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Juliane Koepcke
Why did Juliane Koepcke survive an airplane disaster over the Peruvian Amazon when others died?
According to Miller and Jurecic’s paraphrase of Laurence Gonzalez, she survived because:
- “Rather than follow rules, she improvised” (22)
- “Although she was afraid…, she used that fear as a resource for action” (22)
- She had “‘an inner-resource, a state of mind’ that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered” (22).
Make a text-to-self connection: In what ways might your first-year experience at college, and first-year writing in particular, call forth the need to approach this year with some version of one or more of Koepcke’s survival strategies?
Nicholas Ramsey
9/19
Reading “I Just Wanna Be Average”, by Mike Rose, told me a lot about him as a man. Life can almost certainly present struggles for anyone, and Rose wrote about his struggle with school in way that let you see into his mind and how he processed it all. I’d like to reflect on a passage where Rose talks about a student he knew named Ken Harvey, and how he was gasping for air. No, not in the literal sense, but in the sense of how school for some can be a very suffocating, and disorienting place. Rose goes on to explain how for some students, like Ken, it is far more simple to just “protect themselves from the suffocating madness.”(pp29) Rose illustrates for many students the pressure of everything becomes too great, and they soon define themselves as the Common Joe. “Fuck this bullshit. Bullshit, of course, is everything you- and the others- fear is beyond you.”(pp29) I believe this quote shows, as vulgar as it may be to some, the stress that weighs on the minds of so many students.
I myself have had many “Fuck this bullshit” moments. School has always found a way to be hard for me. I don’t mean this as in I’m not intelligent, or that I lack the capacity to learn as fast as others, rather that I find myself constantly falling behind with work because of my busy life. I don’t tell this to you as an excuse to justify my failings, but more as a way to learn. With all my “Fuck this bullshit” moments, I always have this voice deep down telling me that there was a way for me to avoid the stress all together. Looking at my life right now, I know I work too much. I’m trying to balance so many responsibilities on top of school that it causes me to lose track of what I need to do, or I simply just end up without enough time to do so. Herein lies the problem: working is no excuse to justify unfinished work. I do in fact have ways to resolve this, and the past week, I took a step in doing so. I notified my boss that I can no longer work all the days I’m requested to, that it just is too much and that school is my priority. Soon I’ll be transitioning to 10 less hours of work a week, which will open up plenty of time to finish anything I need to. So learn from this, instead of saying “Fuck this bullshit”, identify the problem and actively work towards a solution.
Reflecting on everything I’ve written, I see how different I handle problems I encounter. No longer do I tuck tail and run, I face my problems and own my mistakes. I know exactly what I’m capable of and I’m going to continue to apply myself going forward. The craziest about all this is, I’m learning about myself through words on paper. I look at this, and I can see myself slowly transitioning into the man I one day wish to be, now how many things in life can honestly make you see that? Id say very few. Writing has the ability to be beyond powerful and reveal things about yourself that you never knew, I say this as a result of all it has taught me.
Interesting piece, Nick. You used Rose as a lens to reflect on your work load. I wonder if you could reverse the lens. Having learned something about yourself, what does that enable you to see and say about some other moment in the Rose piece?
One of the strategies Koepcke presented was the strategy of improvising. There will be times during college where and you might not have time to do a certain assignment or have the right materials, that’s where improvising comes into play. With improvising it can build character and responsibility whether its trying to do an assignment off your cell phone if you don’t have a laptop or even asking others for pictures of certain texts you might not be able to access.
Another strategy Koepcke demonstrated was her using fear as a resource for action. In college if you can use fear as a resource for action it can benefit a lot. Having the fear that you don’t know the materials of a certain text or even about the course you’re taking can trigger students to take action and find help. A lot of tutors and extra help is offered around the campus which is a way students can conquer their fears in the college world.
Hi Josh, I like that you’re internalizing the feedback I’m giving to the class, and starting to think about how to manage the course workload. Learning complex skills like advanced reading and writing takes hard work and time; it can make you feel uncomfortable. But once you get into the groove of college learning, you’ll quickly adapt.
My text to self connection is about being afraid but using it as a resource. I am afraid I am going to struggle in English class but using that fear I also want to have a GPA over 3.0, so with that being said I have to step up and not be nervous or afraid because I have to do this, I have to improve my reading and writing skills for things later on in life and to get a good grade in this class. My experiences as a first year college student have been good so far, a lot of my classes I have kids just like me, afraid, maybe not that good at the subject and needing help. Im using that as a resource to make good use in the class. To get better and to get a good grade.
