Yes it’s true that a college application essay is perhaps the most significant and crucial type of an essay you’ll ever be assigned to write, because your future depends on the results of its accomplishment. The major purpose of this essay is to reveal your unique and genuine personality, demonstrate your writing skills, ability to organize your thoughts coherently, to build structure of your essay logically and to express everything you think on the subject matter.

I remember when I applied to Michigan State University, it was the only college I applied to. Although my actions had good reasoning’s behind them, I don’t recommend applying to just one college. You should at least apply to 6 good schools based on different categories. One or two should be out of state schools, another should be based on financial aid, maybe one or two in-state schools and a party school (just joking about that last one). The only reason I applied to one school is because MSU was the only school I wanted to attend, so I saw no reason in applying anywhere else if I wanted Michigan State as my only option. If I can recall, my essay topic asked me, Why did I want to attend Michigan State University? Well for me, that was easy to write about since I wanted to begin my future career path down their road. So I just jotted down my thoughts on a separate sheet of paper, did a little research on the school and began writing the best essay I had ever written.

The main thing you have to be consistent with while writing your college application essay is to be yourself, convincing someone how great, unique or smart you are. All this can be seen from the way and manner of your own writing. Genuine talent can be seen without its promotion. Make your work concise. Write leaning upon your personal experience. In any case it’ll  sound more realistic, as nothing can sound more persuasive than real truth.

Sample College Essay

Before we can discuss the legitimacy of the world wide web, first we must understand what legitimacy truly means. By definition legitimacy means to make legitimate, justify or make lawful. With that being said, I think it is best to discuss the importance of legitimacy on the web and its history. As we know there are laws setup that people are supposed to follow to make their lives safer. Such as wearing a seatbelt, stopping at stop signs etc. Just like real life, the digital world has its own set of rules, but they are a little less defined and not as well known as common everyday laws mentioned above.

When the Internet was first introduced, there weren’t any rules that needed to be followed, seeing as how the web was designed to enable more effective collaboration and communication between scientists and researchers whose background was the early Internet and previous ARPANET. In early American History, the essentially quiet little community was invaded by hordes of people who didn’t know any rules, and, unfortunately  didn’t know enough to know that there should be rules. It is great when people publish content on the web because it increases its value for everyone, but everyone still needs to respect other people’s intellectual property.

Over time the web has evolved into what we know today as being a fundamentally social system open to everybody with Internet access. The current danger is the backlash against people who have been using the Web illegitimacy to their own advantage. History has shown that while legislation of morality does not immediately change the world, consistent enforcement of ethical laws does eventually create a new context where the desired legitimacy traits exist. Since the Web essentially has no such laws, and has allowed the cultural reinforcement of the “just go get it on the Internet; it’s free” attitude, the net effect is to undermine the original ethics on which the community was established. The current emphasis on Copyright law, DCMA and other similar efforts are a direct result of illegitimate behavior by a few (or in some cases, a large majority) who do not share the same legitimacy context, or that use the apparent anonymity of the Web to avoid accountability for their actions. The people who define the way the Web should evolve to address these issues cannot afford to only attempt to add new laws (system constraints) without attempting to address the social issue of legitimacy. If the establishment of a common context of legitimacy can be achieved (and we’re a long way from this happening), it will allow the Web to develop into the worldwide, collaborative community it was originally envisioned to be. http://atownley.org/2006/03/why-context-legitimacy-in-the-web/

Because there were so many issues with plagiarism on the web with people just using the information that was presented on the Internet with no such rules to follow, that is when copyrighting came into play. Now it is against the law the to take someone else’s work and make it your own. Most websites on the Internet have at the very bottom, their copyright logo. The importance of copyrighting is illustrated here http://www.k-state.edu/academicpersonnel/intprop/webtutor/sld004.htm. The most common use of plagiarism is found in schools and colleges. Students who have research papers to do find that it is easier to just copy and paste someone else’s work as their own instead of actually doing the assignment, failing to recognize the consequences of their actions. Colleges especially have strict guidelines that they enforce if a student is caught plagiarizing. More information about that is shown here https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/RegsOrdsPolicies.html

