Project Three Reflection: Exciting

Project 3 was by far the most interesting project this year, in my opinion.  I feel as though recording it rather than writing it was pretty exciting (even though we had to write a little bit for the script).  I think I did well with my topic choice.  I really like the topic I chose for the project.  I think it turned out pretty decent; however, I struggled with the recording part.  I am probably, by far, the most technologically retarded person in the world.  I ended up having to get the boys that live on the first floor of my dorm help me with recording it and posting it to blackboard.  The software was glitching when I was trying to record my project, so it took a few times to get it all set and done.  That part was a little bit stressful.  Also, when I was trying to record it, my phone kept going off and making noises during the presentation, which was frustrating.  The guys in my dorm were being super loud in the background, too, so that was frustrating as well.  It was hard to find a totally and completely quiet environment to record in.  Throughout this project, I learned that not procrastinating pays off (hopefully).  I didn’t procrastinate as much as I had with the previous projects, so hopefully everything will turn out the way I thought it would.  It was much easier to write the script without feeling super rushed, whereas with the previous projects I honestly would do them the night before.  I am not so sure about how I will alter my writing process, but I will alter my recording process by trying to learn more about the recording software and educating myself with it instead of having other people help me.  I feel as though I did craft a strong argument and that it was a good topic choice.  Personally, I think my script had enough details in it to let people decide whether they would agree with my argument or disagree, while I also provided my input that I would agree with my argument.  In all honesty, I am not necessarily entirely sure how I will apply my work to the world outside the university with this project.  I just chose a topic and did the project.  It is a topic that applies directly to the university and students attending universities, so I am not sure how I will apply that to the outside world.  Overall, project three was a learning experience to me.  Writing in script was totally new because I have only done script writing once before in my life, and that was because I took creative writing in high school.  Other than that, I have never written a script, and I have never recorded a script, so that was all new and exciting.  Project three was my favorite project out of all the projects this year.  It was a good learning experience and a great way to do a project.

Script Draft: Having a Job in College

Music.

Risner:  Hello.  My name is Lauren Risner.  I am currently a freshman student attending Arizona

            State University.  Without receiving much financial aid from my parents and pretty much

            being responsible for paying for my education on my own, I have realized the significant

            amount tuition is and how difficult it is to receive and maintain a job, while balancing

            good grades and a social life.  Tuition alone is around $10,000.  Then, there are the

            expenses of living on campus, paying for a meal plan, books, and various other fees that

            the university charges students (such as gym membership, internet connection, health

            services, RHA, and many others).  After all those fees, students and parents are generally            

            engulfed in thousands of dollars in debt or left with empty pockets and no spending

            money for fun things college students typically wish to enjoy.  Receiving a job 

            is a thought that comes across many students minds during their college experience.

Music.

Risner:  There are many positive and negative effects of students maintaining a job throughout

            college.  One of the things to consider while receiving a job during college is the question

            of whether grades will be affected in a negative or positive way.  Olenka Wrobel, a

freshman student attending Arizona State University, is here with us today to share her intake on how having a job during college affects her grades.

Wrobel:  I have been working since the end of junior year in high school.  Having a job helped

            me learn how to balance my time and organize things.  Time management skills were

            awesome.  I did just as well with my grades as I did before.  Nothing really changed, like

            before I had a job and after I had a job.  Then in college, at first it was hard to balance

college and work because college was so new and I was still getting used to it.  After I started only working weekends, it got easier and I was able to focus more in class and succeed in my academic career. 

Risner:  A lot of students are worried that their grades will drop due to having a job and become

            worried that they will be too stressed out and not have enough time to focus on school. 

            Did those thoughts and concerns ever occur to you?

Wrobel:  Yes, yes they did.  For the first month and a half, I was working 25-30 hours a week

            and it was really taking a toll on my grades.  I felt stressed and overwhelmed.  After

            reducing my hours to 15-20 per week, I was able to get back on track with my grades,

            while still earning extra spending money.  In a way, having a job in college has definitely

            made me feel more responsible.

Risner:  Now we are going to take a moment to discuss how a student’s grades are affected after

            having a job to not having a job.  We will be talking to Dominick Garcia, also a freshman

            attending Arizona State University.

             

 Garcia: At first having a job made it hard to focus on my schoolwork and I can only imagine it

            did make my grades suffer some, but having a job did teach me how to manage my time

            and it showed me what matters most.  My education comes before my money.  I believe

            that even though my grades did not suffer much with a job, they definitely improved

            without having a job.  I am able to focus more on my work and my classes, and I don’t

            have to worry about staying up late hours in the night to finish an assignment.  I can

            do it during the day now, and be able to have a normal sleep schedule, instead of going

            on only a couple hours.

Risner:  Are you currently looking for another job, or do you like not having one while in

            school?

Garcia:  I am not looking for a job, because I actually do not like having a job while in school

            because I already get stressed enough with schoolwork as it is, and it kind of puts me

            at ease not having to worry about going to work and I can just worry about my schooling.

Risner:  Did you work during the week?  Or primarily weekends? Or both?

Garcia:  They would schedule me during the week and then randomly call me in to cover shifts

            during the week.

Risner:  So basically, the main concern about having a job in college is how it will affect grades

            and social life.  As we can see from both students, working during the week definitely

            affects grades and stresses students out.  For students who wish to maintain a job in

            college while keeping up their grades, having a job during the weekend or without very

            many hours would be the best idea for a job.  That way, they can focus on their

            school work and still manage to get a little spending money on the side for fun activities,

            or can start saving up their money for major future things.  Overall, having a job in

            college does help students feel more responsible and learn how to manage their time

            wisely.  For those who are looking for jobs in college and actually are willing to work, it

            is a good idea, just as long as it is in moderation and under control. 

ASU Reacts: The Secret Genius of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift recently released her newest album, Red, which has sold more than 1.2 million copies within its first week.  How is she able to repeatedly sell millions of copies of every album?  What is the best way to sell an album?  These are the questions she asks herself each time a new album is released.  The way to sell the most copies of an album is by figuring out the right methods to use to sell it.  Artists have so many options in which to sell their albums, such as iTunes, Wal-Mart, Target, Spotify, and Amazon.  They just need to figure out which options to use in order to sell the most albums.  Taylor Swift is the musical genius who has gotten this all figured out.  Even though her music is pretty much the same every time, she continues to sell millions of copies of her albums because she has gotten the method of selling albums all figured out.  The method that she uses to sell her albums is to push people to buy the complete album.  During the first week that her album was released, fans could only purchase it in a few places- iTunes, Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreens.  She refused to stream her songs on Spotify, so fans would buy the complete album.  Myles Buell, a freshman at Arizona State University who moved from Tennessee, shares his input on Taylor Swift’s method of selling albums: “Whatever she does, she does it well and is making millions, so good for her.”  With her musical talent and ability to convey brilliant methods of advertisement, Taylor Swift will continue to sell millions of albums and make fans happy, while earning millions of dollars with her genius ability to sell.