35 Things Every Engineering Major has to Deal with during College

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jmzarina/35-things-every-engineer-has-to-deal-with-in-colle-bs9p

35 Things Every Engineering Major has to Deal with during College

This writer has generally hit the nail on the head. There are some posts I do not quite grasp yet, such as #4 (the project/design not working as it is supposed to) and  #5 (Somebody casually mentioning they really enjoyed a class that single-handedly destroyed your social life, self-esteem, and GPA in one nightmarish swoop). However, I have heard the proof of post #7. This comes from the students of physics lab discussing how the lab is a one credit hour while the lab write ups may take up to 10 hours in one week. This is still quite relevant to the group since the buzzfeed is about what the engineering major will deal with over the course of their college career.

Post #21 is a (possible) misconception that many engineering majors have. Due to the difficulty of the major and the work load that most engineering majors have, we look at our other non-science/engineering majors and it appears they have no homework or responsibilities. There is a common issues among the engineering community- a superiority complex. My music major friend has ample amount of time to sleep, go to every game, and over all do anything she wants while still keeping her GPA up. This leads directly into the truth behind the post #13. The average college student parties weekly, possibly every day Thursday to Saturday, while the engineering students buckle down and do homework on the weekend nights. While my birthday has not passed yet, I have had many engineering friends who spent the birthday night with a textbook. This post would be better if it directly brought up the superiority complex within the engineering college. If it brought it up in a factual matter with the “while I don’t always drink beer…” guy’s picture.

<3 ShainaRene'

Changes

One change I plan on making is to the history of woman’s rights. I plan on cutting excess material while analyzing the remaining material in respect to why this change was made and how it affected the future of women. Since the history of women’s rights begin in the late 1800’s, the things they fought to change reflect the aspects of their society they were bothered with. I can compare this want of change to the amount of change that actually came about due to the efforts. This change will not only improve the analysis aspect of my paper, but the logical aspects also. This section has an extreme amount of information while not all of it seems relevant. This change was pointed out by my teacher, Ms. Hoy.

Another change I am going to make will be to improve the flow of the paper. I will do this by integrating the quotes from my personal essays in various ways. The integration will also encourage further analysis instead of committing the infamous “plop and drop”. This change was brought to my attention during class while my teacher, Ms. Hoy, discussed how to properly cite sources. This should improve my paper’s clarity while providing variation for the reader.

During the class time we had to peer review, it was suggested to me to combine my thesis. However, after discussion with my teacher, I have decided not to make this change. If I tried to combine all the aspects of my thesis into a single sentence then the clarity would be lost or a major idea would be cut. While the thesis will remain, the hook line will be changed to grab the reader’s attention more. This change was brought up by Ms. Hoy. This could greatly improve my essay. This could greatly increase the number of people who read my essay.

<3 ShainaRene'

21st Century Motherhood

My essay will analyze the ideal woman of today in comparison to the 1900’s woman. This journal is on the mother of the 21^st century and it introduces a new term- intensive mothering. This article brought my attention to what a mother is socially expected to do. Intensive mothering is where the mother is self-sacrificing. “Society identifies mothers by what they try to do, not by what they think or feel”. This 21^st century mother, Superwoman, puts her wants aside to be completely devoted to her children- according to the journal, “mothering standards are rising”. They look at the working mother. Around 80 hours a week is devoted to work, children, and the household by the working mother while the working father spends around 50-70 hours a week, (Motherhood in the 21^st century).

This article also discusses how being a mother and a working woman affects the other. While at work, the worries over children and calls from childcare interrupt her ability to focus on work at work. This common distraction and time off requested to stay home with sick children or attend their activities among other things often influence the woman’s career. She is less likely to be offered a higher position because of the preconceived idea of the limited time she can dedicate to her career.

<3 ShainaRene'

“Motherhood in the 21^st century: implications for counselors”. onlinelibrary.wiley.com. University of Kentucky Online Wiley Library. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 23 Dec 2011. Web. 1 Nov 2013.

If you're below the city, are you also below the influence?

When I think LA I have the typical lights thought but I also was under the impression that the street corners had a homeless person or two every block. Could the lack of the homeless and drug addicts on the street be from the business that are trying to keep their image so they push away the unclean? Do they separate themselves? I guess if I had to stay in the city to survive, I’d like a quiet place to lay my head. The sewers are slightly more appealing than having the lights in my face consistently.

The description of Steve’s living quarters made it seem like an actually home. I define ‘home’ by where you feel comfortable, where you personalize to have things you need and enjoy. This man lives in the SEWER but he has tried to get “all the supplies and stuff” since he has to live down there. He sounds to have just about everything he needs- a queen sized bed, a clothes rack, walls, a mirror, soap, shampoo, even a makeshift shower. The way he speaks is very different from the other male he is sitting with at the time. He is well spoken; he sounds to be educated. I was wondering how such a man ended down there. He knows how to get money and he knows image is important. Then the drug addiction came out.