One website that is growing very quickly is wikipedia.org. It is a free on line encyclopedia with millions of articles written in many different languages. Wikipedia is a very popular site when looking for information to source, which can cause a lot of frustration between students and teachers. That is because anyone can edit information on the site, but what a lot of people fail to realize is that having that feature creates somewhat of a healthy balance. When false information is posted on the site someone comes along and reads it, then corrects the errors that were made. Wikipedia is also making efforts to combat false information being posted. Users that are caught “vandalizing the site” may be blocked from making any further revisions to the on line encyclopedia. With hundreds of thousands of users on the site all the time, revisions are being made constantly. Students that find information on Wikipedia should cross reference the material they find with other sources, maybe even go old school and use a non-electronic source. In addition to this, some “important” topics such as pages about certain wars can’t be edited without approval, which virtually eliminates false information being posted.

The real problem that needs to be addressed with legitimacy on the web is students not being able to figure out whether a website is credible. Today’s students are often times too lazy to do a little research to figure out who the host of a site is and what interests they may have in posting information. Doing that would require students to sit down and actually think, which is something most of them are terrible at. Critical thinking skills seem to diminish with each new generation of students. With a lot of emphasis being put on math and science, students don’t learn a whole a lot about actually thinking for themselves and putting together their own thoughts. Today’s students are more into formula’s that can provide them instant gratification. The problem of legitimacy on the web is a whole lot deeper than one website posting false information. It happens to be a cost associated with today’s culture.

With all this information on the web students find that the Worldwide Web has become the future of the world; linking people to vast amounts of information with a couple clicks of a mouse. The Worldwide Web is a fragile environment that holds endless amounts of information that anyone can enter onto Web’s pages. On the Worldwide Web, there are no real regulations and guidelines that a person needs to follow when entering information, as one once needed with writing books, articles, documentaries, and other traditional text methods. Anything that one would like entered into the Web, regardless of its truth base, is fair entry. With the ability of any person to enter any information onto the web, one needs to learn how to judge a site for credibility and legitimacy. If the web is going to continue to grow and prosper, school’s need to take some initiative and make sure students know how to properly judge a website.

So the question that remains is, how can you tell if a website is legit or not? Simply follow these steps listed which explain to you if a website has accurate and legitimate information. http://library.fandm.edu/howto/websites.html

Websites

If you have been accepted to a four year university you are probably wondering what your academic workload is going to be like compared to high school. I’m sure you have heard many stories of people getting terrible professors and failing classes. Don’t worry, if you follow four simple steps, your academic transition will be golden.

The first step is very important. When you sign up for a class, do research on the professor teaching the class. There are websites such as www.ratemyprofessor.com and others where students post reviews of teachers. As far as the websites go, if more than five people tell you not to take the class, it’s probably a good idea not to take it. While these websites are useful also talk to people in person that have taken the class before. They will be able to give you a lot of first hand knowledge that will be very beneficial to you later in the term.

The second step is to study in between classes. Don’t pull out your laptop and go on Facebook, open up a book or review notes from the previous day. If you do this when you are done with classes for the day, you will be able to relax and not have to worry about studying and homework.

Students Studying

The third step, which I’m sure you have heard a million times is don’t wait until the last minute to study for your big exam or start your paper. If you start early you will definitely be less stressed and it will make life easier.

The fourth step may seem even simpler than the previous one, go to class! If you attend every lecture and actually pay attention and take notes you are setting yourself up to do well overall in your classes. Going to class will make studying for exams a whole lot easier, because you will already be familiar with the material.

Following these steps is a great way to set yourself up to have a great GPA your first semester and maintain it throughout your college career. Just remember while GPA is very important, it can only take you so far in life.

The statement “finding yourself in college” is heard a lot by incoming students, but nobody really explains to them what it means and how they should go about finding themselves. After doing a search on Google I quickly realized that it is a very vague topic without a true definition. The term can be defined differently depending on what person you are talking to about it. Coming into college I always wondered what it meant, but now after completing my first semester at Michigan State I feel that I have developed my own theory on how students should go about finding themselves.

the road goes on forever and the story never ends

For students who want to find themselves I would recommend they do several things once they arrive on campus. The first and most important is being open-minded when it comes to other people and their tastes, beliefs, and preferences. Being open minded about other people will definitely benefit you in college and later in life. The beauty of being in college is that you get to experience and live around people that are different from yourself. So instead of looking down on someone for not being exactly like you, try to actually learn from them. Try to learn about why people like the things they do, question them about the music they like and why they find it appealing. You might actually agree with some of the things they say, or you will have a better understanding of your own musical tastes. If you aren’t open minded you will most likely find yourself extremely annoyed in many situations where you have to interact with people that are different from yourself, which will not be enjoyable for you or whoever you are talking to.

