Preparation for Finals/Snow

As I begin to prepare for my first college finals, I have started to feel pressure and stress. I felt very overwhelmed at first, and did not know where to start. I took a few deep breaths and decided to write out my schedule for the next week. I wrote out what I need to study for, the type of material I need to study for, all on a calendar. I have two huge finals, Microeconomics and Transition to Calculus. Both of those classes I have low B’s so it is important that I perform well on these finals so that I can maintain my B. Writing out my study plan made me feel less stressed and more organized. I am doing a great job of completing the study plan as of right now and I need to continue studying hard.

I also incorporated many study breaks in between to help my body recover and relax. Some study breaks included small naps, food breaks, and even going off-campus to eat. In addition to studying, this week, Atlanta experience a lot of snow. Personally, I was very disappointed because Oxford received a minimal amount while other parts of Georgia are covered in snow. I am from California, so I do not experience snow in the winter. I was hoping to see snow all over campus, but unfortunately it did not happen. Hopefully after break, we will experience some more snow!

Connection Between 185 and Internship

This past week, I was assigned to write a blog for my internship based on the “NCAA Division 2 New Academic Requirements.” As I began to write the blog, I had to do a lot of research and make an outline before I began writing the blog. I made a connection to my English 185 class because I noticed that the preparation I put in for the blog, is the same preparation I put in for any type of essay I write in English 185. It is unique to see how my skills from English 185 translated to my work outside of school. The skills I acquired with different types of research methods and style of writing helped me write the blog much easier than I expected it to.

I would like to share the blog I wrote here:

NCAA DII New Academic Requirements

 

By Ryan Kwong

 

As we roll into the year of 2018, we bump into new rules and requirements. The NCAA Division 2 set a few brand new requirements that all high-school recruits must take a look at. Future NCAA Division 2 athletes need to close pay attention to these new requirements because it can be the deciding factor on whether you are able to compete at the next level. The following requirements are important and must be fulfilled in order for NCAA Division 2 athletes to participate and receive scholarship in the first year. The new requirements will officially take action on August 1, 2018.

 

Requirements:

NCAA Division 2 student-athletes must complete all of the 16 core courses. The 16 core courses that the student-athletes are: 3 years of English, 2 years of Math (Algebra I or higher), 2 years of Natural/Physical Science (1 year with lab (if offered)), 2 years of Social Science, 3 years of additional math, science, or English, and 4 years of additional math, science, English, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy.

 

Qualifiers:

There are three different types of qualifiers, Full, Partial, or Nonqualifier. After the student-athletes complete their 16 core-courses, they can see which category they fall under.

Under the Full Qualifier, student-athletes must complete all 16 core courses, earn a core-course GPA of 2.200, earn a ACT/SAT score that matches their GPA on the NCAA D2 full qualifier sliding scale, and graduate high school. Full qualifiers are able to practice, play, and receive scholarships during their first year of enrollment.

Under the Partial Qualifier, student-athletes must complete all 16 core courses, earn a core-course GPA of 2.000, earn a ACT/SAT score that matches their GPA on the NCAA D2 partial qualifier sliding scale, and graduate high school. Partial qualifiers may receive scholarship and practice, but are NOT able to play during their first year of enrollment.

Under the Nonqualifier, student-athletes are not able to play, practice, or receive any scholarship during their first year of enrollment.

 

The blog I wrote is very informational for student-athletes that will be playing NCAA Division 2 athletics.

 

 

Internship Work

Part of my internship requires me research facts about college athletics in order to help high school student-athlete recruits take their game to the next level. I was assigned to create two infographics. I could choose any topic I wanted to that related to the recruitment process. I chose the topics, Academic Transition from High School to College and Advice from Student-Athletes.

The first topic had information based on what the biggest transitions were from high school and college. I included a few percentages and facts that provided evidence. The second topic included information based advice from current or former college student-athletes and how it can help current athletes. These infographics will help recruits understand what they need to do in order to take their game to the next level and be successful.

 

Chapter 9- Applied Fields

In chapter 9, we were introduced to the Applied Fields. The applied fields focus on practical knowledge and prepare students for very specific careers. Most of the preparation includes hands-on training. Some of the applied fields include: business, sports psychology, law, education, nursing, counseling, and engineering. I was very intrigued because I am pre-business. I also have a strong interest in sports psychology and have always wanted to pursue a career in that direction. Being able to learn more about the applied fields excited me and made me very interested to learn more.

As we shifted into the Rhetoric and the Applied Fields, we talked more about the writing side in the applied fields. Everyone will encounter different types of writing in their careers, but they will all be different from one another. In order to analyze the writing situation correctly, we should ask ourselves three questions. The first question is Who is my Audience? Understanding your audience is very important because the the content in the writing needs to be matched up with the audience. The second question is Is there an appropriate genre that I should rely on to communicate my information? We should answer this question because it will help you decide what type of writing we should use to communicate information. Also, it is important to keep your purpose clear-cut. The last one is, Are there additional conventional expectations I should consider for the kind of writing task I need to complete? This can help the writer determine what type of information they need in order to fulfill their audience’s needs.

