// Intro to Speech Midterm//

Informative Speech

Giving a 4 to 6 minute speech isn’t easy. Finding a topic and presenting it in a way that keeps the audience involved compounded with dealing with your nerves can prove an impossible task for many. Presenting my speech on the last of three days added to the pressure and eased it at the same time. Since the professor does not require attendance during presentation period if you have already gave your speech, the audience of students was down to 1/5 in attendance. Only two students showed up on the last day other than those who had not presented. They were international students. Sisters from Mongolia. They both gave excellent speeches despite being non-native English speakers. One, had their speech memorized from top to bottom.

It’s right before spring break. Giving yourself an extra week of time off could have been an incentive to go on day one. But, the professor was upset. He’s an intense guy. Usually in a super chill way. His reaction was kind of surprising. He threatened to not bring the critique/grades on the speeches of those who didn’t show up the last two days when we return from break and he threatened to take away more than the usual participation points that are missed when absent. 

One student who presented on day one, returned on day two. After seeing the grade, they left class immediately. On day three, another student told me what happened. The professor gave the student 27 points out of 75, and dropped the class. Most likely, they were hoping for a better grade. She had a powerpoint presentation. But honestly, it was a mediocre speech. Still, this did not help with my own nerves. 

I’m pretty sure I covered the major requirements:

• I stayed within the timeline. 
• My outline cited more than the requirement and I verbally cited more than required. 
• Topic: I talked about the graduation rates and the chances of transferring at my community college. The rates are dismal. 
• Intro: I explained that I’m a sociology major. (Really, it’s “Liberal Arts with Emphasis in Behavioral & Social Sciences.” But sociology is easier to say. ) I compared the survival rate of passengers on the sinking of the Titanic to the graduation rate at my school. (The Titanic wins.) Then, I went into the summarizing the main points of the speech.
• Body: I used the board at the front of the class to write down the numbers. Detailed explanation of those points-

1. I broke down the matriculation rates of students by race after two years in attendance. After two years, students completing 12-transferrable units or more, range from 7.5% to 15.5%
2. I compared my CC with other schools in the area. The one I attend is the lowest. 
3. Then, I showed how of those who do graduate, most do not continue to a 4-year university. And I pointed out that the school has the lowest amount of transfers to that big name university located just a few blocks away.

• Conclusion: I summarized what I just said in the body. I brought back the Titanic ratio. I told the audience that statistics can be faulty, leaving out variables. My last line came down to this: “So, if you going down on a sinking ship, it’s better to be a crew member-who knew the boat inside and out and the fastest way to get to the nearest lifeboat.

I think I did ok despite editing as I gave the speech. It was way too long! Writing on the board takes a long time. The professor seemed to have a good response when I was done.  He suggested that giving a handout on this would have been good. I don’t know if that means I should expect points taken off because I didn’t do that. What I noticed that needed improvement was the amount of time with back to the audience and being a little rushed to fit it all in. We’ll see how it goes.

// Feelin’ Like a Champ//

I’ve managed to so far survive this tough semester. Fifteen units are now down to 12. The short-term Macroeconomics class is over. Oh crap that was hard. Reading 3 to 4 chapters a week with just as many quizzes was tough scheduling with my other three classes and work. It was tough. The wording of questions seemed somewhat convoluted and designed to confuse you. I’d end a test feeling like I got an A and get the grade back in 70% range. Other time’s I’d worry I’d failed and get a high B grade. Never did I receive an A. Three times, I came close. I was given grades that was only one correct question from an A. Someone contested the wording on one of those quizzes I had been given an 87%. The professor caved and gave credit for that problem. That quiz kind-of sort-of it the only A I got in that econ class. Final grades haven’t posted. But I’m sure I have a B in the class.

The balancing act with work has been difficult. I’d say I’m doing the worst in Spanish and probably will come out with the best grade in my Speech class. I have an A so far. I think I’ll end up with a B in PreCalculus also. I’m applying the majority of the time I used towards studying for the econ class and put it towards my Spanish class. I’m having a hard time finding what makes learning a new language understandable for me. My instructor is a Spanish Nazi if there ever was one. She spoke Spanish only from day one and continues that way. Only answering questions if you can manage to spit them out in some form of Spanish. I’m in danger of not passing. Send all your tips/suggestions my way.

