Day 14 Response: Kiarah Lazo

These past four weeks have truly been a great experience. Before I came to the bridge program I was scared and felt unprepared to start something new. Once I stepped foot in the building of Columbia, I felt home. I have to admit I wasn’t do so well in the beginning because I wasn’t used to writing papers everyday or actually doing all my math problems. The only thing I would change is the time frame. I would have loved if this program ran until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. I learned so much that I wish I had more time and enjoy this experience even more.
The one thing I loved and wouldn’t change is the people here at Columbia. I’ve dealt with really cool people back in Pilsen in high school but the people here are a different story. These students are unique in many ways. I’ve never been around such a large crowd who love art the way I do. I actually met an interesting person who loves photography and is majoring in it just like myself. It’s great to met people with the same interest and it is also great to meet new people to learn new things. Columbia is the place for me.

Bridge

I have to say that the Bridge Program was a very positive experience for me overall. I really enjoyed the class and everyone for the most part was very welcoming and friendly. I made quite a few friends during this experience. The one thing I can say I did take from this experience is Columbia is not your ordinary school. Actually when I first walked into English I couldnt believe some man with like 1000 tattoos was our teacher. The whole time I was in high school my teachers stressed that tattoos weren't professional however you contradicted that statement because I've gotten more out of this class than I've gotten out of any English class that I ever took in high school. In some respects you showed me it was okay to be different and show individuality. This also showed me at Columbia anything can happen.

The only thing I would actually change about the program is making the post lecture discussions shorter. There were many days I didnt want to be bothered and just wanted to go home and enjoy the rest of my day. Sometimes I felt the lectures weren't important enough to actually have an intelligent discussion about especially the one about Zombies because we all know zombies arent real. I'm actually glad I was given the opportunity to be apart of the Bridge Program because it gave me a more in depth look at what college is all about. The last thing I would change is the times I would make it a little later in the day because I am not a morning person LOL.

Bridge

Feedback 8-24-2010- Sam Johnson

A couple of things that I would keep from the bridge program is the fact that students get to network with one another and students get a head start on college before all of the other incoming students. Networking was the biggest part of the bridge program for a lot of students. Being in class all day gets tiring and for the students to have a good amount of time meeting each other and hanging out at lunch made this program go way more smoothly. Another fact about the program that was great was, the students getting a head start on college before a lot of the incoming students. By Columbia being a big college that holds over 20 campuses, we learned to get around a lot better. So when school starts, we would already know the ins and outs.
Some things I would change about the program are the times 9am to 3pm, museum visits, and lectures. I don't think students should be here from 9am to 3pm because there's only two classes. The last class really ends at 12pm. everything after that is pretty much a waste of time. The museum visits was a waste because it had nothing to do with the purpose of me being at the bridge program. The lectures and post lectures, some of them were pointless to the students. If we sit in a lecture and after a couple of days have nothing to say or remember about the lectures, it's irrelevant. The post lectures shouldn't be there at all, I mean it's find to discuss on different topics, but at the same time it have nothing to do with anything. It seems as all these extra things were just threw into the program. I would rather come in the program and work on what ever the college feels I had a weakness on in highschool and learn what I need to.

day 14 response

the one part of the bridge program i enjoyed was writing the papers. being able to write and express ourselves and our opinions. my high school was very straight to the point. they told us what to write about and how to format it and even how to print it...weird i know. college though sounds like its going to be really exciting because its based around me (I'm not all about myself) but being able to talk and write about the things i want to is a really big thing to me. i didn't like writing papers in school about a famous role model who had to be off a list and when i got here Aaron basically said just write. whatever comes to your mind. i like that kind of freedom. the workshops were very beneficial to me because it wasn't people just down talking my paper. i got positive feed back which made me feel good seeing as though i was never showed kindness about my work in any of my English classes.

i only had a minor problem with the lectures. some of them had me taking notes, asking questions, and really getting into it while others i thought to myself "you really just gave a lecture on how to ask a question?" (i just asked a question haha) the zombie lecture and the one about marketing were my two favorites. i think that i connected to them because marketing is one of the fields i want to look into and zombies just rock. overall though i guess i enjoyed the lectures because even though some put me to sleep i still was able to get information out of them that can help me in the future. for real though...if i ever hear that dinosaur song again.. i felt like i was watching barney

Antonio- Feedback

What's good about the Bridge Program? Well, the teachers were very nice and outgoing but at the same time they were serious about the students doing their work. Class conduct and participation played a big role in whether the student was going to pass/fail the program. I feel bad for the people that didn't quite make it through however I'm proud that me and the people I became friends with did. Now all we have to do is keep the same attitude throughout the semester and we'll do fine.

