“Study Drug”— Field Assignment #2

For my second field assignment I chose to write about how college students struggle to finish assignments on time and study without using some sort of stimuli. My major focus was how Adderall has become a “study drug” for most college students. Between drinking a soda, coffee, 5 hour energy or energy drink, sometimes students don’t think that is enough. Adderall is a pill that gives you the ability to concentrate with minimal side effects. I think some people find taking the pill every now and then won’t cause them any harm. I was able to interview a few college students who are prescribed Adderall and other college students who have taken or tried Adderall to get through long hours of studying. As some people are open about taking Adderall, others use Adderall in secret.

Adderall is a drug that has been viewed as popular drug in the college life. Regardless of the long hours of work, amount of school work students have, or lack of sleep we might get, it’s important to not procrastinate and learn how to manage your time well. There comes a point in time where we get stressed out being overloaded with assignments and studying especially toward the end of the quarter or semester. We sometimes get caught up in the amount of work we have however being stressed and resorting to Adderall isn’t a good route to take. Studying and starting projects or papers ahead of time will eliminate stress and the need to pull all nighters. 

Good luck to everyone studying and finishing up your last assignments. :))

#CPPCOM317

kristenh27: I love the Holiday season as well. I feel like most people are able to spend time with their loved ones and relax from all the chaos (yes I mean school/work). That is awesome that your boyfriends family treats you as if you were apart of it. The little things that we are blessed with can mean so much! I hope you have so much fun during the holiday season and with all your events coming up!!!

#CPPCOM317

I’m glad you have someone to spend the holidays with. It’s a great time, especially with family and friends.

patriciagaleas:

This is such a cliché, but it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Of course I am talking about December!

I CANNOT wait till then! So many exciting things are going to happen, I can barely contain myself! First off, Dec. 8 is the last day of this quarter, and needless to say I am…

Black Friday!!!

Today was certainly the biggest shopping day of the year, black Friday! With most stores offering some sort of sale, customers were going crazy. With the advertisements that stores put out, showing discounts on certain products gave customers a reason to wake up at the wee hours to spend their money. I personally wasn’t one of the crazy shoppers to wake up and buy things however I was brave enough to go to the mall today.

Just driving through the parking structure was chaos. I couldnt even imagine what it was going to be like inside the mall. As I pulled up to the fourth floor on the structure, I found a parking within a few seconds. It was meant to be. I felt like I was suppose to be shopping on black Friday.

As I roamed the mall for about an hour or so, I was able to actually buy a few items on sale. Each store I went into was either having a discount on the entire store, or offering a buy one get one free deal.

Although many people knew how crazy the malls were going to be, that didn’t stop anyone from participating in black Friday. When there are sales or discounted products people are eager to go and shop regardless of the time. As much as I said I hated black Friday, I think it is an awesome idea for stores to begin their Holiday season by giving reasons why people should be interested in their store and products that are sold in stores.

Black Friday was crazy, however I can officially say this is my second year in going out to the stores along with other people who were ready to conquer the crowds.

britneyahernandez:

I think that Disneyland and things affiliated with Disney put a smile on most people’s faces. It’s crazy to think how much Disneyland makes a year, let alone a day with all the people who attend the attraction. I myself love Disneyland, especially at this time of year. I love going and seeing all the Christmas decorations up with happy people around. As for you, I think your passion for Disney is great. They are a huge company and only continue to grow. Follow your dream and make it big working for Disney. :)

I am a self-proclaimed Disney freak. I love all things Disney-related (or most of it) and I know a lot about it (again, most of it). My most non-embarrassing but should be moments are when I dominate Scene It! against my brothers and sisters, all of whom are younger than I am. I also get really…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

With Christmas just 40 days away, it seems like decorations, packed malls and Christmas music has already began to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Between the decorations going up in stores and around town, or the red holiday cups Starbucks uses, it makes us realizes that these weeks are going to fly by and its going to be most everyones favorite time of year. 

I think with the holidays quickly approaching us, gives everyone a sense of happiness and joy. For me I cant wait to finally have a break from all the papers, projects and tests that I feel have been taking over my time. Christmas is definitely is my favorite time of year. Having the chance to see the lights up on the houses, seeing Disneyland decorated and staying home baking Christmas cookies makes me enjoy this time even more. I also absolutely love being able to spend time with my family and friends over the holiday break. I am not too crazy about the crowded malls however one thing I love to do is buy others presents. I have always been one who believed in the saying “its better to give than to receive”. Between my family and friends, I enjoy shopping and picking out presents for them to open up on Christmas day. The one thing I have noticed over the years is I tend to spoil my little sister just because when I was younger I was spoiled and I want her to feel that way too. I love bringing a smile to her face as well as my other family members and friends. 

Christmas is a time for me to realize that I am blessed with the best family and friends a girl could ask for. I like to give back to those who have been there for me when I needed them most. It’s not always about the presents, or gingerbread lattes, rather Christmas to me is a holiday I get to spend with people I love. 

xoxo <3

Sisters by chance…Friends by choice

We might fight every now and then, and get on each other’s nerves but I couldn’t be any luckier to have the best sisters ever. Being the middle child I get the chance to be close to both of my sisters. My older sister Stephanie, who is 23 (2 1/2 years older) is super close to me and someone who I look up to and admire. My little sister NIkki who is 17 (4 years younger) is a little mini me. I feel like I get to be her big sister she looks up to. It’s crazy how close I am with them both. I feel like I can tell them anything, have the best times doing absolutely nothing and love spending time with them. 

