domingo, 9 de dezembro de 2012

President Obama


The re-election of President Obama meant a lot to me and the world. For me, the most relevant fact is that he is not against foreigners as Mitt Romney was. This is something which especially affects me and my family, since we are constantly going to the U.S as well as thinking of living there. It affects the world since he is not republican and not in favor of wars. He is also the first African-American president of the United States, which might reduce prejudice as well as conflicts. I also like the idea that he is in favor of gay marriage since I believe everyone has the right to be happy. He is also in favor of abortion, which I believe is a good thing since women should be able to choose if they want a child or not. He is also approved throughout the entire world, which indicates he is doing a good job.




quarta-feira, 24 de outubro de 2012

                                                           
                                                           Time Management
   

      To manage your time, you should be conscious of what you spend your time on and try to find a balance among what you do. Also, a good way for a student to manage time is having a weekly planned schedule. Be aware of little things which take up time and try to avoid doing them. You schedule also has to be flexible, so you can fit in unexpected events as well as follow it. Break your tasks into smaller ones, therefore you will be able to do it more easily, without pressure as well as do it better. Writing down the things you need to do, such as keeping an agenda can also help. By starting early, putting the harder things to be accomplished first, and divide your time wisely, can make work less stressful and easier. Making a list and adding priority, can make things harder to forget or ignore.
    After watching the presentation, I set a few goals for myself. My goals were to write down what I need to do, start things early and try to be finished before the due date. Since I have a problem with getting things done early and I always do work or study one day before the due date or test. There are also many unexpected events in my schedule, such as family dinners, friend's events, etc, therefore, if I had my work done ahead of time, I could go to these events without guilt or leaving homework undone. Due to the fact that I usually do things one day before the due date, I am not able to divide my work and time, and I am often stressed and feeling pressured.
    In the last couple of weeks I have been writing down and making lists of what I need to do, which has helped me, since I don't forget it. I am dividing my time more wisely as well as starting my work early. These strategies have helped me, although I still have a lot to accomplish and improve. My biggest goal, as well as the area I have difficulty with, is starting and finishing my work earlier. I plan on keep working on this problem until I can overcome it and feel accomplished.






Isabela Buffara

380 words

sexta-feira, 7 de setembro de 2012


      I am already sure about what I want to do, and that's being a lawyer. Although I am not sure if I will remain in Brazil or go outside the country. My dream is to go to Yale, even though you have to have really good grades to get accepted. One major factor which makes me think twice wether I want to study in the United States, is that the course and laws are different, therefore I would have to remain in the US and wouldn't be able to work in Brazil. My whole family is here, so I definitely don't want to live without them outside the country. Although there is a chance we move to Miami, therefore everything concerning college would change. My goal is getting into a good university, preferably an Ivy League. My greatest concern is if my grades won't be good enough or not doing well on the SAT. I am also not sure if I should do the IB course if I remain in the school. By being an aware academic leader, you will know what the recruited want to hear and want qualities they want their students to have. Therefore, if you know that, since your early high school years, you will work towards that, making it a goal to meet their expectations when applying.







domingo, 19 de agosto de 2012

Academic Leadership

"In our first two weeks, you have read two articles, seen several videos and been engaged in several discussions related to the concept of academic leadership. At this point, and in your own words, what does the concept mean to you? What subjects or interests do you have a sophisticated, intellectual understanding of that you may want to turn into a major academic project in this class? How do people sometimes abuse academic knowledge to manipulate others? How would you feel if someone used your work to manipulate others (as Jared Diamond claims Mitt Romney has)? How can creating academically sophisticated, intellectual leaders help prevent such people from taking advantage of others the way they do? How can this create a stronger democratic society?" 



              The course of academic leadership helps students to be a better student. It shows how we can be more organized; think in a better way and also how people can drastically change for the better when they want to. I think all this helps students do better in their other academic work in other subjects. It teaches students how important it is to behave and think in a productive way. I have a great interest and understanding in reading as well as writing. I have always read a lot, therefore I like to write, if I were to choose a subject to do a major project on, it would be certainly English. Another interest I have is in law school, I think being a lawyer would be the perfect profession for me. I believe I am inclined to that profession due to how much I like to argue and discuss ideas; also my reading skill is a relevant factor. Usually smarter people manipulate others using their knowledge, convincing skills and strategies to make others do what they want. I would dislike if someone used my work to manipulate others. By creating academically sophisticated intellectual leaders, these people will be more aware of others bad intentions. It will make these students smarter and prevent them from falling into "traps". This can create a stronger democratic society by making people think well and accept others. These are all the benefits the course of academic leadership can bring, making people smarter and more aware of the world.