Internship Sales Pitch

I was able to do various tasks with my internship that prepare me for the real world. One of the rotations I was in dealt with Marketing, and how we need to develop marketing skills in order to be successful in the business world. In my marketing rotation, an assignment we had to do was to make a sales pitch. We had to understand the company and provide a mock sales pitch to the CEO of the company. I had to pitch to the CEO as if she was an athletic director at a high school, and pitch to them why we they should use our company as a resource.

At first, I was terrified and did not want to do this. As I began to work on it, I noticed that it takes a lot of practice and confidence with a sales pitch. The tone of the voice is very important in order to capture the audience. I executed the sales pitch very well and the CEO said I did a phenomenal job. It was a definitely an amazing experience that has prepared me a lot for the future. The sales pitch was my favorite part about the internship. I never imagined I would have to do that as a college student, but I am very grateful that I was able to have that opportunity.

As a college student, I think it is crucial for students to engage in the real-world and attempt at receiving a few internships. Internships teach students real world stuff, while students don’t learn that in the classroom in classes. The work given in an internship is much more practical and more hands-on than any test or reading given in a classroom setting. I have already have two internships and they have been so beneficial. They have helped me prepare for the real world in many different ways.

Chapter 8

As we dive into Chapter 8, we were introduced to the Natural Sciences. In the natural sciences, researchers use systematic observations for their studies. Through this type of observation, the researcher tries to take out any bias about the subject. The researcher just tries to record everything by using five senses and nothing else.

We also were introduced to different types of writing. Descriptive Writing and Speculative Writing. Descriptive Writing deals with actions that deal with the outcome of an observation. Speculative Writing tries to explain why or how something acts the way it does. This is usually associated with the research questions and hypotheses. The way researches complete this is by observing then describing.

The concept of replicability was also mentioned when talking about different research methods and how it’s important to the production and continuation of scientific inquiry. It is important because if many scientists are able to find the same findings, it will help the discovery become huge. There are three different types of aspects that will help replicability.

The first one is Detail. In detail, the level of detail must be very meticulous so that other scientists are able to repeat their findings. It is important because it contributes to scientific knowledge. The second one is Hypotheses. In hypotheses, many scientists have different hypotheses and thoughts. It is important to replicate so that we know which scientists are correct. The last one is Precision. Precision is important because researchers must be precise with their work. The numbers and words must be accurate and precise with their research.

The Stressful Week of 11/27-12/1

As I prepare for finals, I encountered one of the most stressful and painful weeks of my life. All year long, I have been doing a great job of managing my time and completing all of my work on time. This was the week directly after Thanksgiving break. I had a strong mindset about finishing strong and to remain focused for the last few weeks before we head off to Christmas Break. I knew that this week was going to be very stressful, but I was ready to tackle it.

The week consisted of a ten page English paper, a Math 110 test, a five minute Spanish presentation, many small assignments from Economics and my Internship, and three basketball games. I needed to take each assignment one-by-one and finish each one. As Monday approached, I became very sick.  I had a rough cough, lots of congestion, and large headaches. It was definitely the worst time to get sick.

Not only did all of these obstacles pile up, I had a very hard time falling asleep. On Wednesday night, I had a very hard time falling asleep, and was only able to sleep for about five hours. I became even more drowsy and it became very difficult to focus and concentrate on anything. Knowing that my math test and Spanish presentation was the next day, I was very stressed out. EVEN WORSE, I could NOT sleep until 6AM! I was having a terrible night. I was frustrated that I could not sleep which kept feeding into the no sleep. In addition to Friday’s struggles, I also had to touch up on my essay. My body was at it’s breaking point. I could not function any longer and I knocked out for two hours.

To say the least, it was a very frustrating and tiring week. I had constant headaches and had a lot of trouble focusing. I think stress was a huge factor in this problem. I had trouble sleeping which was most likely because of my coughing and thinking of upcoming assignments. Overall, I was able to close out the week (stress-filled) and got a lot of sleep on the weekend. This week was definitely one of the hardest weeks I ever went through.

Internship Blog

Through this first semester, I have been able to maintain an internship with a sports marketing company. Part of my job is to write blogs for their websites. The topic for this week was to write a high school recruiting “horror” story that I’ve been through. It was an interesting topic to write about because I usually write about advice for different types of recruits. It had to be five paragraphs long so I began to write. I wrote about the time where I sprained my ankle on the very first hour of a invitational basketball camp from Pomona-Pitzer, in Claremont, California. It became very easy for me to write because I was very passionate about the subject. I realize that subjects that I am very passionate about, I can write very fast. I wrote a quick outline and wrote the five paragraphs in 20 minutes.

I would like to share the recruiting “horror story” here:

Recruiting Horror Story

An invitation to an exclusive camp from a college coach is a huge step and accomplishment for any recruit. I was being recruited by Pomona-Pitzer college in Claremont, California and was invited to their Elite Camp Being from Northern California. I had exchanged a few emails and phone calls with the coaches prior to the invitation. I drove down with my dad the day before the camp started. The camp was a one-day showcase that lasted for about six hours. As an excited and anxious recruit, I could not help but smile while having many butterflies in my stomach.