Hi Alex, it’s good that you’re motivated to succeed, and that you recognize the value of reading and writing for your future. I can assure you that all it takes to learn how to read and write like an expert is a growth mindset, time-on-task, openness to feedback, and practice over time.
In what ways might your first-year experience at college, and first-year writing in particular, call forth the need to approach this year with some version of one or more of Koepcke’s survival strategies?
When it comes to Improvising in reading and writing or the first year of college in general it might mean that you must manage your time in any way to get tasks completed, whether it calls for a sacrifice of free time or staying up late. Koepcke also mentions fear as the resource of action. As a student, failing is scary, Therefore one must work in order to succeed and be comfortable with no worries of failing. Koepcke states there was an inner-resource, a state of mind’ that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered and survive. This to me means that with whatever college has to throw at you, you can not crumble under pressure, one must rise to the occasion and persevere in order to stay happy and pass courses.
Hi Matt,
I agree, as a student, the idea of failing can be scary. Although, I think a lot of people overestimate the consequences of a single bad grade in a course or a semester. In all my years as a college professor, I’ve seen lots of students recover from mistakes. I think the best bet for our class is to remember that your grade doesn’t depend on overall performance on papers, it depends on developing fluency on the course learning objectives. The ENG 122 faculty have built in opportunities to learn from experimentation, mistakes, and failure. The most important thing is not to let fear of making mistakes keep you from trying. All it takes to learn how to read and write like an expert is a growth mindset, time-on-task, openness to feedback, and practice over time
One way that my first year in college could use one of her strategies is I could use my fear as a resource for action. Being a first year student in college can be very scary at times, but using my fear as a resource for action could be very helpful. Also not letting my fear get the best of me and not letting it make me give up and to always keep trying. I might be scared to start this year and to have new stuff but Im going to keep going no matter what and to keep pushing, kind of how Koepcke survived because she didn’t let her fear get the best of her.
Hi Cailin, I like the spirit here. I wonder, though, what “keep going” and “keep pushing” looks like in a class like the one we’re in. What specific actions does that resolve to succeed turn into in this course?
In my first year of college I have improvised a lot. Improvising is they key to getting through life and college especially. When its 1 in the morning and you just cooked ramen noodles and you good look for a fork and you can’t find any you Improvise. I was a little stressed out at first because I was hungry and all I wanted to do at the moment was eat. But I improvised and used my pen to eat my ramen. It was either eat my ramen or to not eat. This can be connected to being in a jungle with nothing but the clothes on your back. its either you eat or die. Its as simple as that you improvise or you die. In my case I don’t think I would of died if I didn’t eat that night .But they have the same rules are applied in that you either do or don’t.
I was king of the ramen back in 1987, Doc. I used to be able to take a package of ramen noodles and doctor it up with all kinds of mixins, until it really was a meal. What kind of improvising have you been doing as you adapt to ENG 122?
One of the strategies Koepcke used was using her fear to resource for action and I can relate to that one more than anything else. Going into my first year at UNE, I’m afraid of failing for a few reasons, I can’t get into Harvard for law school if I fail and I can’t play hockey if I have bad grades, but most importantly college is the real start to my life and I don’t want to start my life failing. So I’m using my fear of failing to push myself to work harder than I have ever worked before.
But I also relate to making do with what I have rather than wishing for what I don’t have. With sports and classes, I have a pretty hectic schedule and sometimes I wish I had more free time to either do homework or study or to actually catch up on sleep, but with such a busy schedule that’s basically impossible. So rather than wishing for more time, I make do with the time I have and put in as much work as I can towards homework and studying.
It sounds like you have some real sources of motivation, Sarah. So far you seem to be adapting pretty well to the demands of the course. What challenges do you anticipate as you start putting words on the paper for the Literacy narrative?
In what ways might your first-year experience at college, and first-year writing in particular, call forth the need to approach this year with some version of one or more of Koepcke’s survival strategies?
your fisrt year at college can be connected to the survival stragtegies of kopeckes because we can use fear and urgency to move along and do well cause of fear of being withdrawn from a class we can also improvise by using our pre knowledge and hearing what our proffesers want to hear and improvise somthing from thew knowledge we have and what they want. we will have different state of mind because its not class after class its class and break which means we need to be more attentive with our time management and a different state of ok we need to do this hw in this time and then next claas, there is also the learnuin g strecth of most of our courseres are online and i never had much online of anything except wathcing funny youtube videos so using the same browser ffor classes and websites for hw is tough and makes it hard cause i never really know how to do some of the sites follow through, my school was running windows vista for computers so im not used to having to do anything online which maes it a different state of mind especially since i now have to figure out how to mske a due date calendar for many of the things i nevrer had to do. im used to ok this hw is on board do it for tmw and not ok this is your hw its due next class which is in the next few days and needs to have this this and this done, im not used to short reading and writing of many instead of one large one.
