http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/ en Copyright 2008 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:19:51 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss After all the fun of spring break, it seems as if a whole barrage of assignments has appeared out of thin air. I had not thought for once during the break about all the assignments that were given to be done over spring break. Now I have just two days to complete them all in between the unpacking and meeting and greeting of friends. Let’s see how that goes. Who assigns work over spring break anyway? Shouldn’t spring break be all about fun, relaxation and recovery from the rudiments of the previous half term? I know that is what most if not all students believe. But obviously the professors all have a different view of the whole point of spring break. I guess I will just have to try my best to complete as many if not all the assignments that I can in these two days before the recommencement of classes. After all, my last half semester as a freshman is about to begin. ]]> http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/03/back_to_school.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/03/back_to_school.html Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:19:51 -0500 Yeah! Spring break is finally here. I had my final midterm exam earlier today. At last they are over. I believe that I did pretty well in most of my exams but that is all over with for now. It is now time to rest and to have fun. I have already got the best news ever that will undoubtedly make my break enjoyable. I found out yesterday that I have been offered a job as a Resident Assistant here at Saint Leo University. Hooray! After all that work and the long process, I have finally been rewarded for my hard work. I can hardly wait until I get back from break to sign the contract. My parents are also very overjoyed at the news. Even my friends have decided to dedicate an entire day over the spring break to specifically celebrate my achievement. They know how hard I have worked for this job and are all happy for me. Initially I had planned to spend spring break in Daytona with some friends. However, I have since then scrapped those plans. Instead, a few friends and I are going to spend the break at a condo in Orlando. I will be spending the break with three of my good friends on campus. I expect that it will be a whole heap of funs as everyone is happy to finally be away from the clutches of exams. After all that work, we definitely deserve this break. We are supposed to drive to Orlando later this evening so let the fun begin! http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/03/spring_break_is_here_and_with_1.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/03/spring_break_is_here_and_with_1.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:07:38 -0500 The resident assistant screening process is heating up and all the applicants are working hard to prove how worthy they are for the prestigious job. There are over 200 applicants vying for about 20 jobs. Everyone is doing his/her best to ensure he/she is chosen. We have classes at 8 p.m. on Sundays and weekly assignments. I just finished completing an actual bulletin board for a residence hall. I feel so proud considering that the board was for the hall with the most seniors on campus plus they all loved it. I also had to create a proposal for a hall program which I thought was a great deal of fun while being really important. The classes are going well and I feel as if I have a really good shot at this job even though I am still a freshman. Mid term exams are also coming up. The amount of work that is required for classes is therefore multiplied twofold. Professors are piling on all the work that they can in an effort to complete the necessary portions of their respective syllabi. A whole lot of assignments are due and all students including myself have to be scrambling to complete all the required work on time. At the same time mass cramming is taking place so as not to fail any of my courses. Unfortunately, I am not as confident this time around as I was last semester. I do not feel like my GPA will be as high as it was then. That sucks! However, I hope that I can raise it to a level that I can at least be comfortable with. Therefore, it is just crazy preparation, studying and assignments for the rest of the half term. I can’t wait for all the work to subside and for spring break to raise its desperately attractive head. It will be such a relief. http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/02/midterm_exams_are_here.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/02/midterm_exams_are_here.html Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:59:52 -0500 School is hard! That was all I could tell my mom when I spoke to her last night. She encouraged me to just work harder, but really, what more can I do? It is not really that the material is overwhelmingly difficult. It is just that the volume of work that has to be undertaken is much too much. Someone should have warned me not to take all six of these difficult reading intensive courses in one semester. Just today I have had to hand in a 7,500 words journal for my honors course. Not fun!!! My accounting course is also giving me constant headaches. The good thing is that Saint Leo University seems to have anticipated that it would happen like that. They have implemented a supplemental instruction program twice per week for that course. A senior who has excelled in Accounting provides tutoring sessions that specifically review all that is taught in class free of cost. Good looking out Saint Leo...I really appreciate it. The sweetest young lady Rhenese tutors that class. It has really helped me tremendously to maintain a good grade in that course. Thanks again Saint Leo University. That is one of the many really important ways in which Saint Leo University seems been helping me to maintain a high academic standard. I have also started an additional course non inclusive of my regular academic courses. This is a preparatory course for a job as a Resident Assistant. Yes! Believe it or not I am applying for a job as a Resident Assistant at Saint Leo University. It is an awesome responsibility which will inevitably reduce my free time but I believe it is a job that I can do well. There are a number of activities that I have to be undertaking as part of the job-screening process. This has further added to the work load that I have for this semester. Ultimately, I hope I will be given a chance to serve in that capacity. http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/02/school_is_hard.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/02/school_is_hard.html Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:43:14 -0500 It has been just two weeks into the new term but I am already overwhelmed with all the work that I have to do. Last semester was challenging but this semester has begun with an even bigger bang than last year. This semester is turning out to be a life defining semester in my life. I have decided that I am going to undertake a double major in Computer Information Systems and Accounting. I have signed up for all of eighteen credits in order to finish my double major on time. This is really proving to be much harder that I expected considering that I am doing some of the most tedious courses possible. However, I have decided that I am going to need to work harder this semester than ever before in my life. The good thing, however, is that I am back with my friends. Everyone said that in college I would meet friends who are genuine and those who are not. That has definitely proven to be true. I am finally beginning to separate the fake and undeserving friends from the truly authentic friends. Also I am beginning to develop a greater diversity of friends as opposed to just those who are from my home country (Jamaica) and the Caribbean. My semester generally though has started fairly well. I am determined to minimize some of the going out and partying in the hope of maintaining my GPA at the level it was last semester despite the difficulty of my courses this semester. I have now realized that my first semester in college is over and it is now up to me to do the best that I can. My honeymoon in college is over. It is now really time to “do me.” http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/01/the_honeymoon_is_over.