The Importance of Being Well-Rounded

In many of my college essays, I stated that I was interested in getting a well-rounded education and that I believed that particular college could give me one. However, upon getting accepted into many of these schools and having to choose, I realized that one college in particular could give me the most well-rounded experience I could hope for: UT. With UT's size, I was initially intimidated, but the Plan II program enabled me to overcome the large university stereotype and realize that this school could really be the best for me. I love my family, I love small classes where I can get to know everyone, and I love big cities. However, as I looked at some of the smaller schools, I didn't really think that the world they lived in was big enough: and let's face it, UT is DEFINITELY big enough. With a student body of about 50,000 I had no fear of getting to know everyone on campus before graduating...or even by the time I graduate! The truth is, I would not have chosen this school had it not been the combination of UT and Plan II together giving me the big community of UT and Austin (thankfully pretty close to home) and the small discussion-based classes I had so loved in high school.

So why UT? I saw UT as filled with HUGE (literally) opportunities. I love college sports and UT could offer some of the best college sports in the country. I knew research could eventually be a very important part of my life (for a pre-med path) and I know that UT has excellent resources as far as research goes. I also found that too small of a community (whether college campus or number of students) could be a little suffocating. Knowing my way so well around high school and always seeing the same faces felt all too familiar after a while and I longed for the change of a big city and a big setting to live in. UT also gave me the chance to stay close to home. To be honest, I love the comfort of my family too much to go away so soon. I like my parents and like having the ability to go home on the weekend if I've had a rough week. However, these things could not be enough for me to pass up the wonderful liberal arts colleges I had been accepted into. So why UT?

Plan II was really the one that sealed the deal. It was no lightning spark--it took long consideration and agonizing to decide what school to go to and in the end, I still worried constantly over making the right decision. But Plan II gave me just what I was looking for in every other school, so I worried needlessly. Plan II gave me small discussion based learning, intellectual and interesting subjects, and plenty of teacher attention that I knew would be scarce in the bigger picture at UT. Now, after being at UT for a month, I feel good about my decision and feel like I definitely got a good deal with this choice: big school and little school combined!

Before reading this, I was already interested in seeking a well-rounded education. However, after reading the part about "Well-rounded Docs," I am even more thankful for the education I'll be getting at UT. Not only will I be getting the ideas of a "specific trade or profession, or study or science," (Course Anthology 169) but I will be gaining the ability to be "at home in any society" (Course Anthology 170). Those words truly reached out to me from Newman's The Idea of a University. I took a step back to consider these words. They tell me that I can be at home in different cultural settings, with people of different backgrounds and races, with young people and old people, with people coming from different political views, and everything else. I feel like this school is preparing me to have an open mind when I step out into society, a graduated UT student who will have a clear perspective of the world she lives in. I feel like UT will prepare to go to a foreign country and not allow the language barriers to get in the way of making relationships with those around me. UT is preparing me to have an open mind when I look at my dinner with fear and skepticism in China (which I definitely did before). That is what I see in the phrase "summoning the resources of heart and spirit can create that shared life of aspiration and achievement that we call civilization" (Course Anthology 173A). This shared life is not only among us at UT, but among the people of the world. From these readings, I feel ready to plunge into the knowledge and learning that it will take to "cultivate" me into a true member of society.

I was also interested in a well-rounded education for the sake of being engaged as well. Even though I have ambitions to be a doctor someday, I don't for a second kid myself in pretending I want to only take math and science based classes. I am interested in foreign languages, music, history, and literature. My ideas for majors have switched from Music to Biochemistry to History to Anthropology. And for this, I am thankful that med schools are no longer looking for purely science based backgrounds in their students. I agree with the people at med schools in their wanting well-rounded people. I want my doctor to be educated in various subjects that aren't limited to their profession. I would embrace a doctor who had hobbies on the side that were not in the least bit medical based. My dad, for instance, is a surgeon, but he enjoys golf and reading history books (particularly in American history) in his spare time. He also plays the piano a bit, fishes, and climbs 14,000 foot mountains.

I'm glad that I have such a good role model that I can set my standards to. I feel comfortable in pursuing what I love and taking classes that will not just prepare me for medical school, but make me a well-rounded and interesting person to talk to.

