2012 & My Turn As a Big Sis :)

If it were 2012 and I was asked to come to the SSS class to talk about things my little sister class should know going into their freshman year of college, I would say something like this:

"Hey guys! Just to give you a little background information I'm Mackenzie Cox. I'm a junior here at Converse, and I'm double majoring in Music Therapy and Psychology. If you leave here today forgetting everything I've talked about, the one thing I urge you to remember is this: TIME MANAGEMENT IS KEY. Coming into my freshman year of college I carried the four year habit of procrastination. Knowing that I had to eliminate this problem in order to be successful in college, I decided that planning was extremely important. I use an agenda to write down every assignment and activity. In the front of my agenda I keep a copy of my class schedule so that I always have it handy. When I know I'm going to have a busy day I write down everything I have to do on a piece of paper, and assign a certain time to complete each task. Remember, though, that scheduling some down time is just as important as doing homework. If you don't allow time to relax and have fun, you will most likely be stressed to the max and feel extremely overwhelmed. Trust me. Also, sleep is non-negotiable! Some of you probably think you can run off three hours of sleep per night, but I promise you will crash and burn very quickly if you try that. Your body needs sleep to function. Lack of sleep affects your memory of material, your level of concentration, your ability to retain more information, as well as many other important things. And coffee is by no means a substitution for sleep. When you get to a certain point, even coffee won't help. So please remember to get in enough sleep. Another good thing to know is that your professors aren't out to get you. If you need help in a class or just need someone to talk to, you can go to them. Make friends with them, and don't hesitate to ask questions. I think the most understanding of all your professors will probably be your private instrumental teacher. Sometimes I'll feel overwhelmed and need to vent. I know that when this happens I can go to Mr. Law and let everything out. He understands me best because he also plays cello and has been through a lot of the same things. He's very understanding, and he doesn't freak out when I cry, seriously.
Don't be afraid to be all that you can be. Shoot for the stars, and remember three key things: time management is extremely helpful, sleep is non-negotiable, and your professors are there for you. Good luck!"

Time management skills, or lack thereof... :/

     I believe I am one of the world's worst at time management for several reasons. Reason number one is that I am addicted to listening to music, mainly Taylor Swift, and learning all her songs on guitar. Some people (ahem Caitlin) would say that this interest is classified as an obsession, but I think it's more of a hobby. Although I thoroughly enjoy playing guitar, I know that it is a hindrance that must be avoided sometimes. I find myself picking up my guitar to play one particular song, and it turns into a full on jam session with Caitlin, Emma, and Hannah. I believe that this could be easily avoided if I waited until after all my homework was done to play my guitar at all.

     Reason number two is a common problem among high school and college students alike. Actually this problem can occur for anyone who has access to a computer and is a registered Facebook user. Facebook, in my opinion, is one of the twenty-first century's most addictive fads. Sometimes I will get on Facebook with the intentions of only checking my comments and an hour later realize that I have been chatting with a friend the whole time. I've found that this problem is more likely to happen when I'm on my computer researching something online for a paper or even typing a paper on Microsoft Word.

    The most problematic of my time management issues is that of procrastination. This dirty habit has been in my system for far too long. I can remember times since middle school when I've waited until the last minute to start working on something. Although procrastination can cause problems and perhaps prohibit me from finishing some of my work, it can sometimes be beneficial to my work. Putting emphasis on the word "sometimes," I sometimes find procrastination enhances my creativity. I know I shouldn't strive to procrastinate, and I don't, but in some instances it almost seems unavoidable.

Questions....hmmmm... :)

Hi, I'm Mackenzie! :)

1.     I came to college because I've always believed in the power of a good education. I want to become a Music Therapist one day, and I know that I'm not prepared for that now. Hopefully after four years of formal education in a college setting, I will be ready to venture into the real world as a Music Therapist. My Mom has always told me that a good education is something that no one can ever take away from you. I think that's really true, although people take advantage of that a lot.

2.     I chose Converse College to be my home for the next four years of my life for several reasons. One reason is that there are only two colleges in the state of South Carolina that have Music Therapy as a major. Those colleges are Converse and Charleston Southern. I decided to visit Converse first since it has the shortest travel time for me. As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew that Converse was the perfect place for me. I could feel the warmth and hospitality in the atmosphere. It was an amazing experience!

3.    I have always had an amazing love for music. From the time I was in diapers, I was dancing in front of the television to Barney songs. I've listened to my Dad play guitar all my life, and heard my Mom blast Bob Dylan through the house. When I was eleven I started playing cello and fell in love with it. From then on I've been playing music. It's a passion that I had to continue here at college.

4.    If I had to give up either cereal or sandwiches for the rest of my life, I would choose to give up cereal. I think I would choose to keep eating sandwiches rather than cereal because they provide more nutrition than cereal. They include more aspects of the food pyramid. Plus, you can pretty much put anything between two pieces of bread and call it a sandwich. :) Yummmmm!