Jennifer’s bedroom at her parent’s residence has been a mess for the entire week of Oct. 1st.
Jennifer lives with her parents in Westchester, N.Y. Her bedroom is a small, attic-like space with one window. Clothing, books, water bottles and papers were scattered around the room throughout the week.
Jennifer has not time to clean her room due to a busy academic and social schedule. Multiple essays and readings for different classes have kept her from the necessary organization of her room along with lunch and dinner dates.
Jennifer hopes to get the necessary cleaning done over Columbus Day weekend. “When everything is scattered around like this, I have difficulty getting my thoughts in order. I just feel so unorganized, and that’s a bad feeling,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer’s room has been pink for over 20 years. It consists of a queen size bed, a television, a blue felt chair, wall-to-wall carpeting, a wooden bureau and some clothing racks. White shelves have been built into the front of the room around the window. DVDs, videos, old textbooks, jewelry boxes and compact discs are on the shelves.
Jennifer’s mother, Angela, wants her to clean her room as well. “She’s 20 years old now, so I can’t tell her to clean her room anymore. But her bed is never made, and her socks always get lost under her bed,” Angela said. Angela hopes that Jennifer will remember to dust and vacuum as well.
Hopefully Jennifer will be able to get her room and her thoughts in order soon.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A Third Person Description Written by Jennifer's Inner Critic
What a deplorable wretch this one is! She may look normal or even pleasant-natured, but her inadequacies and shortcomings are so prevalent that they can not be ignored.
To begin with, this detestable urchin will lose and/or forget anything important. Things forgotten or lost include car keys, her cell phone, jewelry, gifts and returning phone calls .
In regard to returning phone calls, Jennifer may call you a week later with a lame excuse like "I'm sorry, but I've been so busy." Join the club Jennifer! We're all busy.
To further exacerbate her detestable phone etiquette, Jennifer will regularly forget her cell phone at her home, cutting off her main communication line with friends and family. "What if there is an emergency?" you may ask. Well, Jennifer's irresponsible ways prohibit her from being useful when truly needed.
Jennifer is also strange. She is afraid of needles, elevators, insects, ovens, stoves, getting lost, family members getting lost, crowds, roller coasters and losing items of importance. Her fear of needles has prohibited her from donating blood several times. This selfish imp would not donate life's ultimate resource due to her ungrounded phobia!
Jennifer complains about her anxiety. She has high levels of anxiety which may lead to depression. Jennifer is a full time student in a reputable college, while her parents are financially supporting her in everyway. Jennifer's grandmother survived the Holocaust, and her mother raised a child by herself while going to school and working full time at Jennifer's age. Yet there are some mornings when Jennifer can not get it together enough to wash her hair and make toast. Which one is not like the others here?
In conclusion, you should beware of Jennifer. She has got some issues.
To begin with, this detestable urchin will lose and/or forget anything important. Things forgotten or lost include car keys, her cell phone, jewelry, gifts and returning phone calls .
In regard to returning phone calls, Jennifer may call you a week later with a lame excuse like "I'm sorry, but I've been so busy." Join the club Jennifer! We're all busy.
To further exacerbate her detestable phone etiquette, Jennifer will regularly forget her cell phone at her home, cutting off her main communication line with friends and family. "What if there is an emergency?" you may ask. Well, Jennifer's irresponsible ways prohibit her from being useful when truly needed.
Jennifer is also strange. She is afraid of needles, elevators, insects, ovens, stoves, getting lost, family members getting lost, crowds, roller coasters and losing items of importance. Her fear of needles has prohibited her from donating blood several times. This selfish imp would not donate life's ultimate resource due to her ungrounded phobia!
Jennifer complains about her anxiety. She has high levels of anxiety which may lead to depression. Jennifer is a full time student in a reputable college, while her parents are financially supporting her in everyway. Jennifer's grandmother survived the Holocaust, and her mother raised a child by herself while going to school and working full time at Jennifer's age. Yet there are some mornings when Jennifer can not get it together enough to wash her hair and make toast. Which one is not like the others here?
In conclusion, you should beware of Jennifer. She has got some issues.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Simplification is Always Best
The following is an original passage from “Abnormal Psychology” by David H. Barlow and V. Mark Durand:
“Although many nonthriving children have identifiable medical conditions, a substantial number fall into the category of nonorganic or psychological failure to thrive, known officially as feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood. Reduced caloric intake for whatever reason, always plays a role, but the causes of reduced caloric intake lie in the dysfunctional psychosocial setting” (Barlow & Durand, 2002).
I am a psychology major in my junior year. If there is one thing that I have learned about psychology textbooks, it is that they love to use complicated language and advanced terminology. This language can be a bit overwhelming, especially when the mind is tired or just refuses to concentrate. Although the selection above is by no means highly technical, it can be translated into more basic language.
The translation is as follows:
Although professionals can figure out why some children are not maturing physically, others have mental problems that disrupt their normal physical development. These children have disorders. Due mostly to stressful people and/or events in their lives, these children do not eat enough food (Barlow & Durand, 2002).
