Category: Arena

At the beginning of the semester, I was genuinely struggling. The workload, combined with my struggle with mental health, indeed took a toll on my schooling. As time went on, I started to do better for myself and my grades. Over this semester, I’ve learned how to balance my heavy work schedule and make time for myself.

            As the semester started, I was in Geneseo’s production of Into the Woods, where I was cast as Cinderella, one of the leading roles in the show. I was required to come to school significantly earlier than most, so it all started to pile up when classes started. I had no idea how to balance all my work. And honestly, I just needed to be thrown into the mess to know how to navigate it. As Into the Woods ended, my mental health started to decline rapidly. I could not get any of my work done, and I could barely attend classes. I finally decided to get help for myself, and the results of that are truly unique. I can now focus on what I’m doing, get more of my work done, and be more prepared for classes. A significant thing I’ve learned is that self-care is essential. Going to bed early makes a significant difference in my day. I’ve become interested in my classes, and I enjoy reading about the subjects. Since I can manage my time better, I can now revisit the old hobbies that I let subside due to time. I’ve gotten back into sketching as well as reading, and to have my old hobbies come back makes me feel like I’m myself again.

In this course, I’ve learned a lot. I never truly knew anything about PTSD or veteran life. Once I started doing the work for this course, I started feeling glad I signed up for it. PTSD is a thing all people should be educated on because it affects people’s daily lives. I wouldn’t say I liked the play when we read Nine Circles by Bill Cain. I have a habit of judging prematurely, so when I actually saw the play live, it completely changed my opinion. At first (when reading it), the play seemed cold and too heavy. Once I saw it live, the leading actor truly made the show unique. He didn’t make the character too likable, but he was still human. Indeed, this performance was stellar and made me rethink what I thought was true. I’m glad I could see it because it educated me on PTSD and military life in general. 

This semester has taught me a lot. It taught me to balance my time and homework in my classes. I’ve started to learn how to write essays, and by the end of the semester, I hope to have a fully-rounded education on how to write essays, manage my time, and take care of myself. I’ve also learned how to get help through the campus mental health services. I’ve had a great experience with the campus service, which has helped me a lot in my everyday life. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned in class in the future. 

At the beginning of the semester, I compared the experience of being in college for the first time to being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool and learning to swim. Now that midterms are over and the semester is nearing its end, I stand by the comparison I made early on; however, I will add that along the way, there are breaks in the depth and moments where everything does not seem so hard. For the most part, my classes have not changed in their difficulty level; however, they are by no means easy. The semester for me has been a struggle and a significant transition; I knew it would be, as it is for everyone, but I did not expect it to be this way. These past few months have been a major growth period for me, with many ups and downs academically. 

As far as this class goes, it has been the best for me. Not only is it the best due to the types of things that we do, such as the in-depth analysis of the readings, our journals, and class discussions, but it is a sort of confidence booster to see successful grades in a sea of not-so-good ones. Since my major is biology, I have been taking several classes that are pretty difficult, so it is a struggle to get A’s. Of course, just like many other classes, you get what you give, so in other words, put in the work, and you’ll get good grades; however, it seemed as though, for a while, the maximum amount of work just was not enough. That is why this class is my favorite; the difficulty level is more than fair, the topics are interesting, and I genuinely enjoy coming to class. 

At the start of this course, I anxiously anticipated the final as I am not good at public speaking or presenting in front of people. I’m sure many can see, even if it is a small group like this class, but I am determined to do my best. Throughout the semester, I have learned a lot of valuable information on the topics we covered, and from analyzing readings such as American Tet and 9 Circles, which I believe is the knowledge, everyone should have. While the content that we cover in this class can be hefty, I am really grateful for the opportunity to get to read them and learn many valuable lessons, such as the effects of PTSD and the importance of being able to see all sides of a story. Especially since it was not originally my choice to take this course, I feel very fortunate to have this class added to my schedule. 

