Link – Critical Writers

April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 by Courtney Ciardullo - No Comments

Raising Awareness

In Natalie’s most recent blog post titled “Another Birthday” she discusses the events that occurred at Geneseo’s Relay for Life. Along with my sorority, I attended the event as well. Similarly, I went in with an outlook just like Natalie. I didn’t see how sitting in a gym for twelve hours is an effective way of raising money to find a cure for cancer. Dreading the long hours and crowded room to come I went in with a negative attitude. But twelve hours later I walked out of the gym with an entirely new perspective on the traditional event. I reflected on what had happened in the gym and it hit me that yes sitting on the floor of the gym is not raising money in itself, but, it is raising a community. We, the dedicated students of Geneseo, came together for a cause. We sat there together. We watched montages of lost loved ones, survivors and fighters. We listened to individuals talk about their experience with cancer and the effect it has had on their life. “WE” being the keyword in each sentence. As a student body we dedicated our time to be there and WE made a difference. Raising money for the cause is extremely important but what I didn’t understand was the factor of raising awareness. The time we spent in the gym was to truly show us the effects of cancer, and educate us on what we can do to help. The entire event motivated me to do my part as well as cherish life as it comes.

Geneseo’s Mission Statement goes beyond the factor of grades. Yes a “rigorous curriculum” is an important aspect of a proper educational institution but there is much more to a well rounded student. Community involvement is something greatly valued at our school, and it is portrayed in Relay for Life. We came together as a community, we raised about $160,000. You can leave the school with straight A’s but the feeling of accomplishment when helping in an event such as this can not be attained by a GPA.

April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 by Amanda Lara Sosa - No Comments

Questions and concerns for the future

A couple of days ago I was eating lunch while sitting by the entrance of the College Bookstore and the Women’s bathroom in the Union when I saw that there was a line of seniors waiting to get their documents, their graduation ropes, or their senior picture taken. They looked like a normal crowd of people waiting in a line: loud and somewhat impatient. However, I could not stop wondering if they felt any different to other crowds. These seniors were preparing themselves to accomplish a big and important step in their lives, which is graduating from college.

I was very curious to know if they were thinking about all they have done and accomplished in the past 4 years at SUNY Geneseo or if they were thinking about their near future. Did they meet all the expectations they might have set for themselves before coming to Geneseo? Are they satisfied with all their work in this past years? Do they feel ready to face the reality of their lives after they finish college, whether they go directly to graduate school, into the workforce, to an internship, or take a gap year? Did choosing Geneseo contribute towards helping them achieve their ultimate goals in life? What would be these class of 2018’s risks and rewards?

The risks in joining a college or university are not easily talked about in general because they correspond differently to a specific person or group of people. Some seniors might be risking being away from home and spending less time with their families, and as a result they become homesick more often. For others, it might be paying the college’s tuition because even if they take out loans they will have to pay them back after they graduate. Another risk could be not being able to contribute financially to their family that could be struggling because of not being capable to work full time while being at school.

However, many of the rewards of going into college like SUNY Geneseo can be found in the Geneseo Learning Outcomes for Baccalaureate Education (GLOBE). Studying a specific subject that they like and want to dedicate their lives to in the future while acquiring knowledge in other subjects at the same time are also contributing factors stated throughout this document, and especially with Geneseo being a Liberal Arts College. This point is proven when GLOBE states that: “Geneseo prepares students for twenty-first century challenges through the development of intellectual and practical skills that transcend disciplinary boundaries and are applicable throughout their lives.” Also, for most students, getting to experience a different lifestyle that might benefit them in terms of becoming a more independent person is another positive outcome. The social aspect of college could be counted as well, including making new friends and new connections that could become beneficial in their future by creating academic partnerships with them earlier on.

I was burdened by all these questions and concerns at that moment because those were the questions I believe I would be asking myself when my time to graduate from SUNY Geneseo comes. Therefore, I wonder if I would be able to turn all these questions and concerns into positive outcomes that will make me accomplish all the rewards GLOBE claims Geneseo students will leave with. Until then, I have to remember to live my present in order to dream for my future.

February 18, 2018 by Jessica Aspinall - No Comments

“What College Will Be Like”

Ever since the beginning of high school, teachers harped on my classmates and I about college expectations. Writing classes had papers on reading assignments due every week. I was told, “this is preparing you for college” and “professors won’t baby you.” As Courtney said in class, high school scared us with many false claims about college. Nothing they said could have prepared me for being a student at Geneseo. There are so many factors that affect your college experience: major, living situation, other extra-curricular obligations. There is no one way to describe a student’s individual college journey and the people that influence them along the way.

Not even the GLOBE, Geneseo’s Learning Outcomes for Baccalaureate Education can describe my journey so far as a freshman. I have mixed feelings about how it relates to my experience here at Geneseo. The GLOBE is a about a page long, so it is pretty broad. The statements are meant to relate to Geneseo’s student body as a whole. One statement that caught my attention was, “In support of Geneseo’s institutional mission as a center of excellence in undergraduate education.” This sounds nice but most colleges have that end goal. As a high school student, I already knew I was going to college to get a degree. I needed preparation for the personal struggles that came in the process of getting my degree. Neither my previous teachers or the GLOBE talked about the process of being a young adult on your own for the first time. I have grown so much in just one semester: changing majors, walking onto a sports team, and living in a suite with people I had never met. I think the GLOBE would be more personal to me if a learning outcome was about finding yourself, and learning which programs you fit in. I’m still a figuring out a plan as an undeclared freshman. I wasn’t planning on switching my major after first semester, but I have grown so much in the process. The defining part of college so far for me has been finding my strengths and weaknesses.