The bad things about the bridge program were minimal. There are not a lot of things wrong with it, nothing major. I hate the fact that they changed my housing location from the Dwight's to the Plymouth Ct, building. I heard the Dwight's were the newest buildings and they were very, very nice looking on the inside. That's about it; some of the lectures weren't too good either.

Bridge !

One thing i like about the bridge program, i learn some new materials some things a already knew about. but i liked when we wrote are papers you gave your thoughts about it the strong points and the weak points. even if we didn't have a a check plus you still pushed me on letting me know i can do better. I feel the bridge program can help you in different ways. i wasn't really sure if i was going to like the bridge especially when i heard we was going to have home work every night. The homework turned out to work out for my good, it helped me build up my writing skills. i felt the bridge program was a great experience to me, and it helped me get a head start of what college would be like.

I really don't much to say about the bridge i disagreed with, next year i think every person that should be a little bit more interesting with their lecture. i know every lecture you hear will not be the most exciting thing ever.

Crossing the Bridge Tony Jackson

The bridge was a great experience for me. It really helped me see what college life is like. It showed me that it’s not as easy as it seems but not as hard as I thought either. The bridge gave me a leg up on the campus and what buildings do I go to. I also gave me the opportunity to meet some interesting people. I liked that the English instructors are more like friends than teachers instead of sugar coating everything they give you the straight truth about everything that you’re doing. They actually help you become a writer. The bridge is a great program and I’m glad that I did it.
One thing that I would change is one of the math instructors. He has his days when things are very clear and I know what to do but other times he seemed just as confused about the math as the class was. He would second guess his answers all the time and it made me uneasy about some subjects of learning. He in a great teacher other than that when he knows the material well I don’t have a problem and I get it but when he’s iffy on it I’m confused. So he should get to know the material more that’s the only thing I would change about it.

Bridge Prgram-Jamahl Jackson

I believe that the bridge program is the way to go!I think that every student should go through the program so that when the time comes for a student to go to class and be by his or her self they will know what to go expect while attending Columbia.I think that while the bridge is challenging to many that it is for the better.


As a studenti believe that the teachers are a inportant in the way that a student learns.I think that aaron and kartrina did a good job.I espicailly liked the discussions and salons that we had in class.I really appreciate how when we talk about a topic the whole class listened and understood what was going on.We always talked about a topic that was liked by most in the class.
I liked how Aaron asked us questions and used material rhetoric like the joker with the barack Obama Face to get his point accross.Then i like how Katrina used pictures and world event like The crises in Darfur to make a connection to the books that we were reading in class.

Day 14-Resonse to Evaluation/ Arianna King

There were many things that I loved about bridge. The main thing is the connections with the teachers and the students. The type of teachers I love is the ones that will help you threw the process. You may think I like teachers that will hold my hand and walk me threw. NO! I like teachers that will show me the path to “take” then let me walk on my own. I felt Aaron showed me the path and pushed me down it and made sure I understood what I needed to do when I got to the end. Katrina is the type of teacher that will be the one making sure I stayed on my path. With the two of them as my English teacher made my success of the Bridge Program possible.

I really cannot find a bad thing about the English program or even the whole Bridge Program. The only thing I would change about anything is lectures. I think seeing that as college students we can chose our classes and everything else. I feel maybe it should be a choice of what lecture to go to. Then you should get a better Post Lecture and more conversational tone to the Post Lecture. I would change nothing to any of the classes dealing with the English program. AT ALL!

Thank You!

Day 12: Concerns About Attending Columbia (Jorgina Kelly)

I want the money, money and the cars, cars and the clothes, the bros I suppose. I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful. Yuuup!

Three things I am mainly concerned about attending Columbia is paying for college, taking math this semester while it’s still fresh in my head and staying focused. I am worried about paying for college because I don’t have the money. Columbia is an expensive college to attend. People I know keep telling me the reason they didn’t finish college was because of the cost. I don’t want to have to quit college because I don’t have the money. If I was to quit then the reason would be good but then again there is no good reason for dropping out of college. Another concern is debating about whether I should take math this semester or later. I feel that I still will have it registered in my head next year but I will need a little remembrance of the material. To avoid that little session of reviewing I feel that I should take math now. The last but least thing is staying focused. There will be parties here and there that I want to attend but I have to remember that this is my life and I have to control it. I’m not going to say that I don’t need any motivation but everybody needs that if not major but minor shove to move forward and stay concentrated.