As for experiential learning, I am 100% for it! I love getting my nose out of books and participating in experiential learning. In fact, I have participated in one of the best examples of experiential learning I think I have ever heard of in 3rd grade. My teacher was hugely interested in theater and history, so as a result, much of our 3rd grade curriculum was centered around the passing of history. Our six weeks schedules followed an outline of the the big events of world history: Stone Ages, Ancient Rome/Egypt, Medieval Times, the Renaissance Period, Developing Countries, and Modern Times (particularly in science). Every six weeks we prepared a sort of museum to honor the time period we were studying. We would decorate the classroom and research a certain topic and we (the students) got to dress up as people from those times and educate visitors on important people from these times and day-to-day life. It was one of the most wonderful classes I'd ever (and will ever) take. My teacher brought to life the very subject that had been ingrained in our heads to be dull, long-winded, and uninteresting. He flipped it backwards to make it one of my favorite subjects and something I looked forward to every day. No class has ever come close to the experience I got from this one. We brought to life the very material we were studying and that made all the difference in what we took from that class. Instead of sitting prim and proper in our desks taking notes over history, we were becoming decorators, actors, and specialists in whatever we happened to be learning about. This teacher taught me everything about how learning "can be dynamic, engaging, and fun" and it certainly made the "value of education more obvious" by "connecting information" (literally) "to the 'real world'" (Course Anthology 184). Parents and teachers came every six weeks to see the museum and I still love going back to visit and see what the new students have come up with. The class was rewarding and beneficial to my education and I thought of it immediately upon reading this experiential learning page.

He dressed up as Napoleon for one of out discussions and told us about Napoleon's life with a French accent.

I feel so grateful for my opportunities in life. I am glad that I don't have to be tethered down by the demands of what job I want to have someday and that I can learn not only in books, but in an active setting that I can engage in. I feel fulfilled already by the education that I have received in the past as well as the education I will get here at UT (specifically in Plan II). The readings The Idea of a University and Experiential Learning have opened my eyes to how lucky I am to be at UT and how excited I should be about the years to come.

Pictures (in order):

http://www.austinaerialphoto.com/utfromwest.jpg

Emily Richardson

http://amazingscott.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/napoleonstart-copy-704617.jpg

Road Map Readings

Callie: I absolutely LOVED the part about your cat. It sounds like your family had a really special connection with your pet, which is something I've never experienced before. To have seen all the kids out of the house and died right after is certainly not coincidental and I think that what you had was truly magical. Also, the way you incorporated all the books we're reading in World Literature was cool too. They were all pertinent to what you were talking about and it's awesome how you found something to connect from each of them.

Alex: The number of activities you did in your life sounds so awesome. I love trying new things, but even I haven't done so much. It sounds like you really wanted to find what your passion is and through all that experimentation you found it. You seem so rounded! Also, your artwork reminds me of my sister. Although it's not something that you will be centering your life around, it is something you are truly talented at and something that you thoroughly enjoy.

Jade: I'm so jealous of your Chinese traditions! When my grandpa came here from China, he wanted to leave behind his Chinese heritage and start a new life. Thus, my family doesn't have the amazing Chinese traditions that have obviously shaped your life. I can see how it has affected who you are and how special it is to you.

Maysie: I can really connect with everything you say about family, especially with your cousins. You said that one of your cousins is like your brother: my sister and I have two cousins that are girls and very close in age to us and I would definitely consider us like sisters. When we get together, we fight and laugh and catch up like it hasn't been a year since the last time we saw each other. My cousins are so important to me and I can relate to how you feel about your family. Also, I definitely have one or two crazy aunts that fit your description: one married into our family and she's hilarious. The last time I was with her, she played loud rap music in her car (even though she has two babies). I also have a step-mom that has really affected who I am like yours. She has kept me sane (like yours!) through all these years because she is a psychologist so she's really understanding. She listens to my problems and has helped me through so much in my life. So, I think our families are super alike and I'm glad that I found that out about you--we have way more in common than I realized! On that note, I also loved the analogy with the shopping cart. It was so appropriate and so YOU (I could just see that it was an original idea that you came up with because it fits your personality really well).

Jose: I don't think it's strange at all that you have two conflicting career desires. I have often felt the exact same way: I have wanted to be a doctor for so long and yet I love working with and finding out about animals and so I also could see myself becoming a marine biologist. I think it's great that you have such diverse interests because that's what really makes people interesting. I guess we'll see where we both end up after these 4 years. :)

Thuyen and Sharad: I'm so sorry, I couldn't get yours to open on my computer (aghhhh curse technology!) but I'm sure they were both super awesome and wonderful. Hopefully I'll be able to watch them eventually, because I'd really like to.

