The Grand Finale

1) Self-Evaluation

            When I began to apply to colleges my senior year, Penn State wasn’t really an option; It was a must.  Many of my family members, including my mom, are Penn State alumni, and they all clearly wanted me to become the next generation of Nittany Lion.  I was accepted to Penn State, and decided to attend in the fall without truly knowing much about the school or myself. 

            I had visited Penn State many times with my family, but by the time that I was accepted, basically all that I really knew was that the school has a well-followed football team that I enjoyed to watch.  I had never actually thought about any of the other aspects of this school until I entered English 15S.  On the first day of class, we learned about the course and the assignments that we would have to complete throughout the semester.  Only thinking about the school through an athletics lense, I did not expect much from Penn State’s arts. I was pleasantly surprised though by the hidden gems throughout campus that I would have never known existed without this class.  

            Penn State is not known as a school for the arts, but it still produces solid products.  Two of my favorite assignments this year involved seeing the Penn State productions In the Red and Brown Water and The Producers.  Two different Penn State theater groups put on these shows, and both productions impressed me.  In high school, I played in the orchestra, and we were required to play in the pit for the musical every year.  My high school is known for its fantastic art program, so I know how much effort it takes for students to put on a good show. It was clear that the Penn State students worked hard to perfect their performances, and their final products exceeded my expectations 

            In our Curated Art Exhibit, I learned about sculptors and other artists that attend Penn State, and our school's B.F.A. program.  The student works that my group observed and analyzed for our project were all so meaningful and creative.  Some of the pieces even reminded me of art that I might see in a museum.  It was so awesome to see that students from our school are capable of creating beautiful pieces.  This was something that I would have never known without this class and the Curated Art Exhibit project. 

            Aside from learning about the arts here at Penn State, I also learned about myself, and my interest in writing.  I've always enjoyed English, but never really the writing aspect.  Something about writing in this class though was fun.  I enjoyed the blogging a lot because it was a modern way to showcase one's thoughts in writing for the rest of the class.  It was also interesting to read other people's opinions on pieces or art, shows, or whatever aspect of the arts we were to discuss. 

            I think that I strengthened my writing during this class after learning about rhetoric and audience.  I had never really thought about the context of my writing before, but both are important to the writing process.  I also think that I improved my creating style a lot on our memoir piece.  In high school, we almost always wrote analytical essays and that was it, so I hadn’t written a memoir for a long time.  Being one of my first papers in college, I worked hard on it, and I think my effort really showed. 

            When I was accepted to Penn State, I didn't even think about the school's arts community.  Now that I know, I'm even more pleased with my choice to attend college here.  I've always been a fan of the arts, and it's exciting to see talent from students just like me.  I plan on taking advantage of shows shows, the art pieces, the music, and everything else that Penn state has to offer during the rest of my four years that are to come. 

2) Blog Response Round-Up

1. http://imporvedartsmarts.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-blast-at-botanical-gardens.html
2. http://jspellman94.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-hidden-gem-of-state-college.html
3. http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-museum-visit.html
4. http://daniellegordonmartin.blogspot.com/2012/09/peaceful-morning-at-arboretum.html
5. http://morgannsays.blogspot.com/2012/10/good-will-hunting-movie-review.html
6. http://haileyhere.blogspot.com/2012/10/when-thinking-about-movies-of-1960s.html
7. http://contemplationsoacck.blogspot.com/2012/10/animal-antics-ac-bp-4.html
8. http://the1meltingpot.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review.html
9. http://artstateofpsu.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html
10. http://cheddarbread.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html

3) SRTE Evaluations

            Hi, Ms. S -- I completed my SRTEs!