day and the teachers always told me what to do for homework and what to study for tests. In college I go to class at most for six hours a day and the teachers never tell me anything about homework or tests in class. I always get emails about homework on Friday night and those ruin my weekend plans. I wish that someone in college would have passed on the following wisdom to me. The saying pick two of the three: social life, grades (school), and sleep is very true. It is difficult but very possible to obtain all three of those things and it takes a lot of self discipline. I also wish someone would have told me about how going to get food is such a hassle. In high school I would always eat meals at a certain time but in college I now have to go set time aside to get food. Also doing small things like cleaning your room up or doing laundry is. If I had to give some advice to a person entering college I would tell them to make friends. They are what help get you through the tough classes and are the people who make college fun. I would also stress the importance of going to class. You learn a lot by just attending class. I would also give them a couple of tips about time management to make sure they get enough sleep, study, and have a social life. If I had to go back and relive a couple of months there isn’t a lot I would change. I have loved being a college student so far. One regret I have is not studying for a couple of tests as well as I should of. I think my life would be less stressful about grades in those classes if I had done better on those tests. I think I have improved my study habits enough to make sure I make really good grades this semester on my finals. The first semester of college sets the tone for the rest of college and I think I am in position to get off on a really good foot.

This cartoon discribes college life perfectly:

picture is from:
http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/visions/class1912_files/Images_Files/Exploring%20the%20world/AcademicLife/1911_yrbk_pg300_CollegeLife.jpg

Major Decisions

Wow I am officially halfway through my first semester of college and I am still alive. As of right now I am a mechanical engineer. I have already switched my major once though. I switched from civil engineering to mechanical engineering right before school started because I can do a wider variety of things with a mechanical engineering degree then I can with a civil engineering degree.  I spent numerous hours talking with my dad before I decided to switch my major. I also looked into the numerous ways I could use a mechanical engineering degree. A mechanical engineering degree would also help me in my long term goals of getting a job out of college. This is very important to me considering the tough economic times that the country is it. Mechanical engineers also had a very competitive starting salary after graduating from Georgia Tech.  I think that my major matches my skills very well. I am good at math and science, have good people skills, and am willing to put in hard work. I think that skills will allow me to become a good mechanical engineer and use that degree to get a job. I am also not sure about what I want to do with my life right now. The flexibility that the mechanical engineering degree offers me allows me to try many different jobs and see which one I like best. From there I can decide what I want to make into a career. I am pretty confident that I want to be a mechanical engineer but I also want to have a minor in business. I want to do this that way I can be more on the business and contracting side in the business world. I like creating contracts and talking to clients rather than designing buildings. Also the business side deal more with money, which is something I like to know how, is spent. These are my tentative plans for the next four or five years, let’s see how they change.

the cartoon at the beginning of this article was found at:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/amc0104l.jpg

Team Buzz

This past weekend I participated in Georgia Tech’s annual Team Buzz event. I was part of the group responsible for the clean up and helping out around the student Center. I had to help move tables back to Delta Upsilon Fraternity house. As well as make sure that the containers of tang never became empty. I also assisted in moving all of 250 pizzas from the Papa John’s Delivery pickup truck to the other side of the student center. I was also responsible for moving the empty pizza boxes to the trash cans and disposing of them properly. The final task was moving all of the tables back into the student center and helping the Team Buzz Executives I had a lot of fun participating with all of my friends. The three hour shift of clean up flew by because of how much fun I was having. I cannot wait to participate again next year.