As far as my hopes for the rest of the semester go, I hope it all goes smoothly. As finals are getting closer, every class is starting to pick up speed, which can be very overwhelming, especially since they are getting more complex. The idea of finals is terrifying and shocking how fast they are becoming a reality. In September, I remember thinking I had so much time and would be ready for when they came up; but suddenly, I blinked, and now they are just about a month away. I always believed people when they said how fast the semesters go, but I did not realize it would be this fast. That being said, I know that everything will all work out in the end and that if I put the effort in, I will get good results.

It is hard to believe I am at the end of my first semester of college here at SUNY Geneseo. It feels as if I was taking my tour with my parents around campus just yesterday. The instant feeling of belonging surrounded me once I arrived in Geneseo. It was such an overwhelming time of my life, as it is for anyone choosing a college. However, it was fun seeing the college students’ groups on campus and putting myself in their shoes. Recently, I bumped into a tour group and had a full-circle moment. It was weird seeing myself as a Geneseo student during their tour. To think that I made it to Geneseo and am now a part of the student body still amazes and excites me. Being a real historian in my classes is a thrilling experience. 

With the semester winding down, there are many final assignments to complete. For my World of Vikings course, I have to complete a paper with a partner about a movie based on the Vikings and rate its accuracy. I have not begun working on this yet, but I plan to meet with my partner soon since the due date is coming. My art history course does not have a project but rather an exam which I am not too nervous about since I am doing well in the class. I am really going to miss taking an art history course next semester because of how amazing Professor Toothe has been. I have also discovered some of my favorite artists and works within this course. For my Local and Public History course, I have to take a piece of local history and make it public. I have decided to focus on Geneseo’s Wadsworth family, specifically Martha Blow Wadsworth. Mrs. Wadsworth took many amazing photos worldwide, now in albums in Geneseo’s library. I met with the special collections department to discuss what project I could do with the photo albums and decided to digitize an album of Martha from her Paris and England trip in 1909. This project has given me lots of experience, such as learning to handle and care for artifacts, learning how to scan the pages and how to complete the metadata for the album. As a History major, this experience is beneficial in showing me the many parts of being a historian. Since I want to work in museums, knowing how to digitize an artifact is an important skill to have. 

In my Theater Therapy for Veterans course, the final assignment is to create a play with a group about a veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). My group has been very creative with our story, which I think will be a good play. Besides the project, we have also finished reading 9 Circles by Bill Cain. I enjoyed reading this play because it showed the heavy emotions that occur to those in the military. Within 9 Circles, readers learn about Reeves, who served in the military. Throughout the nine scenes, I understood Reeves more and realized that his PTSD is most likely how other veterans feel. Each of the plays I read this semester brought PTSD into a new light for me to understand it better. It will be sad to say goodbye to this course since I have enjoyed the topic and found it interesting to learn about.

Overall I have enjoyed my first semester of college. I have learned many new facts about myself, such as my love for art history. Throughout my time so far, I have realized that even though I might doubt myself sometimes when things get rough, I made the right choice to be here at Geneseo. Thinking of myself on that tour a year ago, I think I would be very proud of the person I am today. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be sitting in class learning to become a historian or even loving to learn about art, I would have thought they were crazy. It seemed as if college was so far in the future still. Now it is here, and I have loved every minute of it.

Geneseo is freezing. That’s the one thing I always notice shortly after midterms: how cold it gets here. The temperature decline goes hand in hand with how the second half of my semester is going. You’d think since this is my second year here, I’d be in the swing of things by now, but I’m not. My classes haven’t precisely gotten harder, but extenuating circumstances have made it more challenging to keep up. I’ve fallen behind in almost every class, but not to the point where it’ll be impossible to catch up. If my current academic standing were a temperature, it would probably be a solid Geneseo 40° (with wind, if we’re getting technical). The wind makes it worse, and it’s a toss-up as to whether it’ll warm up the next day or get even colder. Luckily, I don’t have any unsympathetic professors this semester, so working with them and trying to create new deadlines hasn’t been too difficult. 

