OpEd Reflection

I thought that the process of the Opinion Editorial went very well.  I liked that we had two rough drafts due before the final paper.  This motivated me to work on my paper over a longer period of time instead of just writing one copy and handing that in.  I also liked having the conference with the professor.  It was nice to be able to get feedback from the person who is actually grading your paper so that you know what things you need to improve on.  I also really liked going to the writing center.  I thought that it was very helpful.  I wasn't expecting them to tell me to change as many things as they did, but all of their advice really made sense and made my paper a lot better.  Next time, I will probably not wait until the day before the final draft is due to go!  It was kind of tough having to change so much the night before it was due.  Overall, I really liked writing the Opinion Editorial.  I thought it was as fun as writing an english paper can be, and it was very different from the kinds of papers that I was expected to write in high school.

Peer Reviews

We didn't do a lot of peer reviewing in high school.  I think the last time I did one was in eighth grade.  I thought that it was very helpful though.  I was able to get someone else's input on how my paper was going and what I can do to make it better.  The person who reviewed mine gave me some good information that I think will really help my paper.  I thought it was a good experience even though I don't really like it when people read my work :)

Procrastination ...

I spent the last 15 minutes distracting myself on facebook because I couldn't think of anything that I wanted to write a blog post about.  I feel like I have spent all day distracting myself from doing work!! I have been up since 8:00 this morning.  I spent 3 hours in class, but other than that I have accomplished absolutely nothing!  All I have done is go on facebook, check my email, or walk back and forth between my dorm and campus 8 times because I kept forgetting things. Its so close to being the weekend.. but first I need to finish my homework (work on my OpEd.)  At this rate I will NEVER be done.  If I procrastinated less.. I would definitely be done by now!

OpEd

I am not positive if I am going to stick with this topic, but for the sake of this blog post, I am going to write about the importance of taking some fun/ interesting classes.  My audience will be all BYU students, especially incoming freshman.  I've known what I wanted my major to be since the beginning of high school so when I got to college I jumped right into the required classes.  This semester, although I am still taking prereqs, I decided to take some classes that have NOTHING to do with my major, and so far it has been a really wonderful, eye opening experience.  I think that by taking classes dealing with subjects such as art, dance, and philosophy, you can really expand your knowledge about the world and everything that it has to offer us.  Instead of leaving college, knowing solely about one subject, we will have a background in many different subjects.  It helps us to become more knowledgable, well-rounded people.

Brainstorming..

I hate writing open ended papers! I have lots of opinions, but when I'm told to write about ANYTHING I want.. my brain freezes.  I haven't put a ton of thought into what I should write about, but seeing as this post in due in a couple hours, I will write about the first couple of topics that come to mind.

I could write on the importance of not watching R rated movies.  I did not grow up in the church so up until last year I could watch all of the R rated movies I wanted without feeling the slightest bit of guilt.  When I was first told that I should try to refrain from watching them, I was a little disappointed.  I love watching movies, and that puts a big limit on which ones I can actually watch.  So I tried to stop watching them, but occasionally when my mom or one of my friends wanted me to, I would watch one.  I didn't think it was too big of a deal.  I think there are definitely worse things that I could be doing.  My opinion, however, was changed over Christmas break!  I went to go see the Black Swan with my grandmother because she had suggested it, and it was the most awful experience of my life! It was just really inappropriate and awkward.  If I had just stuck to the council of the prophets, I would not put myself in those situations.  Some rated R movies are not that bad (like Slumdog millionaire.. best movie ever!), but why knowingly put yourself in a situation where you can be exposed to completely inappropriate things.  Especially since once you see those things, they will stay in your mind for a long time!

I could also write about hair.  Personally, I don't have anything against beards or hair that goes past your ears.  I like that whole scruffy, surfer look.  Beards do not make people look dirty! Santa has a beard.  Jesus had a beard.  I think its more important to focus on being a good person rather than how long your facial hair is.

And that is all I have come up with so far!

What do I want to do with my life...

Right now I am in the pre-nursing major, and I am hoping to get into the nursing program at BYU.  Before I graduate, I would really love to spend a semester in Madrid.  I've taken five years of Spanish, and I think spending some time in Spain would be a great opportunity to learn more about the culture and work on becoming fluent.  After I get my degree in nursing, I want to move to South America!  It is my dream to live a simple life on a beautiful beach and spend my days working with the poor.  That is the main reason I wanted to go into nursing.. so I could help to provide healthcare for those who otherwise would not have any.  At some point, I would like to become a physicians assistant, but I also want to raise a family so I might end up waiting until I am older to do that.  I want to have children of my own, but I have always wanted to adopt as well.  When I was younger, I wanted to start my own orphanage, but I don't know how realistic that is.  It would probably be very expensive! I want to spend my time here traveling, learning about different cultures, raising a family, and just really experiencing life!