My Controversy

http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-ncaa-athletes-be-paid

This article discusses whether or not collegiate athletes should be paid. Taken from U.S. News, it lays out the numbers regarding the money that athletes bring in to colleges, and states how they receive none of it directly. It then questions if collegiate athletes should be reimbursed for their hard work, and there are multiple replies with other articles on other authors' opinions. As I am a college athlete, although not one who makes the school a huge profit, this controversy interests me, not from a standpoint of personal gain, but just in general.

My Writing Process

My mind works in short, inspired bursts, ideas flashing through my head, into my fingers, onto my computer screen. The next second, my mind is completely empty, and my eyes stare blankly at the screen, waiting for the next explosion of writing. My though process resembles fireworks, and my writing style and process reflects this.

GDJ. "New Years Fireworks." 05/26/15 via Clipart. Public Domain Dedication License

This process of writing falls more under the “Heavy Revisers” category, as I spend little time planning before writing, and instead sit in front of my computer, spilling ideas forth, and end up with a mess of mistakes to be fixed. 

I have always worked this way, and it has been successful for the most part. I struggle with long research papers slightly, that I don’t plan for adequately. For certain situations, I should plan ahead more, making the overall lengthy process of writing more straightforwards, but I typically end up slightly behind on bigger pieces of work.

Ultimately, this writing style has worked for me through all my years of education, and I don’t intend to change it, but instead refine it, so that it works better for multiple types of assignments. Ultimately, I'm open to exploration, and I'm excited to discover how I can grow as a writer and a scholar.



After reading through everyone's posts, two things stuck out to me. One is that I need to learn to be comfortable with my own writing style, as different things work for different people. I need to own my process, and make it as efficient as possible for my own personal use, and not worry about what works for other people. Second, I found while reading Alison and Olivia's posts, that one of the most valuable lessons I've learned in my writing career, is that getting help with revision is crucial. It is always hard to revise your own work, so having extra sets of eyes to find mistakes is very helpful. 

Calendar Reflection

Between classes and swim practices I have very limited time for homework. Thus, making the most of the time I do have is very important for me to get good grades.

Weekends will be key to my success in English, and working ahead for the next deadline is very important. Also, working with my professors ahead of time for conflicting swimming events is a priority, as getting behind would be a pain to come back from. 

Also, I have mandatory study hall for six hours a week, as required by my coaches, and working efficiently during this time will also be crucial to me getting everything done in all my classes.

At the end of the day, I went to a community college and balanced school and swimming fine then, so I am used to managing my time and success academically, so I should be fine with my scholastic load my first semester. However, getting by is not enough, so can I go above and beyond in the classroom, while at the same time dominating in the pool?


I found while reading Chris and Mathilda's blog posts about time management, that everyone seems to be on top of their game. I would assume that this is because of the independence needed to make it through high school, so that you can go to a University, so it is understandable that college students can manage their time well. Also, if I ever do need advice or help with managing my work and school, I'm sure many of the people in the class will be able to help me with no problem.