This class, Theater-Therapy for Veterans, has been one of the better ones for me. The only assignment I’m very behind on is this blog! Once I turn this in, I think I’ll be in a pretty good spot. I enjoyed all the readings we did, although some sat really heavily with me. Neither my immediate family nor I have ever been in the military, so I couldn’t make any personal connections to the characters. I was, however, able to relate to the recurring theme of helpless struggle and enjoyed seeing it accurately portrayed by highlighting its effects on the person in crisis and everyone around them. The final is going well for me, too. Our final project is to write a play, so it gives us a break from something like a final essay or another long exam. My group worked well together and efficiently, so we could finish our script with ample time left for many run-throughs. We are performing it on Thursday, so I expect it to go well. 

By the end of the semester, I hope to get in as much missing work as possible, even if it means staying up all night. A strategy I’m using for myself, which I highly recommend, is making a pyramid of post-it notes on my wall with all the assignments I need to do. The ones at the top are the most important and are weighted the most, and the ones at the bottom are worth less. This way, I have a visual of what I need to do and how much progress I’ve made; this helps keep me motivated. If I stick with this, I’ll be in good standing by the time I go home for break. In other words, I’ll no longer be academically “stuck in the cold” like I am. 

Overall, this semester went smoothly, other than the last three weeks or so. This class was by far one of my favorites, and I would suggest it to anyone reading this blog. I’m eager to finish this semester strong and move on to the next. My advice, which I plan to follow going forward, would be to use strategies such as the post-it note pyramid before you scramble at the end of the semester to get work in. Keeping this in mind will help me refrain from relying on the adrenaline rush I get from working under pressure, making way for a much smoother and much “warmer” semester this spring. 

As a freshman at SUNY Geneseo, adjusting has been challenging. I have gotten comfortable with my routines and balancing work with studying for my courses. However, there are still adjustments that I need to make and maintain to be successful here at college. It has been a month since the midterms came around. On my pre-calculus midterm, I got a question wrong that I did not finish in time, resulting in a test score of ninety-six. As for chemistry, I needed more time to complete the exam, only getting through half of the questions. As a result, the score was forty-five out of one hundred. The obvious solution to improve my test score is to time myself while taking the practice test.

In addition, I was doing poorly on my bi-weekly biology quizzes. I got a five and a six out of ten. Even though I regularly attended Supplemental instruction sessions, did all my homework, and participated in class, I still needed better results on each quiz. It was clear that I had to revisit how I study. So, I started to sit down and read each chapter of my textbook piece by piece instead of just completing the assignments. After these adjustments, the realization came to be that the amount of time spent on the course differed from the amount of knowledge obtained. The issue was not my time management overall but managing the quality of studying. Being more efficient with my time was the key to success, and it showed when I got higher test scores.

On the topic of my INTD 105 Theatre for Veterans class, I made some adjustments to keep up with the course. This course teaches a critical lesson on how procrastination will have an incredible impact. All the small assignments will pile up unless attended to day by day. Once the procrastination stopped, there was much to enjoy about the topics discussed in class. After each lesson, my perspective on veterans and their families widens. At first, the idea of being in a military family frightened me as it sounded impossible. For example, American Tet is a play about a veteran family and how the veterans fighting in the war are not the only ones impacted. The play ends with the son dying while serving and the daughter setting herself a flame. The play shows what a lack of awareness can do to a lovely family. Although the play portrayed a terrible outcome, there are many opportunities to prevent those events from becoming a reality. There are so many outlets and resources to lean on. Simply ignoring the elephant in the room is not enough to get by. Eventually, the lack of coping skills will eat each family member up inside.

As my first college semester is coming to a close, the key to doing well on my upcoming finals is understanding the material instead of memorizing answers. Sharpening my problem-solving skills and using my knowledge is now my priority over memorization. I came to college to learn about science, myself, and make friends, not just get good grades. Not only do I want to succeed academically, but to network by making friends and socializing. In other words, I want to make friends and lasting connections.

Scheduling the time for me to have fun gives me structure and ensures I do not experience burnout. Going to more campus events, volunteering at the horse stables on Avon Road, and utilizing the campus facilities, will help me feel recharged and be focused when doing coursework. Therefore, having the motivation to put in the effort necessary to do well on my finals.