Hi Caleb, that high school to college transition can be tough. The most important thing to do, though, is to throw yourself into it, and adapt. I think it’s important not to try to guess what “professors want to hear” and then give it to them. Instead, really engage the material of a class and think it through. What your professors really want is for you to acquire the habits of the creative mind as they apply to the different disciplines (areas of study).
Seeing the “future as unmapped” is the first year of college. Not knowing professors or how the work load will be. The first strategy that Koepcke used to survive was to improvise and I feel like college is a lot of improvisation. Everyday is improvising because plans can change with a blink of an eye. This has already happened to me and I’m not even a month into class yet. My plans change more or less when I am doing my homework because I can only focus for so long and then I eventually need to get myself back on track.
While being in this English class I do have to improvise with my writing, thinking it means one thing when it really means another. Or with the literacy narrative, talking about the past and how this has influenced how I write today.
Hi Matt,
Focus is a skill. It can be developed over time, and focus endurance (your ability to sustain focus) can also be developed. You just have to be mindful about the process. Keep track of the time you spend focussed and notice it getting longer. Try switching activity (from reading to writing, or notetaking to freewriting), but not subject, every 20 minutes or so, and you’ll find your ability to focus getting stronger.
I think during the first year of college it is really important that students should improvise. I am not saying that they should not make a plan but they need to realize that plans almost never actually work out. For example people can think that it will only take an hour to complete a homework assignment but it will actually take them twice as long. Then they need to improvise and change something so they can finish their needed work. People can also improvise a rough plan to just get them going and to keep them working. Students also get distracted (it’s bound to happen) and will need to improvise a break into their plan. Also sometimes you don’t have the right materials to do the work that’s needed so you need to find a way to get it from another person. Not only will that help you later in life but it also helps you get to know others. Improvising will help you later in life because it will teach you to always look for a way out of a problem. That problem may be a physical one or a mental one, but either way it teaches you to be quick on your feet and think of a solution.
Hi Jarrett, I like the detail in this response. It seems like you’re figuring out how to manage the logistics of the course. Learning how to read and write in the way experts do takes time and practice, so being able to adapt to the workload is the first super-necessary step.
When it comes to my first year experience with college writing I will admit I was and still are a little afraid of how much work I will be given in this course, and how I will do over all with the amount of writing. It has been sorta challenging for me already trying to fit in the amount of work into my schedule with my other classes and other homework. But as Koepcke used here fear of the what happened to her to fuel her survival in the jungle I will use my uncertainty and fear to fuel me into to doing good in this class and all the writing that it throws at me.
Hi Alex, adapting to the work load of college is one of the first big challenges every college student faces. We’ve been talking about why the college workload is so different from high school in class. If you haven’t already, try making a whole life schedule (https://ericdrown.uneportfolio.org/2017/08/28/college-students-need-a-whole-life-planner/). That will make it possible to locate the time you need to manage the workload.
For my first year experience in college, I believe that I am going to have to improvise just like Juliane did. College is a brand new experience for me and beside the fact of everything being new for me, some certain things are not going to go as planned. I am going to have to use improvisation over my time in college. There are going to be times where I am going to have to complete certain assignments, but I do not have the available tools or resources that I would prefer to do so. I am going to have to adjust to whatever is thrown my way and find the next best alternative to get the job done.
There are going to be times where I may forget my laptop for class or forget some other material that I’d need for class that day. I will have to use improvisation and do what I can with what resources and materials are given to me. Being able to improvise on the spot is a skill that almost everyone should learn, because at some point in life, not everything is going to go as planned. If you crack under pressure, you will fail
Hi Paul, it’s true that you’ll have to improvise in the kinds of situations you face. But, unlike Juliane, the situations you’re facing aren’t unpredictable. There’s a calendar of tasks, and lots of resources to use to complete them. I think in addition to improvising, managing the course (planning, executing) by being proactive, instead of reacting to class can reduce the need for on the spot improvising.
I feel like I really need to approach this year with all of Koepcke’s survival method’s, “Although she was afraid…. she used that as a resource for action”, in particular. Going into my first year of college has scared me more than any other year of school. How do I know I have what it takes? That’s a question I constantly find myself trying to answer, and I really don’t know. However, what I do know is this: This school year, more than any, has made me prepare harder. I have done way more work to start a school year than I ever have, and I’ve avoided past bad habits of procrastinating. All of this has happened BECAUSE of how scared I was entering this year, and how scared I still am.
