Ten Things I Learned This Semester

Here we are again at another close to another semester of college. Everyone is stressed out and overwhelmed with papers, projects, and finals coming up. Everyone just wants to make it to the Christmas Holiday Break and pass all of their classes. As things wind down though, I think it is important and honestly just fun to reflect back and realize what you actually learned and can take away from this semester. So here is my list of ten random things I learned this semester:

1. I learned how to create a map using GIS programming.

My final project in my Intro to Geospatial Technologies class consisted of me creating an entire map on ArcMap by myself with all of the essential map qualities. I chose to do mine over four year universities in Tennessee that offer agriculture as a major.

1. I learned how to obtain GPS data myself.

In order to create that map I mentioned before, I had to obtain my own data through GPS that I collected myself or found already gathered on the internet, then I had to get the coordinates of the locations or information. I may have looked silly walking around the quad with my GPS but hey that’s okay!

1. I learned to check and save your paper multiple times before submitting it.

This may sound like common sense, I know. However, I had a huge freak out moment in my British Literature class when I submitted a paper online and looked back at it later and it didn’t have any of my in text citations throughout my paper. Luckily the teacher gave me a chance to resubmit it. Microsoft word was not my friend that day to say the least!

1. I learned how to make a budget plan.

I obviously knew prior to this semester that I had to pay for things in life, as an adult especially. Doing some research in my Technical Communications class though helped me figure and lay out all of the specifics for my budget plan.

1. I learned how to properly set up lighting for a photo shoot.

I love pictures. I love taking them of people. I love being in them with my friends. So in my Photojournalism class, when we learned how to properly set up lighting, flash units, cameras, etc. in order to take portrait photos, I was very excited.

1. I learned how to accurately take pictures and write captions for photojournalism.

Prior to my Photojournalism class, I had no idea about all of the hard work it went into to taking the perfect picture and writing the perfect caption for journalism. This class was so neat because I go to hands on do what we were learning.

7. I learned how to twerk.

Don’t worry mom or any of my church family reading this. I would never dance inappropriately! I learned how to twerk in my shake n shimmy dance exercise class. You won’t believe the workout it is and how much fun my best friend and I had laughing at each other trying to do it.

1. I learned how to condense my resume.

This one isn’t as excited as the rest, but it is a very useful skill I learned by going to the Career and Development office this year. They helped me figure out what actually should go on a resume and what shouldn’t and how to make myself stand out on paper.

1. I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop.

In two of my classes this semester I had to use Photoshop. I had always heard about it but obviously I had no idea how to use it. It is something I know how to use now though!

1. I learned how to use and actually make really neat print design in Adobe InDesign.

In my print design class this semester, we used a very complex program called InDesign. I still am not a pro at it to say the least, but I am getting much better at it! I produced some pretty cool print design to prove it too! I made a business card, an advertisement poster, a three panel brochure, and an eight page conference program!

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