May 2

Taking on finals week like a boss.

I always know finals week is approaching when I see students walking like zombies through the university, coffee cups and laptops in hand, their eyes glazed over after several consecutive all nighters.

I’m joking of course…kind of. I think students (mostly freshmen) allow themselves to get stressed out this time of year just from lack of preparation. I learned the hard way, and I hope to help you make it through finals without losing your hair or your sanity.

  1. PAY ATTENTION. In case you didn’t know, your professors are not standing up there talking for their health. They are giving you the information you’ll need to know for your final. LISTEN. READ. REVIEW. This is important. Late nights and good times are a big part of the college experience, but should never stand in the way of your education. Pay attention and take good notes.
  2. PREPARE. Absolutely do NOT wait until the night before your final to cram. If you have not paid attention in classes throughout the semester and are relying on one night of studying to pass the exam you’re setting yourself up for failure. Your preparation should start weeks in advance. Begin writing down when your exams are and plan your study schedule accordingly. Planners are a college student’s best friend.
  3. REST. Do NOT pull all nighters. If you crash the next morning and miss your exam, you aren’t likely to get a do-over. It is much easier to remember the information if you study an hour or two each evening for a few days leading up to your exam. That way you aren’t trying to take on too much information at once and you have time to review. You also will have plenty of time to rest and take on your final all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Good luck on finals next week!

Nov 21

What I have learned in MCJ102

Over the course of this semester I have learned more than I could have imagined. Having very little experience with print writing, I knew that I had much to learn and a long way to go. I have had the best time working in the Office of University Communications and writing for the Printz and doing a story for the Talon. MCJ 102 has helped me hone my writing skills by working on my leads and stories. I still struggle with a creative way to use thirty words, but I’m getting there. I also had never learned about ad writing or broadcast very much before. I did the news show at Jones, the Jones Edition, but I did not know much of what I was doing. If I could have had this class first it would have been so much better! I am glad to have learned how to use social media professionally and be required to tweet each week. I now have many new journalist followers from all over. Working on this blog was also good practice for just getting my thoughts out and put together. I am excited to continue my education in the School of Mass Comm. and Journalism and am so thankful for such helpful and awesome teachers. SMTTT!

Nov 11

Typhoon strikes Philippines

If you have turned on the news or even checked online in the last few hours, most of what you will see are stories of the tragic damage and loss to the Philippines during Typhoon Haiyan. This terrible storm struck the Philippines with such force that around 10,000 people were killed and villages that are home to 200,000 are nothing but piles of rubble and debris. The storm went on to hit Vietnam after losing power early this morning. CNN reported citizen Magina Fernandez said the aftermath as worse than hell. Relief efforts are underway and the Philippines Red Cross is working to get food and care to those without. U.S. marines are also being sent in to help with relief efforts. The rough weather may not be over. CNN reports that a tropical depression is set to hit the Philippines tonight. A Google Crisis map has been launched to help those with loved ones overseas to check on them.

Nov 4

Marriage Market?

I read a story on CNN.com that seemed really strange to me. Why do this “marriage market” instead of joining an online dating site. It seems much easier to just log on than go out and search through those papers. And why if there are so many people in China, why is it so hard to find someone to marry? It does not really seem to add up.

Then I saw this quote: “There are too many leftover women in Shanghai,” he says, using a popular term to describe an educated, single, urban women over the age of 27. “Their standards are too high.”

Hold on. What? I get that Chinese people have the pressure to carry on their family, but why do these women have to settle? Why is looked down on that they are choosing to stay single rather than marry some guy without knowing him and being miserable? This whole thing makes me very angry. I could never marry someone that I did not love or barely even know just because my peers pressured me to.

Oct 31

The Daily Show’s test returns surprising results

I kept seeing this Daily Show video and article being shared by so many of my Facebook friends and it piqued my curiosity. Of course I watched it and I was amazed at what I saw. At the beginning of the video I thought to myself, “here we go again, another hateful video about the south.” But what happened next totally shocked me. After a statistician predicted that Mississippi and Alabama would be the last two states to legalize same-sex marriage, The Daily Show interviewed him. They then figured out that he had never even been to either of the states, so the show sent Al Madrigal to investigate. He filmed two actors pretending to be a gay couple to see what the response would be and what he found will shock you. Not only did one person comment to them that they looked like they were really in love and told them it was “beautiful,” they also received applause after getting “engaged” in a Waffle House. Of course the South still has a long way to go, but this video gives me hope that Mississippi isn’t quite so “backwards” after all. 

Oct 21

Fair Food

I love the fall. I love that it’s time for sweaters, boots, fires, Halloween and Thanksgiving; but most of all I love the fair. I enjoy the rides and spending time with friends and my boyfriend. I love walking through the petting zoo and riding the ferris wheel, but just like any other Mississippian, I really just go for the food. It is sad to say that my group of friends, probably like most others that go to the Laurel fair, spend more money on food than on wristbands for rides. As we walked through the rows of vendors I could not help but notice that every booth offered mainly fried foods. There was chicken on a stick, blooming onions and French fries. The usual. But I was constantly surprised by the random, already unhealthy foods that we (in the south) make worse by throwing them in a pot of grease. There were vendors selling deep-fried pizza, macaroni and cheese, oreos, apple pie and even just a block of cheese. I could not help but think that this is why our state is known for obesity. I am still having a hard time believing that someone out there ordered deep-fried pizza. I can’t even imagine.

Oct 7

Communicating in Today’s World

When I consider communication in today’s world, my thoughts go immediately to technology. I have a hard time recalling conversations that I actually had in person. Pretty much the only time I actually talk to someone is at work, at school or in my apartment. Face-to-face communication does not always happen in those places either. I can think of many times I texted my roommate something funny or sent a snapchat instead of walking to the other room to talk to her, or at work I sent an email from my desk to my supervisor down the hall to let him know my work was complete. Technology poses a few communication problems in today’s world. I think people have relied on technology a little too much that now people do not know how to communicate in person anymore. Conversations just get awkward if you’re too used to sending text messages or emails. Another problem is that you cannot interpret someone’s tone through messages. It is hard to know if someone is joking, being sarcastic or being serious. I cannot even begin to list the amount of times I have fought with my boyfriend over something he said in a text that I completely read the wrong way, or vice versa. It is hard to know that mean comment was really just a joke, and a “haha (:” does not let me know you were kidding. These challenges can be easily overcome. Just pick up the phone or talk to someone face-to-face. This seriously saved us a lot of arguments. Not kidding. Just get up and walk those few steps to talk to your supervisor or friend. It is not that difficult. I will never stop sending snapchats to someone in the same room as me, no matter what.