Personal Blog Post #1

Page 20 Questions 4-7

#4) From my high school experiences, I would say that my strongest aspects of the Theory of Performance would be identity and learning skills. Regarding identity, I am very well prepared to both be a part of the community and also form my own unique identity while in the Applied Psychology program. It's incredibly important that I both work well with others in my program while also taking time and thought for myself to become the best in whatever specific field of psychology I end up in. Regarding learning skills, I am very good at taking knowledge from one setting and applying to another in order to see the big picture. This is also important in the field of psychology.

#5) I would say that I am least prepared in the area of context. Regarding context, high school was purely in-class, handed out notes, multiple choice exams, and essays with plenty of time to prepare and receive help from teachers. I was not well prepared for online and hybrid classes, taking my own notes using my own system for up to 75 minutes at a time, exams that are purely essay based or true or false with no study guides, and short deadlines where there was zero room for procrastination. Even in my senior year of high school teachers were there to hold your hand throughout the year to ensure you got good grades, and at college you truly are on your own. Some professors are great help but they certainly will not tolerate having to hold your hand. For some it's more of a kick in the butt. Out of all of these, I'd say my biggest challenge is having to take online and hybrid courses. Just having professors use ANGEL to submit homework, assign work, and put up exams to take is hard enough to get used to.

#6) Knowing your identity in college is crucial. You need to learn to be part of a community by joining clubs, doing volunteer work, working part-time, etc. while you also need to be yourself and focus on your grades to show that you excel in order to build up a great reputation and resume for masters programs, future careers, etc. Unfortunately today it can't just be one or the other; you must show that you can work hard while also maintaining good grades to prove that you will be able to survive in the workplace. With today's economy, you can't risk not being able to do that. All in all, identity is key not only to college, but also to your future as a whole.

#7) The strategy I used was to read through the whole thing to see the big picture, and then go back and focus on the details to find the elements that make up that big picture. Once you start to see those you can also begin to understand how all of the aspects of the Theory of Performance relate to one another and how you can't leave any of them out; they fit together to create a puzzle of your future performance.