Another important thing to do to find yourself in college is branching out. Try to resist the urge to only hangout with your friends from high school once you arrive on campus. Part of the college experience is meeting new people and going out of your comfort zone. Hanging out with people that you normally wouldn’t hangout with is a great way to try new things and figure out what type of person you are becoming. Sure you should still keep in touch and hangout with your old friends, just give it a week of being on your own without people you are familiar with, you will be surprised at what you find out about yourself. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to someone who lives on your floor or someone in the cafeteria, you might end becoming life long friends with them.

College may or may not be the best time of your life, just remember it is what you make of it. Finding yourself is an important aspect of the college experience. If you follow the tips mentioned above you are setting yourself up to “find yourself” in college. Good luck.

When reflecting back on my freshmen year of college at Michigan State University I can’t get over how much I have changed as a person. When I first arrived on campus in August 2007 I was nervous and a little scared of being out on my own away from my family. I lived in East Akers hall and had four roommates. My roommates and I did not have any classes together, which was hard for me because I was a shy person. During welcome week one of my roommates and I went and found all of our classes and explored the stores that were just off campus. The city was new for me because I come from a small town in central Michigan and I grew up out in the country on a farm.

 The first day of classes came and it was different because the responsibility was on me to get up and get to my classes. I started my first semester with three classes, which totaled to twelve credits.  My first class was Dairy Management. The second class I had was Introduction to Animal Agriculture. My third class was College Algebra and Trigonometry. I decided that I wanted to join a club that involved livestock. So I found the block and bridle club, which is the biggest livestock club on campus and it is also a national club on many other campuses throughout the United States.  The semester flew by and I made a few new friends in my classes. I mainly just kept to myself and did not attempt to talk to my neighbors in the dorms. Final exams came and I did not study very much, so I did not do very well my first semester. The main reason was the big change in class size, all of my classes had well over a hundred students in them, which is five times as many as were in my high school classes. I didn’t ask professors questions when I didn’t understand the material.

 When second semester started I realized it was going to be harder than the first. I had five classes, worth a total of seventeen credit hours. I had economics, chemistry, writing, integrated social science and a freshmen seminar class. I made a mistake by taking all college required classes and none that had to do with my major. Not involving my major made it hard for me to stay interested in class, so I was bored most of the time. I still went to class, but I found it hard to pay attention to my professors and sometimes I would fall asleep. Integrated Social Science is a required college class. There are many different sections of that class, so I decided to take the one that involved individual in society. The class was interesting, but hard to understand. I did well on the quizzes, but not on the exams. Chemistry was also a hard class for me. My economics class was interesting, but it was a long class and only one day a week. In writing and the freshman seminar class I received a four point. This helped balance my total grade point average out to an approved college grade. I also decided to join a fraternity my second semester at Michigan State. I joined the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, which is an agriculture based fraternity.  This took up a lot of time during the week. There were meetings every Monday night. Also, I wanted to get to know the members better so I stayed around the house talking and hanging out with the older members. The fraternity also introduced me to the party scene. I would go over to the house for parties, then we would go to other parties around campus. With the different life style than before I began to talk more openly with other people. I was not as shy as I used to be when I first came to school. I believe the change was better for me, now I can talk to fellow classmates and ask professors questions when I don’t understand the material.         

Here is a great video on the rankings of America’s Best Colleges. Gives you a good idea of what certain colleges are known for and also helpful tips on choosing the right school for you.