Tigers and Dolphins and Whatever Else Lies Ahead

To be honest, I have never embraced personal writing. I have always shunned choices of personal essays over other forms of writing assignments. At first, I was resolved to do the literary analysis choice of this project. However, when I examined the totem animal choice, I recall a time when my mom took my sister and I to Sea World. There was a large pool near the entrance that contained about five or six dolphins that we were allowed to feed and pet. My mom bought us a small package of little dead fish that we could feed them and at times a dolphin would come so close that we could reach out our hands and touch the slick, rubbery, squishy head of these amazing creatures. As we were leaving the enclosure my sister said to me “you’re kind of like a dolphin, Emily." (1)

Many memories from my childhood stand out to me and upon further reflection, I now understand why (2). My dad owns a bit of property in Rockport, which is on the coast of Texas, near Corpus Christi. He has a small cabin right on the bay and we used to have a motorboat that he would take my sister and I out in. Once, while we were riding the boat around the bay at sunset, a family of dolphins began to follow us. I remember feeling as exhilarated as I had ever felt in my childhood and as I sat in the front of the boat, excitedly watching them swim alongside us, one of the dolphins jumped up directly in front of me. Although the sudden movement startled me, the moment felt precious and sacred in my mind. This encounter with these friendly, wild creatures is something that has stood out to me for my entire life. I can recall another time in Rockport when my dad took us on a guided fishing trip. The guide wanted to get away from the nearby pod of dolphins because they scared the fish off, but I remember feeling more enthralled by seeing the beautiful animals than catching big fish. I wanted to stay in the same area and watch these amazing creatures for the rest of the day. My encounters with dolphins now skip many years to this summer when my family took a cruise to Alaska. While we were at open sea on the second day, our ship went straight through a huge pod of dolphins. The wildlife expert on the ship said there were at least fifty of them travelling together at the time. I remember my heart soaring as I saw them jumping through the water alongside the ship. I could almost feel their joy: the cold water slapping against their bellies as they fell, the smooth feeling as they raced through the currents, and the pleasure that had in being together with their family in that beautiful sunny morning. At that time, I truly believe that my spirit was down there with them.

This is a picture of a dolphin swimming right in front of a boat. Although it isn't my picture, it is exactly how it looked that time we were out in the bay and the dolphin came up in front of me.
http://k53.pbase.com/g4/89/676989/2/63422434.fyCeFAPJ.jpg

Remembering back on these times, I can almost believe that I am “capable of walking the threads that link the invisible and visible worlds” (3) as shamans were known to be. I have found lately that I am not content to merely sit back and allow myself to rely on these chance experiences with dolphins. Over the summer (after our trip to Alaska) I pondered more and more over the idea of being a marine biologist or veterinarian specializing in marine animal treatment. It would be an enormous joy to me to work with dolphins almost daily. Reading about dolphin behaviors and emotional tendencies can only get me so far and I would love to interact with them on a regular basis.
In comparing my habits to those of a dolphin, I like to imagine that we are somewhat alike. “Dolphins are known for their ability and playful behavior” (4) and while I am not necessarily agile, I think of myself as a very playful person. Dolphins also love swimming together in groups, “synchronizing their movements with one another” (4) and I can relate to that with my love of dancing. I took a dance class for my P.E. credit last year and I loved getting together for group choreography projects and coming up with dances that flowed well and fit together. I can picture a group of dolphins’ synchronized movements and I like to imagine them dancing (if not in the way we do) with similar spirit and enthusiasm that I did with the people in my dance class. I also associate dolphins with their ability to learn quickly, especially when taught by humans. I can relate to this behavior; I play the piano and I have often heard my teachers comment on how well I can sight-read (5). I pick up on the notes and the way the piece is supposed to sound quickly and I can relate this to how dolphins pick up on tricks and human activity quickly. On that note, I have come to the love, and familiar myself with, the sounds that dolphins make. They use echolocation and other forms of communication and “are almost always constantly vocal” (6). I love hearing them talk to each other, much as I love talking to other people. I am an avid socialite and love chatting with people. Whether on the phone, one-on-one, or in a large group of people, I enjoy talking about a variety of things and I can almost always think of something to say. Perhaps that is why I came up as an extrovert on my personality test and why I think that dolphins would most certainly be categorized as extroverts. Their social behavior, which consists of travelling in large families and communicating with each other constantly by many different means, connects me with them and with extroverted habits I possess. Dolphins like to play together and are resourceful in what they find to entertain themselves with. “Both young and old dolphins chase one another, carry objects around, toss seaweed to one another, and use objects to solicit interaction” (6). This reminds me much of human sports. I love playing sports with other people and being active, which is much like the personality of a dolphin. All in all, dolphins seem to me intelligent, playful, social, and they also form strong bonds with their families and friends. I am all of these things: I love learning and learn quickly, I form strong friendships with few people rather than loose ones with many, and I am extremely social and playful. I can almost imagine myself swimming in a group of dolphins and playing the games they play and forming bonds of my own.

