Stop and Breathe

I feel a lot more adjusted to class this week! I remember getting nervous when Doctor Porwancher began to ask us questions in the first half of class. I've gotten a lot calmer than last week. We discussed an article about Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Instead of analyzing how the two presidents interpreted the Constitution, we examined how progressive they were. Theodore Roosevelt was always believed in being progressive while Woodrow Wilson switched from conservative to progressive. Afterwards, Doctor Porwancher talked to us about writing papers for college. He went beyond our assignment and gave us advice for all papers. He even taught us Chicago style citation. Columbia is extremely serious about plagiarism, so we need to make sure that we cite all sources even if we're not trying to pass someone else's work as our own.

During lunch, I grabbed a plate of food and then headed to a midday lecture. It was about how the internet affects the human brain. The majority of the presentation was filled with statistics about different studies that were conducted. Most people spend 11 hours online and their use is usually evenly split between five main categories. About 30 people showed up for the lecture. I felt that it was more focused on statistics about different groups of people than the effects the internet has on the brain. Regardless though, the lecture was still interesting. 

I was looking forward to going to a popular ice-cream place with Emily and other students, but unfortunately, it was cancelled. All the RAs had a big meeting, so all events were cancelled. I ended up staying to do my laundry. While I waited, I did my reading and wrote on some postcards to send home. I got around to calling my parents too. It was definitely a change from all the activities that usually go on inside and outside of school. I'd much rather be kept busy every day though! Hopefully things will go smoothly for the next two weeks. 

The postcards from the different schools and cities that I'm sending back to my friends and family!