Learning experiences 2

With spring break now in our rear view mirror the next destination, for most of us, is summer break. I can't believe this semester has gone by this fast, but we only have a few more weeks left. I am continuing to learn everyday with all of my classes picking up and starting to get in the flow of my new job. My time management is continuing to improve along with my curiosity in the classroom. The biggest thing I have learned since my last post on this topic relates to my spring break. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to NYC over spring break with the Neeley Fellows Program. The point of the trip was to experience the big apple, while networking with TCU alums that now live in NYC. We visited a bunch of different companies and met a lot of awesome people. A huge takeaway from my trip would be I can now see myself working in New York after college. This was the first time iv'e been to the big city and it was an amazing experience. A lot bigger than my hometown of Oklahoma City. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to like NYC. It's way different than anything I have ever experienced. Turns out, I fell in one with it. My major is finance, which means the pinnacle jobs in my major reside in NYC, so I was extremely eager to see if I would be able to live there. I was able to learn more about the different careers in the financial services industry. I have so many takeaways from the trip, but none bigger than being able to really understand more about what I want to do after college. The trip was so helpful and so fun that I will remember my experiences for years to come. NYC is truly the city that never sleeps. It was in constant motion from the minute we arrived, to the minute we left. It is crazy to see how big that city is, even though geographically, Manhattan is smaller than DFW Airport. My spring break wasn't much of a break, due to the early wake ups for our corporate visits. I may not have caught up on sleep, but it didn't matter because I was never bored. This experience helped me learn so much about the real world after college. It's a little scary to think in two years I will be venturing out on my own and leaving college behind. I'm excited, but I know graduation will be bitter sweet. Overall, my spring break experience left me with a lot of answers about my major, and business in general. I now understand why the Fellows program takes the sophomores every year. The learning experience we were able to have is unmatched and can't be found in many other places. I was reminded of how fortunate I am to go to such a great school and be in such an amazing program. Now I am looking forward to summer vacation where it will be my first Fort worth summer. Iv'e heard horror stories about the heat, but I think I will be able to handle it. We are constantly learning here at TCU, and it is crazy to see how fast these semesters are going by. I am learning how to slow down and appreciate the little things, because this time in two years I will be on the last few weeks of my college career. I hope to make the most of my experience here, and I wish to continue to learn.

Uncontrollable Laughter 1

Yesterday, my friends and I were all sitting around watching the march madness basketball tournament and talking about various things. Our conversation led to a point where my friend Drew brought up a time when my other friend Will tripped and rolled down an entire flight of stairs last year. The room erupted in laughter and didn't die down for a good minuter or two. None of us had thought about this event in a long time, but the memory was so vivid in our minds that we all about cried we were laughing so hard. Will even mustered up some laughter even though he was the victim. It's funny how something that happened so long ago can still cause so much laughter in present time. We went through the whole scenario bit  by bit and cracked up while doing so. Thinking back on it, Will was actually pretty beaten up after it, but I guess enough time has passed that he can laugh about it now. When my friend group breaks out in laughter it is hard to stop because one thing leads to another and more stories begin to flow. This event was straight superiority theory. Poor Will just rolled, helplessly, down an entire flight of stairs. The floor wasn't carpet either. Nice hard wood stairs. That didn't make for a soft landing at the bottom. Thinking back on this, it is so easy to laugh and when you are around multiple people who remember it as vividly as you, then it causes an uproar in laughter. This story, even as simple as it is, will always be remembered by us. Will is pretty clumsy, but we would have never seen him roll down a flight of stairs because of it. Poor Will just has to sit there and get made fun of now. Anyways, this story always causes an eruption in laughter and once it starts it is hard to stop.

Learning experiences #1

This semester has been extremely busy for me. Class work is picking up and I have recently started my new job that requires 15-20 hours a week. I am having to work really hard and manage my time efficiently in order to get everything done. I am enjoying my busy schedule though, because I am never bored. I like to constantly be doing something. I am also learning a lot in my classes that is interesting to me. I now know that there are theories behind why we laugh. I always just thought we laugh when we, personally, think something is funny. After learning about the superiority theory and incongruity theory, i now realize the certain situations that evoke laughter. I am enjoying seeing other students presentations and their views on why we laugh. It is very interesting to learn about that. This lit and civ class is different than any class I have taken in the past and it is offering a unique perspective on humor. The active classroom helps a lot with understanding other people's opinions. I am excited to see what movies other students think is the best comedy ever. The presentations will be great. I am also learning a bunch of new information in my other classes. BIS is completely new to me because I am not the greatest with computers. Marketing is interesting to learn about how companies market their products and why we buy them. I am also in a business Law class where we are learning the legal environment of business. I have no previous knowledge of the law and how it works, so it is interesting to read the cases and see why the judges rule the way they do. I am no future lawyer, but it is interesting to see how it works. I have also started a new book for my energy minor course. The Prize is a pulitzer winner and discusses the history of the oil and gas business. I am excited to continue reading this as it is a subject I am extremely interested in. This semester is teaching me a lot about time management. I am having to balance more than I ever have before. I am excited for spring break and to enjoy my time in New York City with the Fellows program. I will be able to take a lot away from that trip and live it up in the big city. Overall, my semester is going well and I am learning new things every week. My days are busy from start to finish, but i am enjoying the ride. I am excited for the rest of this semester and then enjoy a long summer here in Fort Worth.

Conversation Partner #2

Tien and I met for the second time this past week. It was much easier to coordinate a meeting time and place. I also was able to find her much easier because I know what she looks like now. We met in the library and she commented on how I looked tired. Then she told me to drink my coffee to help me wake up. We began by talking about how our day was going and she commented on how busy she has been. She has a heavy work load the week before spring break. She has a bunch of tests and papers due this upcoming week. She had no plans for the weekend except studying. We talked about our plans for spring break and she was jealous that I get to go to New York City. However, she gets to go to Los Angeles. So I was jealous as well. The conversation flowed more smoothly this time than the first one. We talked like normal friends instead of strangers meeting for the first time. She talked about TCU basketball and how they aren't any good. I laughed and was impressed she was keeping up with the team. She even has gone to a few games. Her english has already gotten better since our last meeting. She understands what I say really well and can respond to all my questions. I still think it's crazy to think about what it must be like to be a foreign exchange student. I wouldn't be able to do it. Anyways, she is really enjoyable to talk to and has a lot of great experiences. She is currently in the process of picking a major. She is looking into either Business Information Systems (BIS), or engineering. Two pretty difficult majors. She is thinking of sitting in on some classes to sort of get the feel for them. I am impressed with how much she has to work in school and still finds time to do things like that. She could teach me a thing or two about time management. Tien had to cut our conversation short because she had too much homework and a meeting to go to. We have planned to meet the week after spring break to discuss our experiences. I cannot wait. Tien and I are becoming great friends and I look forward to visiting with her after our break.