Here is a picture of dolphins traveling together in groups:

http://www.dolphinreef.co.il/Portals/0/Group%20of%20Dolphins%20uw.jpg

Here are two of my dance projects choreographed with other members of the class (please excuse that they aren't terribly together...nerves + too few rehearsals...):


Moreover, my connection with dolphins does not just consist of me thinking about them and talking about ways that I can relate to them. In the guided meditation, I had a very interesting interaction with dolphins. I listened to the rhythmic drumming and allowed myself to follow the instructions. The tunnel part for me was icy and I was sliding rapidly down and shot out the bottom of the tunnel onto a frozen over body of water. Although I saw polar bears, I did not interact with them. I walked across the frozen area and far out I could see a pod of dolphins. Then, as the narrator told me to imagine myself going back up the tunnel with my totem animal, I could picture myself going up almost as rapidly as I came down only this time I was holding on to the fins of two dolphins that were miraculously sliding (or perhaps swimming, even though there was no water) up the tunnel. Although this may be unrealistic (I realize that dolphins probably don’t live in the same location as polar bears and of course dolphins cannot swim uphill on land…) it is a faithful account of what I saw in this guided meditation experiment and I found it very interesting. I connected with my animal and I think the rapidity that we climbed the tunnel went along with the swift beating of the drums and I could feel my heart racing with the animals that carried me back to the light of the real world. “Dreaming and waking were inseparable realities” (7); while the dolphins carried me back to reality and the video ended, I could feel them with me and somehow felt like I was still in that tunnel with them even after the music had stopped.
Although I would associate my main totem animal with a dolphin, a tiger also holds particular significance, especially in my childhood. As little girls, my sister and I loved toy animals. My dad would always buy us little plastic animals (horses, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, eagles—you name it) until we had a collection of well over a hundred. They formed a herd (miraculously they didn’t eat each other) and my sister and I could spend hours playing with them. We would make up stories for them and pretend like they were alive and talking to each other. I think this may have strengthened my love for animals and my desire to be near them and understand them as much as possible. I had one favorite plastic animal and that was a little tiger. Her name was Sarabi (The Lion King was a childhood favorite) and she was my heroine of all the games. It was this little plastic animal that made me believe that I could be as strong and courageous and fearsome as a tiger. This connection with a tiger is relevant to a certain part in my childhood. I may be an extrovert now, but when I was little, I was very shy, particularly around adults. My dad had just remarried and although my new step-mom is extremely nice and understanding (she is a psychologist) I was still new to her presence. In the morning, I would wake up and be very hungry for breakfast, but unwilling to show myself to the adults of the household, especially my step-mom. Thus, I would crawl like a prowling tiger through our living room and stick my head around the doorway into the kitchen. Once Debbie (my step-mom) had acknowledged the presence of a little tiger that was awake and ready to eat, I would feel less shy and come sit at the table like a normal child, not an animal. The tiger, then, helped me overcome my shyness and helped my step-mom and I develop a nice morning routine that, in the end, strengthened our relationship. I find that this relationship with the tiger was a totem that assisted me “through a particularly rough period in [my] life” (8). I needed the tiger to help me through this point in time when I was shy around my new step-mom, but now that we have a good relationship and new adults do not scare me anymore, I can continue without the tiger totem, even though I do carry its special significance with me still. What is different about the tiger totem is that I did not do any guided tests or totem reflections to find out that it was part of my series of totem animals. I needed this animal at a particular time in my life and it came to me and helped me. I did not acknowledge a spiritual connection with it because at the time I was unaware of the meaning of an alternate being (an animal, moreover) having an impact on me. However, I now see the significance in this creature and how it shaped those years.
Imagine a little five-year-old version of me doing this (cute, huh?):

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/dv842096.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=91F5CCEF208281FDB18B10050D1611A4ADB64BEE2FD3BE44F7269EC0EB7C2439

Although I have seen and heard of totem animals before, I had never pursued the idea of having one for myself. However, after looking inside myself and reflecting on my interests in certain animals in my past, it makes sense (9). I understand now that a totem is “an animal spirit guild [that] may remain with [me]” (10) for the rest of my life and look forward to cherishing both the dolphin and the tiger forever with my new experiences ahead.