I also really resonate with “‘an inner-resource, a state of mind’ that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered”. I work A LOT, to the point where between work and school I’m basically managing two full time jobs. I’m not using this as an excuse for why I may not get something done or miss out on an assignment, but more as a way to show the amount of work I’m faced with. Between work and school, I’ve been beyond stressed. At many times so far, I’ve really wanted to give up and just say to hell with all of this, but I haven’t. The only reason I haven’t tucked tail and run yet is because I’ve focused on having a positive, or “Not yet”, mindset. I know that as long as I set aside the time for each class, as long as I don’t give up when things get tough, that I will succeed.
This year for me, it’s all about perseverance and determination, and I feel like the methods Koepcke used really can go hand and hand with that.
Hi Nick, I love this statement: “I know that as long as I set aside the time for each class, as long as I don’t give up when things get tough, that I will succeed.” That’s so true. I think as you continue to get into the groove of the course, the anxiety level will decline. I have every confidence in your ability.
In what ways might your first-year experience at college, and first-year writing in particular, call forth the need to approach this year with some version of one or more of Koepcke’s survival strategies?
So far in my first year, I have improvised more than ever. Coming into college I have had no idea of what to expect, so, I’ve been trying to just go with the flow and figure it out as I go along. In high school, every year it was pretty much the same setup, just with different teachers, and learning different things, but mainly the same work expectations. But in college its been entirely different. All the teachers have different expectations, they all give out different amounts of homework, different grading systems, etc. Nothing is really similar throughout all the professors I have and it’s sometimes hard to keep track of whats due and whats expected for each different class, so I’ve been improvising until I can really get the hang of it and get on the right track to being a good student.
Hi Jack, I think your observation that professors often do things differently from one another is spot on. But I’d like you to know that those differences aren’t arbitrary or idiosyncratic. They’re the result of differently ideas about learning, different needs of different fields, and different learning objectives. So, being able to adapt is a great skill to be practicing, because you’re going to find this over and over again in your life. I’d really recommend making planning a priority. Try this: https://ericdrown.uneportfolio.org/2017/08/28/college-students-need-a-whole-life-planner/
College writing is very similar to being stuck in the middle of no where not sure what to do or how to react. With Koepecke her first strategy was that rather then follow the rule improvise. This is completely like what we read in The Habits of the Creative Mind. We go through high school with this set idea of how our writing should be and the format that it should take. In The Habits of the Creative mind they tell us that its better that we unlearn all of our formal ways of writing. The next statement that helped her was that she used fear to help her work through it. College is scary so its better that you use the fear to get the work done. Then with the last one you have to be able to use your mind to work through all of the hardship.
I think the best way to rechannel fear is to allow yourself to put the consequences of taking action into perspective. Unlike Koepecke, this isn’t a life and death situation. It’s a learning situation. In this class, at least, you have a chance to take some risks and learn by trying without being punished for it come grade time.
My first year experience at college should be following the rules of what Koepcke has done. My first year should be filled with the thought of I can do this, I will do better. Thus changing my mind set into gear and actually completing what should be completed and not just do what “has to be done” but do it well. I feel that when Koepcke had, instead of following the rules, “She improvised” (22), would not be one of the objectives for me to go along with. However also on page Twenty two it was also stated, “Although she was afraid…, she used that fear as a resource for action”. This is an objective for me to follow. My reason being is that as she did, it will being my mindset elsewhere so that I may stick to the task at hand. She used her other tools in order to make it better upon herself For Koepcke’s last survival strategy it was said that she had “‘an inner-resource, a state of mind’ that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered” (22) . This is a great survival strategy for the first year at college. Take what is given and use it.
Hi Ally, I think it’s pretty hard to do something new really well early in the learning process. A lot of people find it more comfortable to do what they’ve always done, rather than risking failure by trying something new. As a result, they often stagnate in their learning because they focus on performance/results too early. Right now, as long as you give the process a chance to work, you should find yourself experimenting with new ways of doing things, at least some of which will work for you.
Koepcke had three survival skills that she used. The first one was improvising. This connects to my first year in college because you are thrown into a new situation where things you did in the past don’t always work out. You have to improvise and compromise to be able to get through the year.
Another strategy she had was using fear as a resource for action. An example of this could be the fear of failing a test, or a class in general. Students can use that fear to motivate them into action to start studying more, doing all the assignments and readings, and paying attention in class.