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/01/the_honeymoon_is_over.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:35:18 -0500 The winter break is over and once again I am returning to Saint Leo University. It was a wonderful holiday period and a well deserved break. Last semester ended with the stress of end of semester exams and I could not wait to leave school so I could have a chance to just relax and unwind. I really looked forward to the rest and excitement of a whole month away from school. The holiday did not go as planned though as the moment I left I began to miss the comfort of my friends at Saint Leo University. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to go home to Jamaica. Instead I was on my way to COLD COLD New York City! The break was spent with my absolutely wonderful aunt and equally wonderful cousins. New York surpassed all my expectations as the cold seemed at times, unbearable. The tropical climate of the Caribbean and even more specifically Jamaica, could not have prepared me for this. It was, however, a very interesting experience. It was actually my first encounter with snow and for that I am grateful. I was at least happy that I got a chance to experience that for the first time. Besides that harsh cold, however, the holiday was wonderful. I did a lot of travelling and sightseeing. Oh and yes I did get loads of opportunities to rest and recuperate from the effects of last semester. I enjoyed every last bit of my holiday in New York. While I missed my friends, they all for the most part stayed connected through phone calls and through IM. I even had the wonderful opportunity of meeting up with some of my friends who live in New York. The break was great but now I must return to school to continue what I started. It is now time to go back to the hard work and long nights. I must return to the stress of homework and exams. I am also returning to my wonderful friends at Saint Leo University. And yes of course, I love New York but I can’t wait to return to the warmth of the Florida climate! Saint Leo here I come... http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/01/winter_break_is_over_saint_leo_1.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2008/01/winter_break_is_over_saint_leo_1.html Beyond SLU Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:19:04 -0500 Yeah! Finally it is all over. My final exams were a really stressful period in my life. It was probably the most stressful time for me since my enrollment here at Saint Leo University. I had a number of difficult tasks that I had to take care of and a lot of fun activities I had to give up. It was not easy but it had to be done. The stress began even before my final exams. There were tons of course work that had to be completed. My professors seemed to have conspired to bombard me with these assignments just before my exams. Lol! I had projects, essays and research papers. I even had to make a movie for my Honors class. This particular assignment was very stressful but it was a whole bunch of fun. I managed to get through all the assignments knowing very well that I had only one week to go. The week of finals came and brought with it its share of work and sleepless nights. I was not fully prepared for exams and so sleep was a rare commodity. I barely had more than two or three hours of sleep each night. At least two nights I had absolutely no sleep. Exams were grueling and tiresome. I stocked up on caffeine products and energy drinks which kept me awake. I wrote papers all week. Then finally it ended. I was so relieved. I could finally relax and get some sleep. The rest did not come however. My friends and I were too relieved to even think about sleeping. We had a couple nights of partying and fun, knowing that we would all soon leave campus for the Christmas break. We partied and celebrated the end of exams. Finally the end of semester had come. We were all happy but we knew we would miss our friends at Saint Leo University. My final grades came eventually and I was overjoyed. I received a B+ for my honors class (woop woop!) and A’s for all my other courses. I was ecstatic and so were my parents. I had a GPA of 3.86 for my first semester in college. All my hard work had finally paid off. The nights without sleep were not in vain and I was happy. Now I have the entire four week break to rest and relax with family members. I will not be going home to Jamaica. However, I will be spending the break in New York with other family members. I am a bit tentative to spend my winter break in the cold New York climate but I am sure it will be loads of fun. http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/12/final_exams.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/12/final_exams.html Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:14:28 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/12/winter_formal_2007.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/12/winter_formal_2007.html Events Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:53:34 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/12/my_wonderful_thanksgiving_brea.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/12/my_wonderful_thanksgiving_brea.html Beyond SLU Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:56:34 -0500 It is the week before Thanksgiving and I can’t wait for the break. I will be spending the week away from school with my aunt and cousins in beautiful Miami. It already promises to be a wonderful experience. It seems however that all my professors have planned for this break. They have all loaded me up with nonstop homework and assignments. Yeah, I know it is not exactly what any student wants to hear. The professors seemed to have conveniently left all the assignments for our Thanksgiving break. Despite that, I will allow nothing to spoil my long awaited break. I am determined to enjoy it as much as it possible. This semester has been long and tedious. It has taken me a little while to get used to my first semester in university. Thanks to the close guidance of the international admissions team here at Saint Leo University, as well as my friends, I have finally managed to adapt to the new experience. The Thanksgiving break is therefore a good chance to rest and recharge my batteries after my first rough semester. I am sure that the break will be very exciting and relaxing. I am looking forward greatly to the week in Miami. It is not just about the rest and relaxation however. After the break, I will have a single week before my final examinations actually begin. It will be a lot of work, but I know that I can do well with enough preparation. That has made me even more determined to enjoy this break since I will be busy for the next couple weeks. This week is therefore my time to relax before the next few weeks of challenging school work. When it comes I will definitely be ready for it. Therefore all I can say is “LET THE FUN BEGIN!�? http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/11/yeah_thanksgiving_break_is_her.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/11/yeah_thanksgiving_break_is_her.html Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:09:40 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/11/caribbean_students_reunion.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/11/caribbean_students_reunion.html Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:54:28 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/10/positive_change_always_comes_b_1.html http://blogs.targetx.com/slu/DavionCooper/2007/10/positive_change_always_comes_b_1.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:43:17 -0500