Extracurricular Activities

The FLO I Joined

Choosing what organization to participate was difficult to do at Tech because there are so many opportunities and clubs. After attending faset I learned about all of the freshmen FLOs. I applied to Emerging leaders and Freshman Foundation. I interviewed for both of the FLOs and was accepted into both of the FLOs. I decided to join Freshman Foundation. It seems like a really fun FLO and I cannot wait to have meetings with all of the other great freshmen in the flo. I am also a pledge at Phi Gamma Delta or Fiji. This has been a great experience so far. I have made numerous friends and have a support system. Being from out of state and not knowing a lot of people at Tech I was worried about making friends and finding people to hang out with on the weekend.  Between going Greek and joining Freshman Foundation I have made numerous friends and also started to become active on campus.  I also plan on getting involved in a couple of other clubs. I want to join the Association of Mechanical Engineering. This club will allow me to get to know other Mechanical Engineers as well as start to network with all of the business that come to talk at the meetings. I am not sure if I will ever actually take on a leadership position in that club but it is one I think I will join. The final organization that I am interested in joining is Connect With Tech. Connect With Tech was a big reason that I personally came to tech.  I would like to be the person who houses and hangs out the high school student for a night. It is a great way for me to be able to give back to tech.  All of this organizations and clubs would provide me with friends on campus and the opportunity to give back to campus.

Blog Two....College Life

My View For the First Football Game

College so far has been so much fun. There are so many new experiences and new people that occur every day. Being a college student, like everyone says, is a lot different than being a high school student. One major difference is that on an average day I go to class for at most five hours. That is a lot more fun than going to class for seven hours a day. Another big difference is that college professors assign more homework and they do not explain how to do it as well as high school teachers. The professors expect the student to just know how to do everything, but at the same time they are more than willing to help you if you ask for it. Also people will not offer you help anymore if you are struggling, you must go out and find help if you are in need of it. When I am not in class or dong my homework my free time is very important to me. I try to work out on a regular basis but so far that has not worked because I cannot get into a routine. I also like playing basketball at the crc and joined an intramural football team. Those are two ways that I try to stay in shape. I also enjoy spending time with friends I have made on campus. The freedom to do whatever I want is a little bit overwhelming right now. I have had numerous late nights and felt tired in the morning but I would never trade them because the fun I had the previous night with my friends is awesome.I also cannot wait for the next football game, my first one was so much fun. I am thoroughly enjoying spending times with my friends, playing sports, and every class but Chem. 1310. Right now I am a lot less stressed then I was last year. Applying for college was a very stressful time, and I am glad it is over, and I am confident that I made the right choice in Georgia Tech. Some challenges I am facing at Tech though are how difficult the classes will start becoming. So far they have been manageable but I think they will start to become harder and harder. I am also challenged when it comes to doing my laundry. I do not like doing laundry at all

Blog One

Picture of My Dorm Room

As of today I have been on Georgia Techs campus for eight days. It has been an awesome experience so far. Before I rant about my time on campus I will tell you a little about myself. There are four members in my family, my dad, my mom, me, and my sister. I love them all a lot and it’s been a difficult transition for me not being able to see them every day. Right now we live in Houston, Texas. I have lived all over the world but I consider Houston my hometown because that is the place I spent most of my life. I was born in Walnut Creek California. From there I moved to Wimbledon, England and lived there for 2 years. After Wimbledon I moved to Durban, South Africa and lived there for 4 years. That was one of my favorite places to live because I had the opportunity to go on safari rides, petting zoos, snake and alligator farms, and an aquarium filled with sharks. After leaving in Durban I moved to Houston for the first time; I lived in Houston for 4 years. While in Houston my passion for Basketball and sports emerged. I played church league soccer, basketball, baseball, and also participated in swim team. Sports and friends were and still are really important for me. After living in Houston I moved to London England for three years. While in London I still participated in every sport that I could and made some great friends. I am still friends Stratford High School and played basketball for the school. I stopped playing all of the other sports competitively but still played them for fun with my friends on the weekend. After living in Houston for five years I made the trip to Atlanta Georgia. I am now at the final place on my lifelong journey for the moment. I am a first year at Georgia Tech and chose Tech for the education I can receive and the possibility to co-op and get a job. Being at Tech is a lot of fun. I have met so many interesting people and the number of clubs or activities I want to participate in is over whelming. I love being at tech and cannot wait for football season to start!