// CUNY: Hunter//

CUNY Application Status Hotline
(212) 997-2869 

I wish the CUNY Portal website showed some information on the status of my application. But it hasn’t at all. On a college forum I was reading, someone posted the CUNY application status check. It’s automated. You punch in your SS# and they’ll tell you what’s going on. Apparently, they need an update community college transcript. Thank you to the guy who posted the number. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had any idea. I lost interest in Hunter College feeling like, in a way, they lost interest in me. New transcripts ordered. Maybe in a couple of weeks, I’ll have a real update to look at on the portal.

// Updates - March 2012//

I’ve heard back from 7 schools so far. Here’s the situation:

Admitted
San Francisco State University - Urban Studies & Planning
Sacramento State University - Sociology
California State University, East Bay - Sociology
Depaul University - Public Policy
Drexel University - Environmental Studies
Temple University - Geography & Urban Studies

Denied
San Jose State University - Sociology

So far, the odds are in my favor. I’m still waiting to hear back from my top choices/schools I applied to for s***s and giggles: University of Illinois-Chicago, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Southern California. Literally, I am waiting for financial aid from my current school so I can afford the application fee to apply to University of Pennsylvania LPS program. 

**update: I forgot that I applied to CUNY: Hunter. The CUNY Portal website gives no information. I have no idea if there they received everything or anything at all. Basically, it just says hello and my name. But the log-in screen says to 

Denied at SJSU:
I didn’t take the let down as hard as I thought I might. Moving to San Jose has never seemed like an enjoyable option for me. I like bigger cities. And commuting long distances sounds like a recipe for disaster on attending class. The denial came through an email notification to check messages at mysjsu.edu that told me that basically the whole school is impacted and they have to choose carefully. My only regret is not applying as a major other than Sociology. I think my chances would have been better as a Geography major or Environmental Studies. Oh well. 

Decision?
I’m not even close to making up my mind. I know the decision will weigh heavily on financial aid. Still waiting to hear back on federal financial aid from any of the schools. If offers aren’t where I need them to be then most likely I will be attending SFSU. Which is fine with me. My EFC on the FAFSA was so small and SFSU comes in somewhere at $7,000 per year for in-state tuition and fees. I’m perfectly fine with coming out with very little debt for an undergraduate degree, especially if I can keep my job while in school. I could save the debt for the graduate degree. 

But, I haven’t heard back from all of the schools. 

The admission decision period for SFSU is April 1st through May 1st. UCBerkeley decision date is April 27th. That’s less than four days to decide if going, that’s IF (big IF) I do get in. But yeah…if I got into UCB, I’d go there. I’m worried that if I wait until the 27th, I don’t get in, and all of the financial aid is sucked dry by that point. The CSU college system needs help. (The CA governor even dissed the CSU-system president in an interview a couple of days ago.) Then, I’m worried about what it will be like once I’m attending classes and tuition will definitely increase. 

There is so much to think about.

// Temple University//

Yesterday, I was able to pick up the phone when Temple University called. But, I chose not to ask about the mistakes I made on my application. An extremely enthusiastic, young-sounding sophomore, who’s name I instantly forgot, called to remind me to send in all the required items. I knew right off this wasn’t a personalized phone call and I should probably wait for another time to ask about making changes. I asked, “What left do I have to send?” Then, she asked if I was a freshman or a transfer student. 

I called the Undergraduate Admissions Office. The woman who answered, deservingly, had a tone to her voice that seemed to be laughing at me. She was not rude but with just one word, “Ok,” said it all.  To make changes, I have to send in a handwritten letter with some info, stating the changes I want to make. They’ll accept it either by mail or a fax machine. 

I have to do this soon. Just today, the application status says everything has been received and will be awaiting a decision. The part about my high school transcripts has completely been removed. Maybe that’s because they received my community college transcript.

