Megan Robb

Dear Mr. Ramsey and ILC,

This past semester I took classes in Organic Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, People, Culture, and Society Sociology/Anthropology, and Ethnic Literature. Organic Chemistry was extremely difficult and fast paced. It was my most challenging course and I am very glad that it is over. My Biology course was focusing more in depth on the cellular mechanisms and the specifics on how the cell functions. My Intro to Sociology/Anthropology was very interesting. We had many discussions about culture in America both in the past and present. The Ethnic Literature course was my favorite class this semester. We read and discussed a wide range of literature. Some of my favorites were Maus I and II, Crescent, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Twilight: Los Angeles 1992. The books that we read in the course looked at Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, White, and Asian culture within America.

At Denison University there are a lot of people from the east and west coasts.  Denison has been referred to as an east coast school in the Midwest. In other words, students are very well off and overall preppy. This was a sort of culture shock for me but I have grown to love Denison.

 

Denison, and college in general, is different from high school in regard to the importance of time management. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having good time management skills. This past semester I was very involved in my sorority, on-campus job, and volunteering, therefore I had to be extremely focused and literally had no time for procrastination.

As an individual, I have become more independent, responsible, and focused. This past semester I decided that I wanted to get a Soc/Anth minor instead of a Chemistry minor. I made the change once I realized that I was not pursuing the Chemistry minor for the right reasons and that I should focus on something that I am passionate about. I have also become better at time management and the very delicate balance between the academic and social aspects of college.

Thank you,

Megan Robb
Denison University ‘15

Megan Robb

Dear Charles Ramsey and ILC members, I have recently completed my first year at Denison University. This past year I have learned and experienced so many new things. One of the reasons that I decided to go out of state for college was so that I would become a stronger person. My first semester, I spent a lot of time finding which study spaces and methods worked best for me. I tried a lot of different places like my dorm room, the library, and a few different academic buildings. Once I found a study space that was best for me, studying became a lot less tedious and stressful. Along with finding a space, I was also honing in my studying skills. College turned out to be a lot harder than high school, so I needed to learn which study habits worked best for me. During my second semester I joined Kappa Kappa Gamma. When I first arrived at Denison I had no intention of joining a sorority, but after talking to a few of my friends, I decided to rush in the spring. I am extremely happy that I joined KKG because it allowed me to befriend so many great women that I would have otherwise not have had the opportunity to befriend. I have also been more involved with the school events, which I would have otherwise not participated in. Joining a Greek organization provides you with a family while in college and numerous connections once you are out of college. I also volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Volunteering gave me the satisfaction that I was making my lunch buddy’s day better. It is also a good idea to make sure that you do something that you enjoy for at least an hour a week. I really enjoy helping others, so this is the one thing that I set time aside for. I plan to continue to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters in the coming semesters. You have probably heard this a million times, but time management is extremely important. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Take one thing at a time and be patient with yourself. It is not going to be as easy to get the good grades in college that you got in high school. With each semester you become more familiar with your study habits and therefore better able to handle your workload. I have heard from many that freshman year of college is often the hardest, so when the going gets tough, just remember that it will only get easier with each semester. Also never be afraid to talk to your professor. If you get work back that you aren’t happy with and want to know what you can do differently, go talk to your professor. This past semester I took a philosophy class with a professor that I was nervous to meet with, but once I met with him I got the feedback that I needed and I felt more comfortable talking with him. College can be stressful at times, but it is also filled with moments that you will hold on to and cherish for the rest of your lives. Good luck to those of you going off to college! Megan Robb De Anza Class of 2011 Denison Class of 2015

Carla Ramirez

My name is Carla Ramirez, and I graduated from Richmond High School in 2010. I am a Biology major and a sophomore at Denison University.

Congratulations on the award, I couldn't think of another program more deserving of the award.

I just finished my first semester as a sophomore at Denison University, and I can honestly say that it has been one of the toughest yet. I definitely took classes that were too difficult for me to handle all at once. Even with the opportunities that Denison had to offer it was very difficult. Overall I am still happy with my choice to go to Denison, I have never been academically challenged like this before and to juggle Calculus, Chemistry, and Biology along with a job on campus was too much to handle for me. It has been a tough lesson but I think its something everyone learns one way or another. Like Adriana said, sometimes we think that we can do things but when it comes to it, things don't always go as we expected.

Balancing out your schedule between hard and easier classes along with time management is something that I still have yet to master but I hope to improve in this upcoming semester. Apart from the hardships I had this semester, I love all the opportunities that have been given to me at Denison. Opportunities like working as a TA for Biology 150, which I doubt I would have gotten at a larger university and hopefully I get the opportunity to do research this summer with the Biology Department at Denison University.

thanks,
Carla J. Ramirez
Health Academy Student Representative
Cell: (510) 734-8076
E-Mail: Carlajramirez@yahoo.com

Megan Robb

Congratulations on the Golden Bell Award. My first semester of college was amazing. I loved all of my classes and my professors were amazing. I learned so much in so little time. It took me a week or two to adjust academically, but I adjusted quickly. I learned that college takes a lot more studying than high school and that there is no such thing as a day off. Despite a minor bump at the very beginning, I have had a great semester.

Living away from home has had its good and bad points. I have become more independent and have grown as a person because I was on my own. I did not miss home except for the fall break and Thanksgiving break.

Student life at Denison was quite different than what I am used to. I was surrounded by students with different political opinions, religious beliefs, and academic backgrounds. Everyone was very willing to share their thoughts about politics and religion, which is traditionally not talked about. It was interesting to hear people’s thoughts on a variety of issues. Although Denison is very different from home, I feel as though the differences have allowed me to grow as a person and I am grateful for that.

If it were not for the Ivy League Connection I would have never thought of going out of state for college. Thank you again for this and I am very happy that the California School Board Association has recognized the importance of this program.

Sincerely,

Megan Robb

Carla J. Ramirez

Mr. Ramsey & Ivy League Connection,

Having finished my first year at Denison University, I have come to realize that the 4.0 GPA doe not always translate into college. Realizing that getting straight A’s in college was nearly impossible without a social life was one of the hardest lessons I learned at Denison University.

Having failed all of my first tests in all of my classes the first semester was my breaking point. I cried and cried and cried until I realized that I couldn’t be perfect and ace everything like in HS. I can honestly say that failing those tests was the best thing that could’ve happened to me; those tests really brought me down from the clouds. I truly realized that I WAS in college and if I wanted to succeed in college I had to push my self beyond the point that I thought I could not be pushed. I think that that lesson is one of the hardest lessons we all have to learn, pushing yourself and studying harder than ever before and appreciating your grade even if its not an A, but knowing that you worked hard is the real achievement.

One thing that really proved helpful was taking advantage of professor office hours and tutoring. I encourage everyone to investigate if your school has free tutoring available for students and to make a schedule of all of your professor’s office hours that ways if you need help on the homework or you want to clear something up from the lecture you know exactly when to find them.

Living with people you don’t know is a daunting thought. One huge lesson is that communication is key when living with others, it is important to communicate to your roommates things that they do that you don’t like and to not take things personally when they tell you things that they don’t like about the things you do. Communicating these kinds of issues early is important because things will add up and be worse in the future.

These were some of the biggest lessons that I had to learn, I hope that they are useful to everyone.

Thanks,

Carla J. Ramirez
Health Academy Student Representative
Cell: (510) 734-8076
E-Mail: Carlajramirez@yahoo.com