The language used in the translation is simpler and more direct. It conveys the message effectively without the use of distracting vocabulary and long sentences. Clear and concise language is always best. Readers can easily understand the basic idea and analyze it for themselves. With complicated language, readers spend more energy on processing the reading and may become tired, frustrated, or even bored with the material. Simple language is one of the key ways to effective educational writing.
Works Cited
Barlow, David H. & Durand, V. Mark (2002). Abnormal Psychology: An
Integrative Approach (Third Edition). Belmont, California:
Wadsworth.
“Although many nonthriving children have identifiable medical conditions, a substantial number fall into the category of nonorganic or psychological failure to thrive, known officially as feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood. Reduced caloric intake for whatever reason, always plays a role, but the causes of reduced caloric intake lie in the dysfunctional psychosocial setting” (Barlow & Durand, 2002).
I am a psychology major in my junior year. If there is one thing that I have learned about psychology textbooks, it is that they love to use complicated language and advanced terminology. This language can be a bit overwhelming, especially when the mind is tired or just refuses to concentrate. Although the selection above is by no means highly technical, it can be translated into more basic language.
The translation is as follows:
Although professionals can figure out why some children are not maturing physically, others have mental problems that disrupt their normal physical development. These children have disorders. Due mostly to stressful people and/or events in their lives, these children do not eat enough food (Barlow & Durand, 2002).
The language used in the translation is simpler and more direct. It conveys the message effectively without the use of distracting vocabulary and long sentences. Clear and concise language is always best. Readers can easily understand the basic idea and analyze it for themselves. With complicated language, readers spend more energy on processing the reading and may become tired, frustrated, or even bored with the material. Simple language is one of the key ways to effective educational writing.
Works Cited
Barlow, David H. & Durand, V. Mark (2002). Abnormal Psychology: An
Integrative Approach (Third Edition). Belmont, California:
Wadsworth.
The Absence of Modifiers
While I ran home, my mind wandered. Why was he screaming? Why did he call when he knew I was in class? Did an intruder break into our home? Was our grandmother injured while falling down the stairs? Did the dog run away?
I sprinted to the door. The call alarmed me during class. The professor was discussing grammar when the phone vibrated. I rushed out of the room and slammed my finger on the button to retrieve the call. I heard my brother scream and the call ended. I did not get a chance to respond.
As I pulled on the door knob, I realized that my brother locked it. I raced around the house and found a window that my brother forgot to lock. As I jumped to it, I grasped the ledge and heaved myself to the window. I struggled with the screen but was able to pry it open with my finger nails and teeth. I pulled until my hands landed on the bed beside the window. I kicked my legs to propel my body through the window.
I screamed and screamed for my brother. Where was he? I saw that there were puddles of water in the hallway that looked like footprints. I was out of breath but continued to run while looking for my brother. Then I saw him.
He had been in the shower and had my towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at me and pointed to the bathroom. As I proceeded, I saw what scared him. An insect the size of a grain of rice crawled around the tub while moving its antennae.
"He was crawling on me!" my brother screamed.
I took a tissue, lifted the bug, and brought it outside. My brother thanked me and went to the shower. The problem was solved; I saved the day.
I sprinted to the door. The call alarmed me during class. The professor was discussing grammar when the phone vibrated. I rushed out of the room and slammed my finger on the button to retrieve the call. I heard my brother scream and the call ended. I did not get a chance to respond.
As I pulled on the door knob, I realized that my brother locked it. I raced around the house and found a window that my brother forgot to lock. As I jumped to it, I grasped the ledge and heaved myself to the window. I struggled with the screen but was able to pry it open with my finger nails and teeth. I pulled until my hands landed on the bed beside the window. I kicked my legs to propel my body through the window.
I screamed and screamed for my brother. Where was he? I saw that there were puddles of water in the hallway that looked like footprints. I was out of breath but continued to run while looking for my brother. Then I saw him.
He had been in the shower and had my towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at me and pointed to the bathroom. As I proceeded, I saw what scared him. An insect the size of a grain of rice crawled around the tub while moving its antennae.
"He was crawling on me!" my brother screamed.
I took a tissue, lifted the bug, and brought it outside. My brother thanked me and went to the shower. The problem was solved; I saved the day.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Oh, Neighbor
I have known the person sitting next to me for quite some time. My neighbor is 5 feet 7 inches tall and has large blue eyes that stand out against tanned skin. His thick brown hair has been cut short for the summer time, making his eyes seem bigger. He has thick, brown eyebrows that slightly meet at the top of his nose. The well proportioned nose and full mouth are the same shapes as mine. His rounded chin gives off the illusion of his entire face as a big, happy circle. The redness in his cheeks reminds me of an apple. His ears do not stick out the way they used to.
Since the house is always hot in the summer, he is wearing a light cotton t-shirt and gym shorts that my mother bought him. The T-shirt is a light gray color with navy blue trim around the neck and sleeves. The shorts are a darker shade of gray with a black and white lining going down the side and around the legs. He does not have any shoes or socks on.