Another thing is money. Everybody needs money. I need to get a job so that I can have important things that I need in my household and for school. Things for home like toothpaste, soap, tissue, sanitary napkins, food, deodorant and other things. Things for school like notebooks, pens, pencils, staplers, a laptop and other mandatory things for classes.

Day 12 Response to Aaron: Kiarah Lazo

After going over all the corrections and comments on all my responses, it really helped me gain more to write about. The response I chose to write my five-page paper on is the Immigration Reform. Truthfully, I work better under pressure so when I wrote that paper it was actually two o’clock in the morning. That whole day I was thinking about what to write, when I read the word politics the whole SB1070 law came to mind. As I wrote the paper I felt I could have done better but I had run out of time. I knew this paper had something special to it and that’s why I chose to read this paper for our workshop. I wanted to get peoples thoughts and comments on this specific topic. I dealt with the same people in my community about this topic but it was great to tell people who haven’t even heard about this law. Just thinking about writing my five-page paper gets my heart racing. I’ve never felt this way about writing a paper and I’m not going to lie but I love this feeling. I’m filled with mixed emotions. I’m excited to start at the starting line and make my way to the finish line. The only thing I’m afraid of is missing out important events or even quotes that relate to my story. Also, I’m afraid I won’t be able to reach the five-page limit. Then again the word “details” comes to mind and I know if I fully break down each event into even smaller details my paper will turn out just fine. I really want to attend Columbia College and I would be absolutely devastated if this paper doesn’t come out too great and I lose my chance to getting into Columbia. This paper is what I’m mostly scared about right now. :/
I’ve made it this far…so I want to continue and never fail.

Day 12 responce (sean Mackenna)

Coming to Columbia College Chicago is a very big step in my life. This is the time where I really have to show that I’m worth something or my parents said I’m out of the house. I feel like I’m not as ready as most people, but I am excited to be starting here in the fall because it will be a fresh start for me. I’m kind of worried about the work load. Homework has never been my thing. I usually put it off or turn it in really late. I just made it out of high school and I don’t want it to be the same way here at Columbia. I lack motivation to do homework. I always like to go out and have fun with my friends so my homework always came second. I think it will be a good idea to find a tutor or someone who I can do my homework with so that way I know it will get done and if I have questions ill be able to ask and get help. Another major issue I’m concerned with is getting a job while in college. I know I need to get one but with the school work and all my classes I don’t know if I’ll be able to commit time to a job. I had that problem in high school where I got home and go right to work. I want to be able to enjoy my college experience but still have some cash. The biggest concern to me though as of right now is showing my family I can really do this. They constantly ask me if going to college is something I want to do and I tell them every time yes, I want to go to college. They don’t believe in me which really hurts. I’m not sure why they don’t other then my past school experience but I want to prove them wrong. I want to graduate from Columbia and rub my degree in their faces.( literally) I really need to stay focused though on my school work and not let my friends and girls take up too much of my time. My sister goes to Marquette University in Wisconsin and my parents are so proud of her. She is the perfect child to them. I want to be at Columbia and do well so they can see I wasn’t a fuck up all my life and I know when to get serious about things. the bridge program really helped me realize what i have to do to make it to where i want to be in life. thank you Aaron and Katrina.

Worries for Fall 2010

I have to say I'm not really worried about a lot coming into my freshman year. However a few concerns that I think need to be addressed. Most of one my worries are post college. I have to say I'm really worried about not finding a job after graduation. One of my biggest fears is being a college graduate but still working a dead end job with no benefits and barely making enough to support myself. I'm ready to move out of my mother's house now so the last thing I want to do is live with my mother once I've graduated. Basically I want to know what is a sure way to guarantee securing a decent post graduation.

I'm also really worried about my financial situation. I mean FAFSA basically paid the bulk of my tuition but I've heard some horror stories about FAFSA for the remaining years. I'm worried I won't get as much money next year and I will have to post pone my college career and I refuse to do that because if I don't go to school all the way through I won't finish.

My last and final worry is making connections with my teachers. I've had some of the shittiest teachers in high school and I don't want to be bothered with that here. Do you have any specific teachers that you would recommend for me to take for my prerequisites?