As the first snowfall came a few days ago, along with it comes the end of the semester and finals. Reflecting on my semester, it’s hard to recall memories; everything went by quickly. Not much has changed since I first arrived on campus; I still enjoy spending time with all my roommates and doing dumb things with them. I have gained some other friends outside of my suitemates, and it has made my classes more enjoyable. When I was in high school, I often was annoyed with having to participate in group work;

In particular, my INTD class has been enjoyable. We are approaching some final due dates for a couple of assignments and starting to work on our final projects. For our final projects, groups of three to five students are tasked with writing a script for a skit that includes the ideas of PTSD we have learned in class. In my opinion, this is much better than writing an essay or something along those lines. With the production of this script, we can express a lot more creativity and voice than if we had to write a paper. We have read two plays out of the book Acts of War in the last month. Both plays were hard to read for different reasons.

As a class, we read American Tet and 9 Circles. Both plays were exciting and allowed the reader to immerse themselves in the everyday struggles service members faced when they were active and after serving. In American Tet, my eyes were opened up to the other side of war: The side that the US is fighting against. Knowing the atrocities that occur in war for both sides makes you wonder if it is worth it- which is something that one of the protagonists argues in American Tet. Overall, I’ve enjoyed taking this course and am excited to continue working on the final project.

I am now halfway through my first semester at Geneseo, and wow, it has zoomed by in a blink. We recently had a fall break, and I went home to see my family. If you had told me in August that I would be itching to return to school, I would’ve called you crazy. But there I was, sitting on my bed at home, waiting to go back and see my roommates. So far this semester, I’d say that everything has gone smoothly. This past Friday, I finished fall ball, which is the off-season practice we do in the fall. It’s a bittersweet end to fall ball for my roommates and me. We are disheartened that we don’t have lacrosse until the spring. On the other hand, we now have much more free time to do assignments and go on weekend trips, like seeing the fall foliage at Letchworth State Park.

It’s good that we have this free time now because midterms are happening, and the assignments are coming in thick and fast. Although the workload has increased, it is still manageable. Often the work is a review of what was gone over in class, so it’s relatively easy as long as you attend class. Two weeks ago, I got a test back in my math class, and the grade was not where I had hoped it would be. The good thing is that the teacher offered a retake of that test to improve scores. I set up an appointment with a tutor in the Math Learning Center (MLC) and was able to go over the mistakes I made on my previous test and learn how to solve the problems I had missed. So far, that is probably the biggest thing I’ve learned. I think people my age, including myself, often think they are invincible and don’t need to ask questions or ask for help. I can say firsthand that it helps with clarification and a deeper understanding of topics. So if you are even a little confused, ask for help. It can’t hurt and will be advantageous in the long run. Other than that test, my courses are going well. Compared to high school, the speed of courses is faster; it feels like we’ll get through a unit in a week in biology that would take a month in high school, but as I said earlier, still manageable.

This class, in particular, is going well for me. I enjoy what we cover and the readings we have to do. It is also nice that the class is at eleven o’clock so I can sleep in, my other day’s first class is at eight-thirty so no sleeping there. In class, we read a piece of literature called _The Theater of War _by Brian Doerries. In this book, the author mentions the story of Ajax; in the play, the Greek legend Ajax loses his best friend Achilles in war. He is eventually driven into madness and takes his own life. I have never lost anyone in battle, but I have experienced the death of a close friend, so I could relate with Ajax about the mental toll that type of stuff takes on you.

By the end of this semester, I hope to make the dean’s list. To achieve that status, I need to earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher; that is my big goal. I, of course, have consistent goals of wanting to be a better person and lacrosse player. Hopefully, by the end of this semester, I can also learn to kick this bad habit of procrastination, as I am currently writing this blog the night before it is due.