He is sitting at the wooden table sipping Seltzer water loudly out of a plastic cup. He has a single subject notebook in front of him with a pen, but he has not written anything yet. My neighbor is staring intently out of the kitchen window. He is flipping the pen back and forth with his left hand while staring blankly, making his chewed up finger nails visible. I wonder what he is thinking about.
I think he knows that I'm looking at him.
Since the house is always hot in the summer, he is wearing a light cotton t-shirt and gym shorts that my mother bought him. The T-shirt is a light gray color with navy blue trim around the neck and sleeves. The shorts are a darker shade of gray with a black and white lining going down the side and around the legs. He does not have any shoes or socks on.
He is sitting at the wooden table sipping Seltzer water loudly out of a plastic cup. He has a single subject notebook in front of him with a pen, but he has not written anything yet. My neighbor is staring intently out of the kitchen window. He is flipping the pen back and forth with his left hand while staring blankly, making his chewed up finger nails visible. I wonder what he is thinking about.
I think he knows that I'm looking at him.
My Academic Career and Future Plans
My name is Jennifer, and I have always been a good student. I figured at a young age that if I was going to be forced to go somewhere five days a week for six hours a day, that I might as well put some effort into it.
I started out in a private religious school for kindergarten. The admissions counselors put me into kindergarten six months too early because, they stated, I was "gifted". However, I may have been sharper than the average tack but could not keep up with the class academically or socially. The school then deemed me with a learning disability, and my parents decided that Solomon Schecter was no longer for me.
Afterwards, I was put into Yonkers Public School 29 in order to repeat kindergarten. This is where my studiousness began. Public School 29 was an extraordinary school. Aside from a bad first grade teacher who made me vomit every morning from anxiety, I enjoyed my time there. I was a straight A student every year and graduated in fifth grade to middle school.
I went to Emerson Middle School in Yonkers for two years. Tired of random metal detector searches and the sub-par education this "school" offered, I transfered to Thornton Donovan School in eighth grade. Thornton Donovan is an entry all by itself. It is an independent, international school in New Rochelle, New York. The campus is made up of three mansions. It is a K-12 institution that held less than 200 students when I attended, making my graduating class (of high school) a staggering 16. Needless to say, everyone knew everyone. The school is a big family. I traveled to Spain, Morocco and New Orleans with my school family. I was on the dean's list from 10th through 12th grade with a GPA of over 90 every term. I graduated bitter sweetly in 2005.
I chose Manhattanville College, because its small and local. I am majoring in psychology and double minoring in sociology and communications. I have been interning at a public psychiatric clinic for the past four years and know that that's how I'd like to help people everyday. Sociology goes well with psychology on graduate school applications, and I like the different writing styles associated with communications.
I plan to go to graduate school for a doctorate in counseling psychology. I have looked into schools with counseling programs in New York and North Carolina.
This class is insurance for me. I plan to go into the psychology field and function in a clinical setting. However, plans do not always come true. Therefore, this class and the communications minor in general is something to fall back on. I wouldn't mind going into writing for media such as publishing articles in newspapers or even advertising work. I may even choose to publish reports and articles in the psychological field, making this course valuable for my plans ahead.
That's over 15 years of education in a nutshell. It makes me tired just thinking about it.
I started out in a private religious school for kindergarten. The admissions counselors put me into kindergarten six months too early because, they stated, I was "gifted". However, I may have been sharper than the average tack but could not keep up with the class academically or socially. The school then deemed me with a learning disability, and my parents decided that Solomon Schecter was no longer for me.
Afterwards, I was put into Yonkers Public School 29 in order to repeat kindergarten. This is where my studiousness began. Public School 29 was an extraordinary school. Aside from a bad first grade teacher who made me vomit every morning from anxiety, I enjoyed my time there. I was a straight A student every year and graduated in fifth grade to middle school.
I went to Emerson Middle School in Yonkers for two years. Tired of random metal detector searches and the sub-par education this "school" offered, I transfered to Thornton Donovan School in eighth grade. Thornton Donovan is an entry all by itself. It is an independent, international school in New Rochelle, New York. The campus is made up of three mansions. It is a K-12 institution that held less than 200 students when I attended, making my graduating class (of high school) a staggering 16. Needless to say, everyone knew everyone. The school is a big family. I traveled to Spain, Morocco and New Orleans with my school family. I was on the dean's list from 10th through 12th grade with a GPA of over 90 every term. I graduated bitter sweetly in 2005.
I chose Manhattanville College, because its small and local. I am majoring in psychology and double minoring in sociology and communications. I have been interning at a public psychiatric clinic for the past four years and know that that's how I'd like to help people everyday. Sociology goes well with psychology on graduate school applications, and I like the different writing styles associated with communications.
I plan to go to graduate school for a doctorate in counseling psychology. I have looked into schools with counseling programs in New York and North Carolina.
This class is insurance for me. I plan to go into the psychology field and function in a clinical setting. However, plans do not always come true. Therefore, this class and the communications minor in general is something to fall back on. I wouldn't mind going into writing for media such as publishing articles in newspapers or even advertising work. I may even choose to publish reports and articles in the psychological field, making this course valuable for my plans ahead.
That's over 15 years of education in a nutshell. It makes me tired just thinking about it.
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