Greek Symbols

There is a lot more to the Greek community than drinking and partying. The Greek community consists of thirteen sororities and twenty five fraternities. Sororities our governed by the Panhellenic Council. The council consists of elected members from different sororities. Fraternities are governed by the IFC (Interfraternity Council). The IFC consist of elected members from different houses. The only people that are allowed to vote in the council elections are the presidents of the different houses. Every house is a chapter of its national organization. Each chapter does a philanthropy event each year beside the ones that all chapters participate in. There are also awards the houses can win if they are the best in the category (Go).

Chapters must participate in the Safe Halloween and Greek Week philanthropy. Safe Halloween is a big party for the children of the community to come and have fun and stay safe. There are many activates for the children to participate in. There are painting stations where they are allowed to paint different things. Also, there is a moon bounce and a dunk tank where they can dunk members of the Greek community. The members of the Greek community watch and organize the event so everyone stays safe and parents can be sure that their children are safe. The main part of Greek week is Relay for Life. In 2008 the Greek community raised $208,000 for the American Cancer Society. The houses are divided up into teams of two fraternities and one sorority. The teams compete in four events to see who can perform the best. The events are Relay for Life, Song Fest, MTV Night, and Battle of the Bands. Relay for Life is won by seeing who can raise the most money for the American Cancer Society. Song Fest is singing and dancing to different songs. MTV night is like a music video where a group of people sing and others dance behind them. Battle of the bands is playing instruments and singing. The team that does the best in all four events wins Greek Week for that year.

The event where the winner is decided is called Greek Gala. Houses can win awards such as Chapter of the year, Grant Davison, Alumni programming, and Campus Relations. Chapter of the year is given to the best house of the year. The Grant Davison award is given to the cleanest house on campus. Alumni programming is given to the house with the best alumni relations. Relationships with alumni are important to keep funding for the house and to keep members active in the house after they graduate. The campus relations award is given to the house that is most involved with the campus through other clubs and organizations. There are thirty awards that can be awarded in total. Houses receive these awards by filling out applications of their accomplishment for the year. The applications are gone over by the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council to see which fraternity and sorority the awards should be awarded to.

Chapters also have their own philanthropy event that they organize. The Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity has an annual Hog Roast in the fall of every year. The money raised by the hog roast is given to Michigan AgrAbility. Michigan AgrAbility is a foundation that helps farmers that have been injured from farming in Michigan. Alpha Gamma Rho finds sponsors through out the state, so that they are able to put the hog roast on.

Alpha Gamma Rho received four awards at the 2008 Greek Gala. They have won the Grant Davison award for the cleanest house many years in a row. The award for alumni programming was received because Alpha Gamma Rho has many events where they are involved with their alumni. They have an Alumni dinner where the current members go out to a restaurant and get to know each other and share their stories about the house. They also have an alumni work day where everyone helps fix the house up. In the summer they hold an annual golf outing where they can also get together to share stories. The campus relations award was awarded because they are involved in many clubs like Block and Bridle and take leadership roles in the clubs. They received the Chapter of the year award for being the best overall fraternity on campus in 2008.

The houses also have many fun events too. In the fall Alpha Gamma Rho has a Christmas party and in the spring they have a formal party like prom. These events are just for members and their dates but there are many other times where all of their friends are welcome to come over and party. Parties are list parties because they must be listed with the Interfraternity Council so everyone stays safe. Also list parties help protect the members belongings and other party members, so they know who is at their parties. This also helps protect the house from getting damaged.

The Greek life is a good experience and a good way to create a social network. Many employers were part of the Greek community or know people that were. When members graduate they have a better chance of receiving a job because they can have the alumni help get their name out to different employers. It also can help to be a part of the Greek community because you live with students with the same major as you, so you can always ask each other for help with studying for exams.

Source:http://gogreek.msu.edu/

High School Graduates

When I graduated from high school I thought I was ready for college. In high school I didn’t study a lot. I waited until the last minute to study for tests and do my homework assignments. That wasn’t always a good idea but everything came easy for me. I graduated number 20 in my class out of 150 students. When I got to college I was in store for something that I didn’t believe was true. Many people say that the transition from high school to college is easy. In my opinion its not, but it’s the time of your life when you really get to know yourself and develop study skills and habits. I will be giving you many tips that will help you transition from high school to college and make you an excellent college student.

