Week Four

Welcome to this week's topic - Growth Mindset, Academic Basics, and Academic Integrity (The week of September 9th)

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Hallelujah, I survived this week.

At the beginning of the week, I was overwhelmed with homework and additional assignments. After classes started back, I was relieved. This week turned out to be not so bad after all. I made lots of memories with my friends, and I accomplished many, many goals.

Beginning with the topic of Growth Mindset, I would like to briefly discuss the FYE Success Series event I attended. On Wednesday, I attended the Growth Mindset Series with speaker Trevor Ragan. I actually really enjoyed the presentation. I have heard about the difference between growth mindset (the belief that the brain has the ability to grow) and fixed mindset (the belief that the brain can only use the tools it already has) before the event. However, I learned a lot more detailed information about the importance of a growth mindset. In class on Wednesday, we discussed the ideas behind a growth mindset as well. Basically, I have been learning about a growth mindset all week, and I am not mad about it. One of the assigned videos this week titled "Growth Mindset Introduction: What it is, How it Works, and Why it Matters (2)" was narrated and taught by the speaker of the growth mindset event, Trevor Ragan. I found it very interesting how most of this discussion has connected to my life outside of class this week. Granted, I am sure that the people who planned the schedule for the Success Series worked to help coordinate it with the general schedule for the FYE class. I am glad that I went to the Growth Mindset Series, as I learned a lot of helpful information.

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In class on Monday, Dra. sorted all of us students into groups to discuss our thoughts on ineffective vs effective discussions. I was honored to be paired with the Wheat Thin King, Will. Will and I had very similar thoughts about effective and ineffective discussions. We believed that an effective discussion requires lots of listening from both parties. On the other hand, we agreed that yelling and interrupting is very ineffective. I enjoyed listening to other students' opinions, most of which were the same as mine.

Regarding Academic Basics, Dra. provided us with many helpful resources on Folio. We briefly discussed withdrawing in class, but we did not go over the details. To be honest, I considered withdrawing from my economics class during the week of Hurricane Dorian. I was overwhelmed because I did not have a clue as to what I was doing. I did not have a full class on economics during high school, so I felt lost, especially since I am taking an honors version of economics. Thankfully, our professor moved back due dates and gave us a review day after we came back from the hurricane. Now, I am glad that I did not immediately give up. The details regarding withdrawals can be found online (4). This week, I got an email from my academic advisor asking me to schedule an advising appointment. I picked the earliest date and the earliest time that I could get because I have heard from older students that scheduling an appointment as soon as possible is very important. The GPA Worksheet (5) that Dra. provided us was actually very interesting to me. I do not recall ever being taught how to calculate my GPA, so I am thankful that I now have the formula.

In class on Wednesday, we did discuss the topic of Academic Integrity. We had a short worksheet to evaluate the definitions of plagiarism and cheating. The Student Code of Conduct (6) was also provided to us on Folio. I enjoyed listening to the issues that other students in my class have faced regarding plagiarism/cheating in the past and sadly, issues that they have faced now. As students at Georgia Southern, it is our responsibility to follow the rules and to be a positive influence on others. I enjoyed the discussions this week, and I am excited for next week!

Thanks for reading!

Resources:
(1) Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/9PgWteLwh4quAJiu5
(2) Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/75GFzikmRY0
(3) Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/7jcQCUTy58DofquB6
(4) Withdrawal Info: https://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/fye/academics-101/withdrawing/
(5) GPA Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xrn0qQUnIZwnxlgOVBZmYw_IMi91iKpK/view
(6) Code: https://students.georgiasouthern.edu/conduct/files/2018-2019-Code-of-Student-Conduct-FINAL-1.pdf