Stress in college is a very prevalent theme in almost every college student’s life. If you’re a college student and says that they don’t stress out then that’s a fat lie. The truth is all college students go through stress at one point in their college career. Whether that be from grades, registration, or just being overwhelmed with everything. There are multiple ways in dealing with this stress whether that being from unhealthy things to reading something for fun. the truth is that everyone stresses in their life not just students. It is a real world situation that all humans deal with. The good thing about college and stress is that this prepares you on how to deal with stress in the real world.

My transition to college is quite unique in a sense. I did not begin my college career here at Old Dominion University, it all began at Wagner College in New York City.  My transition to college could’ve been a lot better up in New York City but it could’ve also gone a lot worse then what it actually was. At the beginning I thought my transition would’ve been just fine by taking notes  and stressing the textbook and notes before an exam but that wasn’t the case. That is not the proper way of being prepared and I learned that the hard way in a sense. Looking at that in a positive sense is that I learned from my mistakes and I applied them to learning here at Old Dominion University.

Maximiliano A. Molina

Professor Isenkul

University 150: Writing for college success

26 September 2014

Language Barriers and how to overcome them

Language barriers can be very difficult to overcome especially if you’re not fluent in the language that is hindering your learning. There are some scenarios where a language does not always hinder the course entirely in classes such as math and sciences. On the other hand if that were the case in an english course or a philosophy course where there is an extensive amount of either writing or speaking being involved it would be much more difficult if a language barrier is present. Language barriers can be handled with multiple ways of overcoming a barrier of language that often comes with confusion and aggravation.

Sometimes a student can feel frustrated if they have to take a course with a professor who’s first language is not the mother tongue of the student. This can often translate into frustration and sometimes it can lead to lack of motivation from the student. There are a few ways to help cope with the language barrier. One can be paying more attention to the lectures and taking more detailed notes. Another is to actually communicate with the professor and telling them that you are having a bit of trouble to due a language barrier. Getting to know the professor can help you understand them a little better when they pronunciate words. These two viable options are better than not doing anything and just relying on your academic abilities to power through a language barrier.

While people struggle and seek for help when there’s a language barrier there are others who just don’t do anything  and solely rely on their academic abilities to get them through the course. For some people this does work but for the rest of us who aren’t as academically suited for that type of rigorous workload it does not work.  This is a very dangerous thing to do because essentially you are just relying on yourself to learn all the material without the professor’s help. This can lead you to becoming confused and frustrated at times if you don’t seek help with learning the material from a professor or even another student. All it takes is just to seek for a little help and if worse comes to worse you can find a tutor to help you with your studies.

Like I have been saying in some portions of this essay that some students would rather rely on their own academic abilities to help them get through a course where there is a language barrier. This can work but it comes with a cost of a lot of studying outside of the course including rereading your notes over and over again until you understand the readings or notes. Also you have to be a good notetaker so that you can reanalyze your notes after your readings so that you make sure you know what your notes are actually about. If you are all about doing the extra work outside of class then teaching it to yourself is not a bad idea but just remember difficult that it is not easy to teach yourself a class.

Overcoming a language barrier is difficult but it is not impossible. Through lots of work and dedication you can get through a course where a language barrier is present. For some people seeking for help is not an option and they would rather teach them self the material, but for others working closely with the professor or other students can truly impact the way of learning and can help them with understanding the material. It is important to be truthful to yourself to make sure you don’t lie to yourself by saying you can teach yourself the material because it is often difficult and complicated. If you decide to do so either way then you are just setting yourself up for a disaster because you don’t have any help, and if you don;t have any help when you don’t know what you’re learning then you wont learn the material.

Maximiliano A. Molina

Professor Isenkul

University 150: Writing for college success

20 November 2014

Registration is a period of time where almost every student can feel stressed out. These stressing components come from everything that has to do with holds on accounts or just lack knowledge of which class to take. Meaningless to say no matter what a majority of students will feel stressed out. Also thinking about your future can heavily affect your decision making when choosing which classes to enroll in. When meeting with your advisor it is highly recommended in being prepared with all the materials needed to make your schedule.