---

1) In this essay, I am going to tell you about my totem animals. My first animal is a dolphin, but upon more reflection and from reading in the Course Anthology, I realized that I could also be a tiger as well.

2) It is because these experiences have made me closer to my totem animal and the connections with it have remained with me.

3) Andrews, Ted. “Spiritual and Magical Roles of Nature.” Composition and Reading in World Literature. 415.

4) Defenders of Wildlife, “Dolphin,” http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/dolphin.php.

5)Sight-reading is the ability to read a piece of music without having seen it before. Basically, you are learning a whole new piece.

6) Dolphin Designs, “Dolphin Behavior,” http://www.wiu.edu/users/emp102/DolphinWeb/dolphin_behavior.htm.

7) Andrews, 415.

8) Andrews, 419.

9) I HAVE always been particularly interested in tigers and dolphins. Even in high school, our school mascot was a tiger. While everyone else thought it was dumb and unoriginal, I felt proud that we were the tigers. I DO feel a special connection with these animals.

10) Farmer, Steven D. "Power Animals." Composition and Reading in World Literature. 414.

Word Count: 2034

Without quotations: 1965

My Psychological Type: ESFJ, with pictures

When I began taking this exam, I had the initial prejudice that it would be inaccurate and stupid. I've had this negative feeling for self-tests such as these ever since we had to take career tests in the 8th grade. It was my greatest dream to be a vet and I was so sure that would be the profession that I would get at the end of the test. To my surprise and dismay, however, my predicted profession was a clinical psychologist.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/mba0695l.jpg

I felt surprised and let down. Not only did my dream job not come up in this test, but I was matched with a job that I had very little patience with. At the time I was not a good listener and did not like to analyze people's problems. Imagine my surprise, then, when I viewed the results of this test. After reading the text about my personality (ESFJ), I realized that some of these tests may be far more legit than this career test from 8th grade. My scorn and impatience melted away quickly as I read about my psychological type. I found the information fascinating and, to my surprise, accurate. I was extremely pleased as well to find that Martin Luther King, who is someone I have always admired since I first heard his story (in probably 1st grade or something). Another exciting person who shared my type is Eleanor Roosevelt--also someone I admire!

What I noticed first was that the social aspect described seems to fit me very well. I flourish in groups and enjoy sharing ideas and listening to others' ideas as well. I avoid time by myself and find that studying in groups has been more constructive for me in the past. I also have to own up to the bit about criticism. I am in fact "easily affected emotionally" and tend to take verbal criticism in a negative way (Course Anthology 143). Take my quartet camp experience. I attended a camp in which my string quartet would receive coaching from a professional quartet. We seemed to be doing well until the master class. At the master class, each group had to play their piece (which was not yet perfected) for the rest of the camp and then all four of the quartet members would critique. Our group was the last to perform and due to nerves and being a little unprepared, we played a less-than-perfect excerpt from our piece. The coaches reacted very angrily and criticized us on just about everything we played, even singling several of us out at some points. I found myself taking the criticism very personally and afterwards, I found myself crying in frustration and anger.

http://marianandersonstringquartet.com/ss/cmi2008_01/images/Fingeringchange.JPG

Thus, these aspects that are true and accurate tend to be true as well for my writing. I take criticism very hard even though I know in my mind that I want to improve as a writer. Many a time, my dad and I would argue heatedly about my essays and his criticism was hard to accept gracefully. He was rarely praising, which I tend to flourish from, and often harsh. I also tended to argue about my essay rather than just accept suggestions from others. Also, as a writer, the ESFJ fits me very well in that I am "able to write without needing prior planning" and I do in fact have a "short attention span" (Course Anthology 140). I was always very good at timed writings in English class, while my process papers needed more time and revising put in. I enjoy oral work and I like to "talk out ideas before writing" them (Course Anthology 147). I find talking about my papers helps me organize my thoughts and I like discussing my paper to get ideas for how to improve.

