Reflection

I always have such a hard time choosing what writing classes to take, with a lot of the reason being that I rarely ever enjoy them. After the past five and a half weeks I can honestly say that this is the most enjoyable writing class that I’ve taken.

I not only learned so much about writing itself, but also so many things that I was clueless about regarding our class topic, class and labor issues at the university. Even though this class was only a short six weeks long I think that I gained more knowledge overall than I usually would in a full semester long class, which is kind of interesting to think about. I particularly appreciated that such a large portion of class time was dedicated to our discussions regarding all of the different topics and articles, allowing us to learn more about several aspects of the topic rather than the one we chose to focus on. I think it’s really important that we, as students, are aware of the issues that we discussed because of how much of it is affecting our present day and most likely our future lives as well.

I really liked that all of our projects were different genres rather than just writing several different papers on different topics, which is pretty much what my other writing classes consisted of. I’m not sure that I can say which of the projects was my favorite; they were all so different and taught such different techniques. I think I’ll definitely benefit from learning each of the four genres at some point in my future.

My angle on the topic that I chose for the semester was the issue of rising student debt. I knew that it was a problem, but I didn’t know how big of a problem it really is. I am lucky enough to not have to deal with a very large amount of student debt myself, so I wasn’t aware of how bad it can get. After all of the research that I’ve done for this class, I am able to look at the issue in a completely new light and for the first time I feel that I actually want to continue to research my topic after the class ends.

I am now able to look at so many things in a new and different way because of everything we discussed in this class. Even things that seem so minor such as professors OMET surveys (that so many people to choose to ignore) and how big of an impact they can have for an adjunct professor. I’m very pleased with my decision to choose this class as my last W requirement and also pleased that I chose to take it during the six-week summer course. To be honest I’d rather come back to this class next Monday instead of starting the philosophy class that I’m taking during the next summer session lol. Thanks for a great six weeks, guys.

Poor Students at Ivy League Schools

Foster’s article “What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school” was really interesting and kept me wanting to read further. I never really took the time to think about the living conditions for students who come from low-income families in such an upper-class environment, like Harvard, because I guess it’s hard to think of things that you haven’t fully experienced in some way or another.

My mom doesn’t really contribute much when it comes to my education, and my dad doesn’t have a very stable income due to eye troubles, so I wouldn’t say that I come from a family of money. If it weren’t for my grandparents, I’d be nowhere. Thankfully, my grandparents take care of my tuition, which allows my dad to supply me with the little bit of extra money I can use for whatever I choose to. Pitt isn’t an Ivy League school, and I have plenty of friends who are on a tight budget, but reading this article made me think about all of the ways that my life could be different if I didn’t have the support from my grandparents that I do and if I wasn’t able to have the extra money to spend on things outside of school.

Going to college in the first place is a huge and scary transition for many students, including myself. Traveling all the way across the country to a school where I didn’t know anybody at all was hard to say the least, and there were definitely times where I felt isolated and lonely. To think about these low-income students at Ivy League schools and how they have such a hard time settling in to their new lives, losing opportunities to make friends just because they don’t have enough money to go out for dinner and a movie on the weekends, is heartbreaking.

I think the newer financial aid campaign used by the Ivies is an awesome system. To think about how many students are now able to receive the education that they deserve but otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford is really just great. There are some flaws in the system, such as students having to wait in separate lines if they are receiving their tickets for free, but they said that they are working on that, which will hopefully be able to make the students more comfortable.

Taking all things into consideration, I think that what the Ivy League schools are doing is a step in the right direction. Yes, these students who are given free tuition are feeling out of place, but they are also receiving an amazing education that they will be thankful for later in life. In no way am I saying that these students are unreasonable to be unhappy about the way that they’re feeling, because I understand how much of an effect feelings of loneliness can have on a student’s life. But this education will be able to take them so far and will probably (hopefully) be able to lead them to a life of happiness. Another thing to consider, this financial aid system that they are using is fairly new, and like many things, will improve greatly with time. It is my hope that the system will be able to improve enough to leave these students with a college experience that they can enjoy and have amazing memories about.

Human Body Infographic

This infographic caught my eye because of the way that it’s set up to be like the game Operation. Kind of childish, I know, but it definitely accomplished getting my attention and I also thought the facts were actually pretty interesting.