// Updates - Feb 2012//

I’ve just finished the fourth week of this 15 unit semester and I’m in the middle of waiting to hear back from schools. My list of schools has changed yet again and I still plan to put in one last application in the next couple of weeks. Some applications have been trial-and-error while others have had a smooth process.

• The one school in the South I chose to apply to has been nixed. The short of it involves completely filling out the application, paying the fee, accidently signing up for the wrong major (Interdisciplinary Studies instead of Urban Studies), finding out a week later that I actually didn’t pay the fee. I called, left messages, and sent several emails about changing the major on the application and still no response. But, I’ve been contacted eight times by phone, mail, and email on the fact that the application fee didn’t really go through. That didn’t sit well with me. Off the list it goes.
• Another application mistake happened with Temple. How the heck do you sign up for the wrong major twice? Well, I did it again. Also, the application status says they’re waiting on transcripts from the first high school I went to, not the high school I graduated from. I’ll have to get that changed. I’ve been wondering what the 215 area code number that has been calling me was about. It’s the Temple Undergrad office… Did they read my essay and made the connection with the major? Call me back! Leave a message.
• I’m waiting for decisions from San Jose State University, Sacramento State University, University of California-Berkeley, Temple University, University of Illinois at Chicago, CUNY: Hunter College, University of Southern California.
• University of Pennsylvania’s LPS program looks interesting. It’s the last hold out of my applications.
• I’ve been accepted to four schools so far - San Francisco State University, California State University-East Bay, DePaul University, and Drexel University. Nothing has been more motivating to push myself a little more this semester than getting an acceptance.

My biggest piece of advice so far has to be: Check everything on your applications. If you see something that doesn’t look right, inquire about it. I did with both Drexel and DePaul. Think of it this way- if you let something pass on your application that you don’t care to correct, then you probably really didn’t want to go to that school anyway.

• Drexel had the name of my community college school district as the name of my school. I told them about this and it was corrected online within two days. Three weeks later, I check back and get a congratulations message and a scholarship. 
• With DePaul, I was confused about the final transcript request. I just asked if that meant decisions weren’t going to made until those were sent in. Not much info is on their application status. A few hours later, I got an email back with another congratulations on being accepted.

This is great! I’m excited about both programs. Environmental Studies at Drexel and Public Policy at DePaul. I’m also in at the Urban Studies and Planning program at SFSU. And I foresee an issue I will have to face head-on: which major/school combo do I go with? Which do I think will lead me into graduate school and a career in urban planning? As I wait for decisions from other schools, the cost factor will be at the forefront. 

// PreCalculus//

Precalculus is forcing me to jog my Algebra brain. I’m scraping the barrels to find it. In the second chapter, which is still pretty innocent compared to the end of the book, there’s a problem I’m not sure where to begin wrapping my mind around it. Gonna need a tutor. 

Factor: P + Pr + (P + Pr)r + [P + Pr + (P + Pr)r]

My guess is to multiply first and work from there.
P + Pr + (P + Pr)r + [P + Pr + (P + Pr)r] =
= P+ Pr + Pr + Pr2 + [P + Pr + Pr + Pr2]
= P + 2Pr + Pr2 + P + 2Pr + Pr2
= 2Pr2 + 4Pr + 2P
=  P(2r2 + 4r + 2)
= P(1+r)3

That took some time… but I think I’m close. 

// USC//

Finally got an email from admissions to log on to USConnect. I think it’s been about a month since I applied through Common Application. Their student portal is a probably the easiest to manage out of all of the schools I applied to. USC wants high school transcripts even though I’ll have an A.A. degree by the fall semester.

// Profile - College Board Financial Aid//

What’s the deal with charging $16 for each school you send a financial aid application to using the CSS/Profile on www.collegeboard.com? And a $9 application fee on top of that?? The point of financial aid is that you don’t have a lot of money to pay for school and need help. Shame on them for squeezing out a little extra. USC requires filing out Profile and the FAFSA. Supposedly there is an automatic fee waiver for students and parents of students making under $32,850. But, it didn’t come up automatically for me and I made so little last year that I don’t have to file my taxes.