Master Student Journal 1
Reflecting on my life thus far, I am already on the path to becoming a master student. No one is born perfect, everyone has flaws, and often, many have to adjust their habits and possibly even personality to be successful. This is true of me, as there are many areas where I excel, yet there is still much room for improvement. The Becoming a Master Student textbook has been a great tool in identifying areas of my personality that were not always apparent to me. Chapter 1 pointed out the way that I learn and Chapter 9 was somewhat of an eye-opener in diversity. The techniques and success skills recently learned will soon become an integral part of my future success.
The introductory chapter of the book allowed me to immerse myself in the material by identifying with a customized version of it. This was part of the Learning Style Inventory and Discovery Wheel. Specifically the LSI, which labeled me as a combination between learning modes 3 and 4, has assisted me in identifying my strengths. Between modes 3 and 4, I have gathered from chapter 1 that learning by Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation has turned me into a sponge. I like to absorb concepts in as many ways as possible, mainly by doing, but also by analyzing and attempting to figure out how or why a concept or fact was derived. This strength is evident of the fact that I strive to learn as much as possible.
Diversity is probably the greatest key factors in becoming a master student. In Chapter 9, I learned that a major part of diversity was stereotyping, or ignoring stereotypes. I was born defying stereotypes. From my against the odds success in school, to my interests, personality, and group of friends, I rarely fit into a stereotype. This has prevented me from being too stereotypical. I consider this to be a positive because I am not blinded by common biases or misconceptions about other cultures, races, religions, status, and lifestyles. Although there are endless amounts of knowledge to learn about others, I am open to almost anything.
Also introduced in Chapter 1 was the Discovery Wheel. This revealed many positive aspects of my personality, in addition to also revealing many things that need improvement. My greatest weakness is my lack of consideration for health. I often get so consumed with my activities and involvements that I often forget to take care of myself. With robotics, an intense school schedule, extra-curricular activities, and other interests, all being year-round, it is easier to choose to grab an unhealthy snack, or even skip a meal, than it is to make healthier choices. Another health issue is sleep deprivation. With robotics going late into the night, sometimes morning, between January and April, I often go to sleep after 2am or not even at all, regularly, still with homework and other commitments to fulfill. I understand that this is a dangerous health risk, and I am being proactive about correcting this horrible habit that I have formed by creating several sample schedules, dependant on various scenarios, for next semester and the years to come.
There are many times where I wish that I could express myself better. I have known for quite a while now that I lack many of the necessary and beneficial communication skills that many posses so easily. The urgency to learn how to communicate effectively increased significantly after reading Chapter 9. I now realize that I cannot be as diverse as I wish to without adapting the ability to communicate comfortably and effectively. Although I strongly oppose working in groups, I cannot allow my personal preferences to restrain me from becoming successful, which requires working with and being dependant on others. I know that after mastering the art of effective communication, I will be able to form lasting partnerships and ensure a fair environment, between myself and those that I interact with.
With recent analysis, I have been able to better assess my personality. I have learned that pure intellect, competence, motivation, and other emotionless traits do not fully encompass my character. There are many negative aspects of my character that I would like to forget or push to the backburner, or even things that I simply find insignificant, that really are of some importance. Hopefully, I will be able to overcome those previous mistakes and move forward using some of the suggestions and techniques learned in Chapters 1 and 9. When I am able to fully incorporate these skills I will be closer to achieving master student status.
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