 

The day has come. I’ve waited months for this day to happen so that I could prove my skills and show what I was all about to the coaches. I took a few steps into the gym and felt completely overwhelmed. Before the workout started, my dad and I had a few words with the coaches. I was about an hour early, so I decided to go through my warm-up routine with sharp precision. My shots were feeling great, my ball-handling felt smooth, and my legs were as fresh as possible. Then, the whistle blows. Everyone heads to center court. It was finally my time to show out. I had the mindset of a cheetah, right as it hunts for its prey. It was go time.

 

We went through a few warm-up drills which featured shooting, passing, and defense. I started the workout amazing. All of my shots were falling, I was playing solid defense, and the coaches showed their recognition by using my name as an example. As we progressed into more scrimmage type drills, the coach had us go through 3 on 3 drills. It wasn’t until an hour later  where this all took a 180 degree turn. The worst possible situation for a recruit happened. I was cutting through the lane and all of sudden, “AGHH!” I had rolled my ankle. I could not help but limp off the court and walk straight to the trainer’s room.

 

I sit on the trainer’s table, pondering about how this could not happen at a worse time. With a determined mindset, I told the trainer to tape me up so that I could get out there and show perseverance and determination to the coaches. I was in a lot of pain, but I knew I had to show the coaches my skills. Welp. Unfortunately, that was probably a poor decision I made. I finished the rest of the workout, sounds like it wasn’t too bad then right? Incorrect, playing through my injury was a terrible decision. I was missing shots left and right, I couldn’t run full speed, I had turnover after turnover, and I was slacking on the defensive end. To say the least, I did not impress the coaches.

 

My excitement for the camp was completely shot down and overshadowed by sprained ankle. I was able to chat with the coaches after the workout and they were very kind about me taking care of my ankle. I knew they understand I was playing through my injury, but the level of play from me was at an all-time low. My performance was definitely one NOT to remember and I knew I had not impressed the coaches. As a recruit, it was a frustrating, but humble experience. Since I was not being recruited by many colleges, I wanted to make each one count. As my dad and I drive back up to Northern California, I had to accept what had happened and had to look forward. To this day, I would say that I couldn’t have any worse luck on that day. Always remember, things can have a complete 180 degree turn any second.

 

Writing this blog was very entertaining for me because it brought back many memories in my life. It reminded of the ups and downs in life and to never get too low, and never get too high!

Chapter 7

As we began to prepare more for our civic engagement project, we learned more about different types of methods we should follow as we conduct our research. We concluded that there three different types of research methods that social scientists use to collect their data.  The three methods include Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed.

Quantitative:

The research method here focuses on collecting numerical data and finding different types of statistics. Based on the data received, we can retrieve data such as means, modes, and medians.

Qualitative:

This research relies on language and observation. We can retrieve these types of information through interviews, observations, surveys, and document analysis.

Mixed-Methodology:

The research method here focuses on both qualitative and quantitative.

 

We also reviewed over the IMRAD format. The IMRAD format stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The IMRAD format helps scientists report their findings in a conventional way. The Introduction has information that includes the background of the topic and will likely find evidence from the researcher’s findings. Also, you will see the purpose and hypothesis in the introduction as well. In the Methods section, The researchers provide the different types of the methods they used in their experiment. They provide information and detail to reduce bias. They expand on how their data was then analyzed and interpreted. In the Results section, scientists use headings and subheadings for each of their findings. This way, it is more organized and easier to read. Data tables and graphs are often used in the results section, showing the results retrieved from the experiment. In the Discussion section, the researchers reflect on their work and see how they can improve on their next project. They may also lay groundwork for their next piece of work.

After doing my research, I realized that I used a mixed-methodology research. I was able to get observation based answers and also numerical data.

 

Reading and Writing in the Social Sciences

We began Chapter 7 talking about the roles of professionals in the fields of the social sciences. We learned that in the social sciences, we understand why we do the things we do and also the processes that come along with it. Some of the fields of study that are involved in the social sciences are sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science, communication studies, and others.

The difference between the social and natural sciences is that the research based off of different things. For example, the natural sciences are based of laboratory results while the main thing for social sciences is that their research is based off of theories. The two main theories are, theories of human behavior and human systems. When scientists need to explain about a certain phenomena, they use these theories to help them with their reason and explanation. It is important to note that these theories are not laws, but they are just explanations that continue to change as new research and social phenomena develop.

The example they gave was about Culture Shock. It was pretty interesting to read about because I could directly relate to it. I had a similar experience when I first visited Oxford, Georgia. I am from the Bay Area, California. A very liberal, fast pace area. I grew up there my whole life and got used to the lifestyle on the west coast. Visiting Georgia shocked me. The pace felt much slower, and the landscapes were very different. The diversity was very little compared the California. I felt as if I was the only Asian in town, while I walked around a few stores in Oxford. I adjusted after a few days but it definitely shocked me at first.