What’s up, everybody, my name is Callaghan Oberst, and I am currently a freshman. I am a biology major and a member of the varsity lacrosse team. I am from Rochester, New York, and, more specifically, Brighton. I live with six other lacrosse players, all from Long Island, and none of us knew each other before coming here. To be completely honest, I was nervous about rooming with six random people I had never met before, but it couldn’t have turned out any better. We all get along well and balance each other out. Last week my suitemate Jake and I stayed up until three in the morning watching a tennis match; before that, I had never watched tennis. The first couple weeks of being here have been nothing short of exciting. I’ve always been more of an introvert, but being surrounded by new people always made me come out of my shell and helped me find people who do the same extracurriculars as me. This place opens you up to so many new experiences and people. What’s had the most significant impact on me here is the friendliness of everybody; it seems as though most people here are genuinely kindhearted people, rather than cliquey, which high school is often like.

My second biggest worry coming into college was the courses and workload because in high school, all the teachers would say it would be ten times harder. Are the courses and work harder? Yes, but you are provided many resources to receive academic help if needed. In both of my general science courses, we have Supplemental Instructors or SI’s who hold instruction sessions outside of class to help clarify and break down material in the course. The other nice thing is that you can plan your schedule around your practices and lifts if you’re an athlete. I’ve had to improve my time management because if you don’t, your work will catch up to you. I made a color-coordinated excel spreadsheet organized by the due date of assignments which has helped me stay on top of my workload.

As I am only three weeks into taking Theatre Therapy for Veterans, I still am not entirely sure what to expect from it. Often was told to write a paper in science or history that would be very dry. I have not steered away from that type of writing, which often makes my English papers slow and hard to read thoroughly. Therefore, my goals are to become a more elaborate writer, especially when writing to break down a novel or some writing piece. I also hope to make my writing more captivating and exciting for the audience.

I relate quite a lot with the textbook we are reading in class, _They Say I Say_ by Gerald Griff and Cathy Birkenstein. In chapter one, the authors refer to a speaker at an academic conference as Dr. X. In this chapter, they explain how although Dr. X backed his speech with evidence, it was hard for the audience members to understand why he was trying to emphasize this point. The writer’s point out that you must start your writing with what they say. In other words, you need to address what you are responding to or arguing. When writing argumentative essays, I never understood the use of a concession. Still, I see that it is not necessarily for me but for the reader or audience to understand the entire situation rather than just your snippet. I also related that you (as a writer) must put yourself in the shoes of the reader. When writing about a topic you have a bank of knowledge, your reader might have absolutely no clue what the writing is about unless it is broken down into digestible pieces.

Professor Arena 

INTD 105 

1 September 2022

My name is Samantha Emke. I am a first-year student at SUNY Geneseo. When I am not here, I live in Eden with my mom, dad, and older sister, Alex. I am lucky to have a family that is very close to one another. Once a psychic even told my mom that her, Alex, and I were all sisters in a past life. We had such a close bond that we decided to reincarnate together. I am not sure how true that story is, but we all are very close to one another. I also live at home with about thirty animals. At Geneseo, I do get homesick without being near my family or my pets. So far, I have gone home once. Honestly, I was not sure if I would make it back. My parents keep having to reassure me that I made the right decision to go to Geneseo and that I will eventually love it here.  

Moving away from home for the first time is a strange transition. Having to take on all sorts of responsibilities and become independent is an indescribable feeling. You always hear how great college is, the parties, the friendships made, it is supposed to be the best years of your life, however, this can be quite different if you are not an outgoing, party-type person. At times it can feel like you are so different from others that you are supposed to love being social all the time, but I have learned that it is okay not to be outgoing or want to party all the time. It can take time to find “your people” with the same interests as you, and slowly, you will find each other. Once this happens, you will feel more at home. My first few weeks at Geneseo have been okay, with a few hiccups. During the first two weeks, there was an issue with my roommate. We had found each other over the summer and decided to become roommates. Once move-in day came, I realized that we had completely different ideas of what fun was and that being an introvert myself was not going to work while living with her. After a lengthy process, it finally came the time I was allowed to switch rooms. Being with a roommate you are compatible with makes all the difference. I feel happier being here at Geneseo and feel I focus on my classes instead of worrying about roommate drama.  

