BLOG 10: I must admit, I have changed a lot since blog post number one. I no longer am pursuing the same career path, for one difference. However, the skills I have gained through this course will still aid me in my future endeavors. This course has helped me further my understanding of the “how and why” of the human mind; I am graduating with my Bachelor of Science degree in Communications this May. Any job within the field of communications will require a strong comprehension of how people work. I, however, am worried that I have not done too well in sticking to the deadlines. The coronavirus situation has upended my life and I have been adjusting to a new lifestyle I am unfamiliar with. This is no excuse for my falling behind in the blog posts. I am happy with how my comprehension of the material has come along, though! My test scores thus far have been exemplary and I have amazed myself. If I were to take the course again…I’d take it last year before this mess happened! I have improved academically in the field of studying for tests. The usage of WordPress is a fantastic new thing I have learned through this course, and I certainly plan to use it in the future.

BLOG 5: The first ad I chose for this blog post is an older ad for cigarettes. This ad boasts expertise as it uses doctors as a reference. It uses the expertise, influence, and authority of medical doctors to basically say “it’s alright to smoke”; as this ad is older, we can view it with hindsight (smoking isn’t actually good for you), but back when smoking was still big, it may have been deceptively attractive and (perhaps even worse) effective. The second ad I chose is an anti-opioid ad depicting a pain killer/opioid pill that contains a presumably venomous snake. Text at the bottom reads “opioiods prey on your life, not your pain”. This ad has credibility as it does not attempt to sell something. It is not capitalistic in nature; rather, it aims to inform. There is a personal stake. The third ad is perhaps the most effective; it is an optical illusion ad for Hot Wheels. It appears to make the road do a loop like one found on a Hot Wheels toy racetrack. It is effective as it is over-the-top and outrageous, perhaps one of the best ways to market a toy.

BLOG 4: I am very pleased with my results from the exam, but I cannot help but feel that being so close to a perfect score is disappointing in a way. Though I did score an A, I was only three questions away from one hundred points; had I studied harder, would I have done it? As for what I have learned from this experience, I have learned that my note taking and comprehension skills have improved from where they began. I am hoping that I can continue to excel throughout this final semester of my college career.

BLOG 3: Music is a bit of a weird object to me. It has a strange power over me and my emotions. Hearing certain songs can either get my incredibly excited or send me into a destructive, depressive spiral. Some music makes me feel alone and inconsequential. Some music makes me feel as though the endless possibilities of life are at my beck and call. However, I rarely use music to define a connection to a friend or family member. While I personally do not feel a very strong connection between music and relationships, that does not mean that is true of others. As for preference, my friends and I do not always share the same tastes. I enjoy a good soundtrack to a film or video game as well as more obscure/acquired-taste pieces like those found under the Vaporwave genre. My favorite band is, by far, the Beatles My family, particularly on my father’s side, tend to lean toward heavy rock/country. My mother’s side enjoys the classic-style rock. Though our musical tastes differ greatly, I do not sense a great rift in terms of our shared ideals or values. This supports my idea that, in my case, music is not always indicative of a relationship’s standing. My half-dozen songs are: “When You Were Young” by The Killers, “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor, “Memory” from the musical “Cats”, “Something” by The Beatles, “Dance” by Rick Astley, and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli. “When You Were Young” is song that represents my own outlook. I see the lyrics as being about someone who isn’t the best, but still tries to be a good man. “You’ve Got a Friend” is the song my mother picked “for me” when I was a child. Whenever I hear it, I think of her. The song from “Cats” reminds me of my grandmother who owns a music box that plays the song. Though the lyrics hold no “special meaning” to me, I am brought back to the many times I was mystified by the music box at her house as a child. “Something” is the song that my girlfriend and I have identified as “our song” (she picked it), and “Dance” reminds me that life is not about just working until we die. Finally, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” is a song my mother used to sing to me when I couldn’t sleep.

BLOG 2: What kind of student am I? Being so close to what appears to be the end of my academic/college career, this is a bittersweet question to answer. Personally, I feel as though I could have reached even greater heights had I applied myself more. I can’t help but think that my GPA could have been higher. Did I choose the correct major? Will my degree truly assist in what I plan to do with my future? Truthfully, my current confidence level is low, but that is not news; I have always been self-conscious regarding matters that I needed not worry about. My first two semesters were quite rough (and my transcript reflects that), but since then, I have done fairly well. I even found myself on the Dean’s List a time or two. In order to increase this confidence, I feel as though I should dedicate even more time to my studies. While I do take my academic career seriously these days, I rarely spend more time on it than I absolutely have to. As for the Self-Efficacy Test, I did better than I anticipated, scoring 28. I made sure to jump into the test blindly; I was surprised to find many of the questions dealt with one’s ability to work “on the fly” when faced with unexpected situations. I think of myself as resourceful…when I need to be. As one who only spends as much time on school as I need to, I have come across many assignments that were more extensive or complex than I had anticipated. I tend to do well on these, meaning that my results on the Self-Efficacy test are accurate.

REPRESENTATIVE VISUAL IMAGE: Here are my results from the test, as requested. The second image is of the photo I took of my ODU acceptance letter, as I could not locate an image of me doing anything academic. I chose this image because it represents a time where I was taking a huge step academically before I realized what it would entail. College was not easy and I learned that the hard way. If I could go back in time to chat with my high school self, I would.

BLOG 1: As someone who hopes to build a career in Fire and Rescue, I know it is vital to understand human thought processes. Within this class, I hope to further grasp the inner machinations of the human mind and to develop a strong understanding of the “why and how” within it. The syllabus lays out what we will discuss (perception, formation of attitudes, discrimination, etc), and these all play important factors in our interactions with others. This will help me in my desired career in many ways, especially in dangerous situations where the human psyche is tested to its limits. I will do my best to stay on top of assignments and deadlines to help ensure my success within the course and in my career later in life.