Like stated previously It is important in being prepared before meeting with your advisor because if you aren’t then you could simply look stupid and embarrass yourself in front of your advisor. This includes making sure you have no holds on your school account. If you go to your advisor meeting and have a hold on your account then you cannot register for classes you can only have your advisor advise you. What should be discussed with your advisor during the advising period is nothing whether or not you’re on track with graduating on time or choosing which classes to take for the upcoming semester.

What do I plan on discussing with my advisor?  Well I plan on talking about which courses I shall take next semester. I will be taking more and more classes on the line of Political Science because that is my major. Also I will change my minor from Spanish to begin studying Communications as well as Phycology. I will also consult my advisor about the possibility of studying abroad in either Amsterdam, London, or Paris. I feel that being surrounded by a culture that is completely new and foreign can help benefit a person and their communication skills/habits.

Outside activities and events can affect directly influence someone’s choice in classes they choose for the next semester. Some activities are joining a fraternity. This is very time consuming and can negatively affect someone’s grades. Another thing is partying too much. If you are one of those students who is here to party instead of studying then you most likely will suffer the consequences by having lower grades as opposed to someone who parties in moderation.

With my registration period approaching more and more closely I do personally believe that i’m prepared to discuss with my advisor everything that I need to have resolved/discussed. Such as changing my minor and looking into studying abroad. Like I stated in this essay it is important to come to your advising meeting prepared with all your credentials and information in order to having a successful registration filled with all the classes that you choose. Lastly, it’s very important to remain focused and remember your reason for being here, which is receiving an education not to always be partying your ass off.

Schindler’s list is a 1993 American film directed by the one and only Steven Spielberg which won a total of 7 Oscars in 1994. The film is based off of the life of a German businessman named Oskar Schindler who was moved by World War II and ended up saving the lives of almost a thousand people that were mostly Polish-Jews. Schindler why Schindler decides to use the jews as workers is because they si saves these people’s souls by hiring them and having them work in his factory. Even though Schindler is a member of the Nazi Party he still uses the suppression of jews to his advantage and theirs. The reason mply cost less to pay. Schindler remained in good condition with the Nazis by paying off officials and basically sucking up to them and not provoking anything. When the SS officer Amon Goeth arrives into town he orders the ghetto to be exterminated and the remaining survivors shall be taken to the concentration camp. Schindler sees all of this happen and he is deeply affected and moved by this. One thing in particular that moved Schindler was when he saw the little girl in the red dress hiding from the Nazis. Eventually Schindler sees a red coat lying on a wagon filled with bodies being sent to go be burned and it was at that point he knew that the little innocent girl had been executed. Closer to the ending of the war the Germans knew that they were losing the fight and SS lieutenant Goeth is ordered to send off the remaining Jews to the Auschwitz concentration camp where they will most likely be used for there labor and then most likely executed. Schindler takes this into account and he decides to confront SS officer Goeth and asks for all the Jews so that they can help him construct a new munitions factory. SS officer Goeth agrees but it comes with a costly bribe. Schindler creates a list of all the people that are to be transferred to Auschwitz and demands that they shall be saved, hence the tittle of the film Schindler’s list. The train is accidentally redirected towards Auschwitz and once again Schindler must pay a bribe with a bag flu of diamonds. In Schindler’s new factory he does not allow SS guards to enter his production rooms and tell the Jews to observe Shabbat. Schindler does not make any money since he uses almost all of his money in bribing Nazi’s. Schindler completely runs out of money in 1945 at around the same time the  Germans surrender. Schindler must leave the town because he is seen as an enemy to the Red Army since he is a Nazi Party member and a war profiteer. All the SS guards have been ordered at this point to slaughter all the remaining Jews. Schindler persuades the SS officers not to do so by telling them that they can return to their families as men not murderers. At this point Schindler must leave and go west where he is hoping to find Americans to surrender to. Schindler’s list explores two very prevalent themes that keep arising throughout the movie. One being the theme of good versus evil. Schindler is viewed as the good and the SS officer Goeth is viewed as the evil in this film. While we see Goeth stay dark and completely evil throughout the movie we see Schindler transform from a Nazi supporter of war to a rescuer and hero. The second theme that I found pretty important was the theme of redemption. Schindler feels responsible for all the 1,000’s of lives and becomes somewhat of a father figure to the Jews. Schindler’s list will go down as one of the best films that Steven Spielberg has ever directed winning multiple big time awards this film will have an immortal impact in the world of World War II cinema.

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