Hello again…My apologies for you all! I have been a little busy with other events and well now I’m here. What new to say? A lot is new. I just had a quiz for my class the Individual in the Social World. It was pretty interesting to be quizzed on a subject that would take a semester to learn. I was told it would be very challenging, but I thought it was otherwise. Sure there were new terms I didn’t understand at first, but because I studied so hard for it, I felt comfortable taking it. We were quizzed on how birth and intelligence interfere with each other. For instance, if a child is a first born, their intelligence will be greater than that of their sibling. The quiz also had questions on the effect of mere exposure. When a person is exposed to an item or a person, they will start liking them more and more each time they are exposed to it.
A couple of days before the quiz, I had watched a movie with my classmates on the Prison Experiment at Stanford University. There was also a question on the movie. We were asked what the dependent and independent variables of the experiment were. We were also asked the effect the experiment had on the randomly selected participants. The fact that they were starting to take their roles was one of the effects and how that influenced their treatment towards each other, from the “prisoner” to the “guard”.
With that, I would like to say that I would have never thought I would be in an Ivy League school taking quizzes like the one I took, and actually feel good about it. I owe it all to the sponsors who supported us and made this opportunity possible. You are the ones that make dreams come true! I would also like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg. Thanks for all the support. Hope you enjoy reading our everyday life at Cornell.
Moreover, some of us went to the Syracuse Mall to have fun. The mall was huge and I had my legs hurting all night from all the walking I did, even though I actually do lots of walking over at Cornell. Going to class, to our discussion session, to our seminar, to eat at Appel Commons, to our dorms, makes a day of walking all over campus. It’s worth it though. I like walking. About our dorm life, well it feels like you are an independent person with a life of your own without your parents, but you also have to be aware of how you organize yourself. It’s great to have this experience and see everything from your point of view and have a taste of what life is without your parents or guardians watching your every more. I am now aware that all the things our parents tell us are true. When I go off on my own, this experience will be great help and influence me in the decisions I make.
Thanks for tuning in. Hope you like hearing from us and keep supporting us. I miss all my loved ones and I want them to know I love them and I’ll be keeping in touch with them on every exciting moment I have. Well until next time. Have a nice day. Hope everything else is well.
Sincerely,
Ana Garibo
Kennedy High '09
The Individual in the Social World
Summer of '08
The 2017 Vanderbilt Cohort Has Been Selected
7 years ago
3 comments:
Ana, you just graduated phi beta kappa! You came to the realization that maybe your parents are right and you're still a youngster. Most people take a lifetime to come to that realization--if they ever do.
The more I keep reading about what they're teaching you about birth order, intelligence and now exposure to things, well, it just tells me there's a lot we're going to have to unteach you when you return.
In all fairness, both of these subjects are controversial and have spurred many heated debates from people who strongly believe either one way or the other. You may have guessed that my opinion differs from that of your prof. These are all just theories and would be difficult to prove or disprove. Even though I KNOW I'm right, I'm betting I couldn't prove it to your prof.
I've already gone into too much detail about the birth order thing but this new concept that the more you're exposed to things and/or people, the more you like them, well, I have a couple of people I'd like to introduce you to and I can guarantee you that the more you're exposed to them, the more you're going to dislike them.
And trust me, Ana, you may not be getting a lot of comments from friends and sponsors to your postings but I'd chalk that up to the fact that a lot of people JUST DON'T WRITE. Some people are like that. Your postings are being read, though, and with great interest so keep them coming.
And more pictures. We need more pictures!
Thanks Ana for your uplifting blog. This afternoon has been very busy with a lot of phone calls and emails. I am also on my way out to meet with Ms. Kronenberg and our University of Pennsylvania Chaperone, Patricia Crespo. We have another group of students preparing to leave for UPENN this weekend.
Tierra Andrews from Kennedy High School and the other five students have made it to Columbia and they are now at a welcoming BBQ for incoming students. The fun is still going on for them since the program does not start until tomorrow. They also went to Times Square last night and ate dinner at the ESPN Zone on Times Square. In addition they went to Rockefeller Center and the Ed Sullivan Building where David Letterman tapes his nightly comedy show.
My family went out to the movies and are seeing Wall E. As you know, and yes Yoline, I avoid the movie theatre. Maybe one day I will go and see a movie in a theatre. This evening I am taking my family out to dinner for my wife's birthday at the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur. This will be a great way to celebrate with my family. My daughter Adrianne is very happy because she got all A's and just one B, which was in Spanish. I told her that she may need you to tutor her so she can get the Spanish grade up to an A.
Remember I do want to hear from your dorm mate. We will learn a lot by them sharing their background and past experience in going to Summer Studies Program. We can make our district better by hearing how they see our students and how they have learned from our challenges. So, please have them do a blog with us on this page. We want to make this blog as active as possible and this is only possible if you spread the "word".
I did find Yoline's post interesting because she questioned the value of tests. However, how else should we do assessment? How will we objectively understand what is being retained from the student. As Don Gosney previously reported, does this make the case for those who say the Exit Exam is not a good indicator of whether a student should receive their high School Diploma? What do you think? Did you know that New York requires students to also pass what is called a "Regents Exam", which is another form of the exit exam. Talk with the students from New York and find out what they have to say about their exit exam.
Yoline also expressed her commitment to Brown and how she felt that she realllly wanted to go to school in an urban center like Brown, which is in Providence. Fortunately, you have had the same path as Yoline and both of you spent the last two years at Brown. Do you feel the same? Does Brown seem a better fit for you than the rural area of Cornell. Which school seems to fit your personality. Can you see yourself applying to Cornell or do you think that you will just apply to schools in urban areas like Rice University in Houston Texas, and Brown University in Providence Rhode Island? We would value a reply response this evening to these questions.
I am glad that Madeline was adament about creating this blog. I have learned a great deal from all of you and I am glad that you have seen the value of being away from home and the value of learning life's lessons at an early age. I wish that all of the students in our district had this chance because I know that when you return to Kennedy High School as a senior you will soar like an Eagle.
Keep us posted and I hope that you can encourage others to weigh in.
As they say a "mind is a terrible thing to waste" and I am glad that we are not wasting all of the brillant minds that are on the Cornell campus.
And Quizzes, YES!!!!
Charles T. Ramsey
School Board Member
West Contra Costa
Unified School District
Ana,
Thanks for the very interesting post. It was great hearing from you. You need to know that there is quite a deal of controlversy surrounding the birth order discussion your class is having. Here's some information regarding research debunking the validity of birth order derived personality typologies:
Are Firstborns Smarter? -- "Challenging popular belief is new research, published in American Psychologist, that asserts that there is no direct link between birth order and intelligence, and that concerns that big families produce less intelligent children are misguided" (excerpted from Psychology Today, Vol. 33, No. 6, p. 20, based on an article in the American Psychologist, Vol. 55, No.6, pp. 599-612).
Authors of the American Psychologist article clearly state: "The apparent relation between birth order and intelligence has been a methodological illusion." (Reported in the May-June, 2001, PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter.)
So, don't be afraid to introduce some questions into the discussions.
The same thing is true of the idea about "exposure" -- they are talking about "propinquity" -- that idea is called "the propinquity effect" -- it is the tendency for people to form friendships or romantic relationships with those whom they encounter often. In other words, relationships tend to be formed between those who have a high propinquity -- but logically, you are not really likely to form relationships with people you don't encounter are you? However, you can "get used" to someone or "get used" to an idea, etc.
Anyway -- something to think about.
You sound like you are having a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing -- and please keep it up.
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