Adam was also told by the ‘tour guide’ of some stuffed animals and blankets he found in the sewer that lead to the assumption of children in the tunnels. Who would keep their children in such a place?! A drug addict. This exemplifies the drug problem in this city and makes me wonder what the city has to offer these people and their dependents. I have a friend whose parent worked at LAPD and claimed that there was so much going on in the city that the police have to make tough choices- like to pass a burning car to respond to something more urgent. So does the same happen with the low lives of the city? Could there be so much money flowing around the city that they pass up the needy to make a quick buck?

<3 ShainaRene'

Look Maa, I'm on the internet!

I am satisfied with how my first speech went. It wasn't perfect but I wasn't expecting it to be. Now, as I begin the self-grading, I realize I have no idea how to assess argument section. Thankfully, I believe I was in the time restraint without talking too fast. Even though I made cuts, I think my speech has a focus and a semi-developed main point. This part is the hardest for me to grade since I worked so hard on the material. However, as for my supporting material, a variety would have been best but the different sources I planned on using were cut. The sources and materials I did use though, I believe they fit structurally. 

I tried to interest my audience with my word choices and listener relevance but I’m not so sure it worked. Using the word “stalked” in my speech made me giggle, but during the speech I don’t think my body language emphasized it enough to bring attention its oddity. I used this word because of who my young audience was. I wouldn't have used that word talking to a group of my parent’s friends. I was happy with my main point preview and thesis restatements but my transitions need improvement. I took a few vocalized pauses but the numbers have decreased since I rehearsed my speech before the big day. I had some of the speech internalized while the new parts, which were added two days before presentation, I relied on my note cards- this is apparent as I watch my speech. I could have added more figures of speech.

I’m not sure if I come off as intelligent since I hear myself as a 12 year old but I had a conversational style and I moved across the floor. My voice expresses emotion which is good but it needs to be controlled. I often gestured to the power point or to emphasis a point, which I am happy with, but when I involved the power point I became very informal. Next time I will prepare my comments about my power point more exact so it fits the more formal tone. I used pink in my power point because pink promotes acceptance and I want my audience to accept my ideas as reasonable. However, I should have taken a moment to gather my thoughts while I was answering the question. I knew the answer since I had prepared for that question in particular, but my response was scattered- lacking fluency.

It’s amazing how little I actually noticed about the audience. I did make eye contact with them, but it had very little effect on my performance. They could have been wearing masks and I don’t think I would have noticed until I sat down.

But I didn't fall down so I feel great about my presentation.

<3 ShainaRene'

Kohl's is worthy, for I AM SHAINA

Since just claiming it isn't enough, I plan to persuade my audience that Kohl’s is worthy of my studies by using ethos, logos, and pathos in my speech.

Ethos will be exemplified in my speech by proving I have observed first-hand how Kohl’s is managed. The audience will see the research I have put into my cultural area, proving I have educated myself on Kohl’s Company and their target audience.

Logos will be used by my comparison shopping of Kohl’s and JCPenny’s; my observations of the store’s clutter; and the fact’s I've gathered from well-known sources. This will be backed up with my screen shots of comparison shopping. Also, I have documented proof to expose of the disarray within the store.

Pathos will be used in my delivery. I've been told that I am very engaging in my presentation. I will be animated in my speech hoping to persuade others to be enthusiastic. Pathos appeal will be added by bringing in the quote by William Thackeberry (“Mother is the name of God in the eyes and hearts of the little children.”).

These appeals will work because I am able to provide hard evidence in two of the three categories (ethos-prove my expertise, logos-pictures)- my audience is part of the generation that bases decisions on facts. My pathos will keep people most of my audience awake to hear the facts.

<3 ShainaRene'

Kohl's is no Fool!

 This source gives a broader look at the retail industry. Kohl’s (based on the graphs provided in the source) has been stable since 2009. Their ability to prepare for future trends could be the reason they are generally stable. They see that JC Penny’s is in a hole that only “promotions” could get them out of, so Kohl’s appears to be taking precautions by constantly advertising their sales to their “value-conscious consumers” (Fool, 2013). This could be useful in my speech because I focus on how they promote sales to attract the ‘Superwoman’ shopper.

This article also brings to my attention that retail business profits are predicted to decrease due to the increased money-flow into technology (Fool, 2013). I may not have been looking years ago, but I would have sworn they had more items at a ‘normal’ price. When I visited, I noticed close to everything was a sale. This may be because they are trying to lure in more customers. This may also be due to an overflow of products left over from the summer season (Fool, 2013).

The Motley Fool, “Kohl’s Corporation (KSS), Macy’s, Inc. (M): J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP) Is Turning Itself Around, but Stiff Headwinds Exist”. Insider Monkey. 2013 Sept 16. Web. 2013 Sept 18.