 I am a history major with a museum studies minor. This semester, I am taking five courses: World of Vikings, Art History, Theater Therapy for Veterans, Intro to the History Major, and Local and Public History. So far, my favorite has been art history. Over the summer, my sister and I traveled to Europe and went to some prominent art museums, such as the National Gallery in London. Connecting the artwork I saw in the museums to the artwork talked about in class makes it even more interesting to me. To be honest, taking an art history class initially made me nervous. I kept thinking how much I would dislike it since I always thought it was not my “thing”, however, this could not be further from the truth. Once I began to engage in the course, it became quite fun for me. Now I cannot wait to go to class! Since the course interested me so much, I decided to join the history club and the art history club.  

Another class I have enjoyed is my writing seminar (Theater Therapy for Veterans). During the semester, I hope that through this course, I not only improve my writing skills, such as my grammar and vocabulary, but also to learn the history and science of why veterans use theater to help with their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) The class so far has taught me how to improve my writing skills. Even though I had thought I was a good writer, once I had read about the ways to improve, I instantly realized how many common mistakes I make in my writing. 

Overall, my beginning at Geneseo has been nothing like I expected. Even with minor difficulties, I love being able to study here. I can already see my friendships forming and now realize that I made the right choice. Whether it is walking past the “Seuss Spruce,” the classes, or getting to sit in the gazebo to talk with friends, there is always something to look forward to at Geneseo. Seeing that first sunset on your first night here makes you realize why you wanted to come here in the first place. It takes (and will continue to take) patience but eventually, you will learn that it is all about family here, and everyone can fit in.  

On September 23rd, 2004, my parents named me Joshua Irizarry inside a hospital located in the Bronx. Ever since that day, New York City has been my home. Although the city has its problems, such as being dangerous and expensive, I still love it and want to at least live near it in the future. However, as I stated, it has its issues. Since I’m not from any wealthy area of the city, such as lower Manhattan, myself and the people around me have experienced situations we would have preferred not to experience; including being threatened with weapons or being mugged; however, it is important to keep in mind, the chances of this happening again, or in general, is slim. 

Nonetheless, I would still like to live outside of the city, preferably in a suburban neighborhood close enough to New York City so I can commute. This is because even though the city has problems, it still has a lot of amazing career opportunities. It is also my main reason for coming to college in the first place. My goal in my life is to get one of those high-salary jobs in Manhattan, so I can afford my three objectives for life. These objectives include being able to financially support my mother (who is constantly working hard), an affordable Tudor-style home near New York City, and a convertible BMW M4 Competition.

The objective of being able to support my mother financially is my main goal. In the late 1990s, my mother left her home country of the Dominican Republic and arrived in New York City with one goal in mind; to have a better life. She is always working, pushing her limits to now not only support herself but me and my grandmother as well. While I was home, there were days and nights when I wouldn’t see her due to working or sleeping over at my grandmother’s home to take care of her. Even with all these sacrifices that she made, she put me in the position I’m in today. That is why I’m taking this opportunity to be at Geneseo to the full extent. To better both my life and hers.

Thankfully, Geneseo has treated me well. These past few weeks, I’ve met many great people. Some, of course, I met once, then never again; others, I see occasionally and say hi to. The rest have become my friends. The professors have also been treating me very good as well. Although the coursework wasn’t arduous, I realized how important the idea of time management is. I slacked a bit at first, which caused me to be a little behind in two classes but catching up will be possible. 

In this class, Theater a Therapy for Veterans is going a bit differently than expected. The first time I saw I was given this class, I thought I would be working on a play, or something similar, for the entire semester. On the contrary, we have been mainly doing tasks about writing and filling journals. Overall, this class has been going smoothly, and just like all my other professors, this one seems very passionate about what they teach. I also did not expect this class to be as interactive with one another. Originally, I believed it would be very interactive because I thought the class would focus on manufacturing a play. However, during syllabus week, when we were told about the readings and writing, I believed it would be just that, then work together on a play at the end. However, as I already mentioned, it has been more than that; I’m glad since we have discussions that are interesting and have me question myself. All and all, this class and college has been wonderful, and I can’t wait for what the future holds.