Even if you were at the top of your class in high school, everything will change once you receive your first college exam grade. At universities there are fewer assignments so every grade counts. The first thing that you will need to do is make your schedule. If you are a freshman you will not have classes yet that go toward your major, so you will be taking university requirements. Consider taking an elective class that will help with your grade point average and keep your stress level down. If you are not a morning person try to stay away from 8:00 a.m. classes. Now that doesn’t mean take all evening classes, because once the cold sets in, you may find yourself skipping a lot. If you feel the need to work, have your schedule where you have time to study and do homework. I understand that many freshmen come in undecided on a major but it will be a good idea to have something in mind. It will make you feel like you have something to work towards. PLEASE go to every class and take notes so you can study them. Not all professors take attendance; but when you show up you learn more about the information and what the professor considers important.

You have made it this far, but this is the time in your life where you need to develop your independence. Take responsibility and initiative when it comes to yourself. Your parents are no longer around to tell you what to do. Unlike high school, your professor doesn’t collect and check homework. Be sure to stay on top of all of your readings as well. You need to take studying seriously. The best place for you to study is the library because your dorm room is full of distractions. If you are struggling in a class get help immediately. Every professor has office hours and times set aside for students to come talk to them and get help. Many colleges offer free and mandatory tutoring and workshops that will help you with your academic needs.

Now this doesn’t mean you can’t have fun; at times you need breaks from all the work you’ve done. When you go to college, you need to make new friends. It will be much easier for you to transition once you do so because you will meet a lot of people who may feel the same way you do. I know that you might get home sick but don’t go home as much. Try to stay away from home as long as you can. Call your family and friends when you are feeling down or just to say hi. Try to get involved and get yourself known on campus, even if that means joining clubs or getting involved in the community.

The last thing for you to do is get to know your campus. When you first get there, walk around the campus and find out where your classes are. Hopefully all of the advice I have given you, will make you an excellent college student.

College Graduates

Wheatt, Dalia. College View. 3 December 2008.

http://www.collegeview.com/articles/CV/campuslife/transitioning.html

Glass, Vanessa. How to Transition from high school to college. Copyright © 1999-2008 eHow 3 December 2008.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2301640_transition-from-high-school-college.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

Couple Relationships

Many people say that the people you meet in college are going be your friends for the rest of your life. I believe this statement is true. I have talked to a lot of people that said, the people they met while in college, are still friends to this day. As individuals we want a relationship with people who we can share our joy and sorrow with and someone that understands and cares. It is nice to know that you have someone to help you with anything and someone you can count on. When most people hear the word relationship, they usually think that you are talking about a relationship between two people. There is more than one type of relationship that you can share with someone You can have a social relationship, and a dating relationship. There are a lot more relationships that you can share with someone but those are the main two that develops every relationship.

In social relationships, communication skills and habits have a great influence on how we develop a social relationship with someone else. Communication involves talking, listening, writing, giving advice, and non-verbal communication (body language and touch). When you have a social relationship with others you feel as if you can talk to your friend about anything, and that person will be there to help you through it all. In college you develop a social relationship with a lot of people and this is what they call “networking”. Networking is when you are trying to get yourself known. You may ask for help with your work, or just have a general conversation with people.

College dating is a chance for you to get to know yourself. College dating is different from high school dating. When you were in high school your parents had a lot of say so in your relationship. Now that you are in college, you have freedom and don’t have to worry about what your parents say. This may mean being more open to the person you may date due to their religion, race, and background. Most college students just want to date different people and many want to find their spouse. Dating in college can sometimes affect your grades. Many people say partying, having a job, and joining a sorority or fraternity can also affect your grades and this is true also. The main thing to remember is that you are supposed to have fun in college but also get an education. When you get into a relationship you and your roommate are suppose to set some rules about certain things.

When you go to college you lose a lot of friends but also make new ones. I came to Michigan State University with six people I used to go to high school with. One of the girls was my best friend and we don’t even talk any more. I used to wonder why? After doing research about how everyone changes when they get to college, I found out that some people just out grow each other and some find others who they feel they are more socially compatible with.

Friendships

Glam Pubisher Network. 16 December 2006.© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp. 02 December 2008. http://college.lovetoknow.com/College_Dating

Here is a video that sums up what you should and should not pack for college. The process as far as following the guidelines are pretty accurate.