Hakuna Matata- Antonio Hill

i was very nervous about applying to this school. i pondered the thought of not knowing anyone here. where's my income going to come from? what if the people here don't like me and i become exiled from everything? thinking all these thoughts just made me more nervous and more scared to come to Columbia. however, i always wanted to live in Chicago ever since my first visit here when i was 12. when i was in the boy scouts we came here and ever since then i was hooked. i think it was the Navy Pier that got me, or i could have been the Cadillac Theatre. i wasn't to fond of architecture back then nor did i even know what architecture was so i didn't pay attention to it. But now that i'm here,i love it. the atmosphere, the diversity, the landscaping, the shopping stores, etc. everything about Chicago is "off the chain." well, compared to Detroit it is. but, i'm still in need of a job. i can't live here broke and depending on my mother to send me money from Detroit. i'm not saying that i don't want her to send me money at all, because it'll still be nice to have her suport, i just want to make my own money so she can keep as much money as she can without worrying about me. i'm also worried about how i'll perform in school. i have a tendency of falling off in my studies after a while.

Day 12 {{Sherrae'}}

What worries do I have about college?
Well, I’m most worried about not be able to live on campus. I would like to live on campus, but my wallet won’t let me. I wish I could live on campus because I think it’s more convenient, because of my schedule. I’m also worried about not being able to support myself. Meaning, I need a job on campus or somewhere else. I need to be able to eat and pay my insurance on y car, also put gas in it to keep it going. The thing about working on campus you can only work 20 hours a week with a pay of $8.75 a hour, and you receive a check every two weeks. Now if we take the time to do simple math, that’s only $175 a week. I don’t think that enough.

Day 12 Response to Aaron/ Arianna King

I have many things I am scared of. But, one of my main things I am scared of is living on my own. My grandmother raised me to be an independent woman. Many times I find myself regressing back to how I was when I was 8. I was dependent, scared and ignorant to being alone. You would think because I am the only child I would not have a problem living by myself. I have found myself lately crying because I want to go home. What should I do to get use to living alone with three other girls? I have never had to share my things and I have never had to use a bathroom with three other strangers that were all girls. I have been in camps with situations like this but it was only for a mouth not a whole darn year! What should I do to help myself? Another thing that scares me is being able to sign up for the right classes. I am going into Media Management so it was told to me I only have a few priority classes to take which are my core classes. I need to know how to attack this situation. How do I know what class to take that will benefit me in the long run? Lastly, I am scared of my writing. I am a very poor writer and I wish I could get better. Even with Aaron constantly telling me over and over “use more detail” I still find myself not doing what you told me to do. How do I expand my writing habits? How do I improve my vocabulary? AARON WHAT SHOULD I DO???

Day 11, Answer to Sherrae: Kiarah Lazo

When I was ten years old I knew a man who got locked up for about two years. The reason for being locked up dealt with drug dealing. I was told he never did the drugs; he only sold them to make money and help out his family. I found this out three years after he had gotten out of the “box”. This man was very close to me when I was younger; I actually looked up to him. Even though he broke many promises, I was a child and didn’t understand the whole concept of him being how he was. When the time came for him to come out he was a “changed man”. I think around the time he was locked up the whole terrorist attack happened in New York. I told him how now the airports are very secure and strict of whom and what goes into that airport. He was shocked and amazed at how the world seemed to be falling apart. Family members didn’t look at him the same; I could tell and feel the bad vibes floating around in the room. I didn’t feel the same, and he knew I didn’t by the look on my face. I was scared and kept questioning myself why he was sent away. My younger sister loved this man. Sadly she didn’t know what was going on. She actually thought he was sent away to Wisconsin for a “new job”. I mean, I was told the exact same line but I knew it wasn’t true. From my experience when someone gets sent to the “box” things change dramatically. Things could go back to normal but in my position things only got worse. This man changed so much because of the people around him. He now thinks people need to obey him and follow his rules. I tried being there still because I loved the man but things didn’t work out. We bumped heads constantly so we both went our separate ways. This man who I see sometimes standing in front of his store, giving people dirty looks is now a stranger to me. He no longer exist…

Day 11: Answer to Sherrae' (Jorgina Kelly)

I don’t feel that it was punishment but one time I was so sick that I couldn’t go to school for a whole week and a half. The doctor told me that I had tonsillitis. That is when the throat is infected, germy and my tonsils were swollen. In class we had started a new unit in Government class. I was there the first two days of learning it but when I got sick I couldn’t be there anymore. I felt that I could catch up with the work when I get back to school. When I returned to school, the class had started a whole new unit and I felt like I was not supposed to be in the class. I came back thinking that I’m about to get a little help from my teacher and classmates but I had to use my own time to go after school and get tutored. I felt that since it wasn’t any type of suspension that I had then I should have got in class help instead of having to stay after school for help. It hadn’t change dramatically but enough for me to be lost and feel illiterate at the time. I felt like an elementary child just learning Algebra. I also understood that it was 25 other students that had to have their education also. So I left it at that.

Day 11: Answer to Sherrae