Growing up me and my older sister have always done everything together. From being in dance to playing soccer, sharing clothes and staying up late talking I can truly say she is such an awesome person and has gotten so far in life. I cherish every moment I spend with her. She is one person who has always been there for me. By giving me the best advice or having her laugh til we cry, Stephanie will always be that “Big Sister” who I admire and try to grow up to be like.

As for my little sister, well she is more of a sister who I can drag around shopping with or take to a movie and have the best of times. She is like a little mini me. Regardless of the times we argue or get in fights, she always will be my little sister and I will always be there for her, just like my older sister has been for me. Being that she is younger, or further apart in age, we still get to have fun times together.

My sisters are crazy and loud, but I would change anything about them. They are the people who keep me sane and the two people I can truly turn to for anything. They mean the world to me and I am so grateful to have them both be such a big part of my life!!! <3 xoxo

#cppcom317

shanephilipps:

Loved your blog! It’s so true. Sometimes we feel like we are struggling in life, being bombarded with a million things to do, but we really are lucky to get the chance to experience things that some people might not get the chance to. I feel like with the struggle you went through gives you a better outlook on life and inspires you to keep trying and conquer the things you dream of. We all have our good and bad days, but in the end each day we DO have should be looked at as a blessing! :)

#cppcom317

Things may be hard for me right now. Assignments and papers may be shooting through the roof, baseball may be exhausting and tiresome, and I may be emotionally shot after these final weeks of the quarter, but in the end, I realize that the bigger picture of life is what counts and I would like…

College, Jobs and Sports!!!— field assignment #1

Getting the chance to interview multiple college students and see how they deal with school, sports and jobs allowed me to get a better understanding on how college students deal with the whole “college life”. At times it’s hard to juggle school and work, or school and athletics however its apparent that somehow we manage to get through all of our struggles we face. Whether it’s staying up all night or relying on caffeine to keep us college students functioning, it seems that each and every one of us find our way to get everything completed. Getting every assignment completed on time isn’t always easy. I believe that it is all about the motivation, time management, and dedication we put in to whatever our crazy schedules might consist of.

 It seems that having a job or being a committed athlete eliminates most of the free time that we were used to having. If we aren’t at work or practice/games out time is being consumed with homework, paper, projects and tests to study for. It’s obvious no one really enjoys school. It seems kind of sad that when people ask us to go out we have to say no because we know that we are to busy with the piles of assignments we have to complete.

I took my research further and looked at Facebook to see all the status updates college students post. I wanted interview people as well as look at social media sites to see the comments and specific ways college students get through school while having a committed job or being a committed athlete. This topic seemed interesting to me because with taking 20 units and working 32 hours a week has made me more stressed out than ever before. I wondered how other college students dealing with crazy schedules and what they do to stay focused or do well in school. At least I now know that other students are in the same boat as I am. We are constantly dealing with the piles of readings, projects, assignments and tests that are assigned. Motivation,  dedication and time management is what is going to get us college through the struggles we might face. 

delaniedunne:

I am so sorry for your loss. I loved reading your blog about Eddie. He truly seemed like a genuine guy, which sometimes are hard to find. It makes you stop and think to never take any one or anything for granted. I think it is important we live each day to our fullest, remember the memories we make, and cherish the life we have. Being able to go through life experiencing things that we’ve always dreamed of is a blessing. You lost someone very close to you and I can’t imagine what you went through. And yes it is so true, you now have a guardian angel watching over you and looking down on you with those twinkling eyes you loved!! <3

On September 24, 2009 a piece of my heart was taken from me.

Edwin Stephen Miles was a man of character. He was the kindest, humblest, sweetest person I have ever known. He always had a smile on his face, and could turn your frown upside down with just one flash of his twinkling eyes, and pearly…

What the iPhone does to someone…

It’s crazy much we rely on technology. I recently just had my iPhone 3GS die on me and I was without a smart phone for about 2 weeks. As sad as it seems I was so lost without my iPhone. Usually my first instinct to communicate with someone is to send them a text message. Since my phones text messaging just randomly stopped working, I had to go back to the good old days of calling someone if I wanted to talk to them. 

These days it seems as if we take technology for granted. Things could get done much faster if we would just call someone rather than text them and wait for a text message back. Over these past two weeks I had people texting me and then asking me when they saw me why I haven’t responded to their text message. Naturally my friends know that I wouldn’t ignore them and its out of my character to not respond to a text message, even if it is a few hours later. It seems weird to think that communication is now based off of texting or emailing each other. 

Lucky for me I was able to get a new iPhone (that I love) that works and that just so happens to be the latest and greatest. I feel back in the loop of communication again. Communicating is more convenient when you are able to text message someone. It has it pros and cons, however now a days we seem to be most comfortable with sending text messages to communicate with others. In general, I classify myself as a very outgoing person and feel like I can carry a conversation with many people. Although for me as well as others, I think its safe to say technology has certainly changed the way we communicate. We all love our iPhones (smartphones) but realistically we should take a step back and communicate in ways we used to, in person or over the phone rather than just through sending a text message. 

<3 <3 <3