As for reading, most of what this analysis says is true for me. I am affected emotionally by what I read. I do remember names and dates well. However, I find that I also have a short attention span. This test fits me very well as a reader on both the positive and negative side. In fact, usually the only books that I could go through without ever putting them down would be...you got it, Harry Potter! Sadly. However, I tend to try extremely hard to focus and I do not allow myself to merely skim over things that I find boring.

In the end, I find that this class fits me very well. I love discussions, I love helpful teachers, and I love getting grades and feedback back very quickly. I think that my type fits well with the class type, which excites me. I enjoy having an open mind and learning from others. This class seems just right for me and maybe that's why I find myself getting along so well with everyone and enjoying their company :)

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/603A09/

Thanks for listening to this long-winded interpretation of my type. I find that talking about myself is a good way of getting an outside picture and figuring out exactly who I am and where I'm headed for these next 4 years.

My Psychological Type: ESFJ

When I began taking this exam, I had the initial prejudice that it would be inaccurate and stupid. I've had this negative feeling for self-tests such as these ever since we had to take career tests in the 8th grade. It was my greatest dream to be a vet and I was so sure that would be the profession that I would get at the end of the test. To my surprise and dismay, however, my predicted profession was a clinical psychologist.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/mba0695l.jpg

I felt surprised and let down. Not only did my dream job not come up in this test, but I was matched with a job that I had very little patience with. At the time I was not a good listener and did not like to analyze people's problems. Imagine my surprise, then, when I viewed the results of this test. After reading the text about my personality (ESFJ), I realized that some of these tests may be far more legit than this career test from 8th grade. My scorn and impatience melted away quickly as I read about my psychological type. I found the information fascinating and, to my surprise, accurate. I was extremely pleased as well to find that Martin Luther King, who is someone I have always admired since I first heard his story (in probably 1st grade or something). Another exciting person who shared my type is Eleanor Roosevelt--also someone I admire!

What I noticed first was that the social aspect described seems to fit me very well. I flourish in groups and enjoy sharing ideas and listening to others' ideas as well. I avoid time by myself and find that studying in groups has been more constructive for me in the past. I also have to own up to the bit about criticism. I am in fact "easily affected emotionally" and tend to take verbal criticism in a negative way (Course Anthology 143). Take my quartet camp experience. I attended a camp in which my string quartet would receive coaching from a professional quartet. We seemed to be doing well until the master class. At the master class, each group had to play their piece (which was not yet perfected) for the rest of the camp and then all four of the quartet members would critique. Our group was the last to perform and due to nerves and being a little unprepared, we played a less-than-perfect excerpt from our piece. The coaches reacted very angrily and criticized us on just about everything we played, even singling several of us out at some points. I found myself taking the criticism very personally and afterwards, I found myself crying in frustration and anger.

http://marianandersonstringquartet.com/ss/cmi2008_01/images/Fingeringchange.JPG

Thus, these aspects that are true and accurate tend to be true as well for my writing. I take criticism very hard even though I know in my mind that I want to improve as a writer. Many a time, my dad and I would argue heatedly about my essays and his criticism was hard to accept gracefully. He was rarely praising, which I tend to flourish from, and often harsh. I also tended to argue about my essay rather than just accept suggestions from others. Also, as a writer, the ESFJ fits me very well in that I am "able to write without needing prior planning" and I do in fact have a "short attention span" (Course Anthology 140). I was always very good at timed writings in English class, while my process papers needed more time and revising put in. I enjoy oral work and I like to "talk out ideas before writing" them (Course Anthology 147). I find talking about my papers helps me organize my thoughts and I like discussing my paper to get ideas for how to improve.

As for reading, most of what this analysis says is true for me. I am affected emotionally by what I read. I do remember names and dates well. However, I find that I also have a short attention span. This test fits me very well as a reader on both the positive and negative side. In fact, usually the only books that I could go through without ever putting them down would be...you got it, Harry Potter! Sadly. However, I tend to try extremely hard to focus and I do not allow myself to merely skim over things that I find boring.

In the end, I find that this class fits me very well. I love discussions, I love helpful teachers, and I love getting grades and feedback back very quickly. I think that my type fits well with the class type, which excites me. I enjoy having an open mind and learning from others. This class seems just right for me and maybe that's why I find myself getting along so well with everyone and enjoying their company :).

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/603A09/

Thanks for listening to this long-winded interpretation of my type. I find that talking about myself is a good way of getting an outside picture and figuring out exactly who I am and where I'm headed for these next 4 years.