Koepcke’s last survival strategy was having an inner-resource, a state of mind that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered. This can relate to college because of all the new situations you are put in, you have to learn to “make do with what the moment offered”. An example of this is baking cookies in your dorm kitchen. You went to the store to buy cookie dough and pans but didn’t buy oven mitts, instead you make do with the moment and run back to your room to grab a towel before the cookies start burning. Another example of this in a writing class could be not understanding the reading assignment and having to use other resources to help understand it.
Hi Ciara, I’d love to hear more about the resources you used to help understand the reading assignment. In my mind, the best resources are those that help you think about the assignment yourself with the goal of discovering your own answers to your questions, rather than leading you to a “correct” answer. For me, those resources are discussing the reading with other first-years, taking the risk of writing-to-learn, coming to an office hour….
College is not the same as high school. For me I was able to get by in high school without putting in the effort, but college is different. So like Koepcke did to survive the plane crash I have to adapt. Breaking my old habits that I had in high school and doing the work not just to get by but to succeed in my classes and learn. Reading this story has helped me realize that I can achieve this goal of mine. Seeing Koepcke be resourceful and her mind set during her situation has showed me I can be the same way in my first year of college.
One of the survival strategies Koepcke’s used when she faced her horrible crash was she had a state of mind that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered. I can relate this to my first-year experience at college and with my first-year writing class because I am having a positive outlook at school right now and making do with what is offered here at UNE. As of now I really want to transfer schools either next semester or next fall. I am not thrilled about where I am right now, but instead of having a negative outlook on my situation, I am using this experience to grow as a student and person. I am making the most of out what the school has to offer and putting most of my focus on my academics. Instead of staying in and being miserable, I am going out with my new friends and enjoying all my time here at UNE.
I’d be interested in hearing more about your experiences here at UNE so far in an office hour visit.
Rather than just going along with college and being sucked up by all the distractions we can move in the right path and keep moving towards better decisions. We can’t be afraid of what is ahead of us but we shall overcome any possible fears we might have about living alone for the first time. Thus physically and mentally taking care of ourselves to help get better grades and to excel in writing to take a more creative approach. Instead of just following the rules and going along with what is being said to us, we can be more thoughtful and explore better ideas to get us better grades and more success throughout college and writing.
I like the path metaphor, Myles; it says something about how purposefully one must move through a college experience. But rather than following one correct path, the best college students chart their own path, making meaning of their experiences. How can writing both help you find a path that’s right for you, and make it your own in way?
My first year-experience and first-year writing at college, has similar components from Keepsake’s survival strategies. For example: “Rather than follow rules, she improvised” (22). This survival strategy can connect to, how i have to change up my normal approach to studying, note taking , and etc to be able to succeed through college and even though you are told to do things one way, sometimes taking a risk is worth the extra effort. Another example would be, She had “‘an inner-resource, a state of mind’ that allowed her to make do with what the moment offered” (22). This relates to my first-year writing experience because, i have to be able to think in different and more unique and deeper ways to get my argument out there. Also there will be those time where i wont want to write but, ill have to deal with that moment and just write because i need to finish the assignments. Even though both the article and my own experience are different ideas, The meaning behind them are the same.
I think autocorrect had trouble with Koepecke. I think improvising is useful, but you can’t constantly be improvising or you’ll be very stressed. You have to keep track of what works and reuse it when applicable.
When dealing with first year classes there is so much to take in. If you don’t know to do something you can’t just give up. You’ll have to find a way to push through it and learn. Find someone who can help or use the wonderful resource like SASC. A phrase you can keep in the back of your head is ” although she was afraid…, she used that fear as a resource for action”(22).Don’t be afraid to fail. For if you fail you can learn from that. Learn what you didn’t so on the next test or writing assignment you can do better. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or speak up if you don’t understand something.
Another strategy to use would be taking advantage of what a moment offered. So what if you’ve already learned what is about to be taught in class. Pay attention and participate because maybe you could help someone who doesn’t understand or find a new way of looking at the problem for yourself.
Coming up with something on the spot is hard. Learn how to improvise so that even if you don’t have the exact answer you can put together what you know to build up to and answer.
Michaela, I like your emphasis on taking action. I think a lot of students who struggle do so because they’re afraid they’re not going to do well enough to even begin. But as you say, you can’t learn without failing, and what’s important is to fail better each time and learn quickly. And that means taking action.
When it comes to the whole first year college its a scary thought of going into the unknown. A place that you haven’t been to before. Around people that you’ve never seen before. It’s a time that you’ll meet some of your best friends in life. Rather then being afraid of this new place, take it on with an open mind. Don’t be afraid to go into the classes and be yourself. Even in writing don’t worry if your paper isn’t good enough improvise and make it good enough. Going to college and going to classes is scary but don’t be afraid to make it your own.
Starting off in college is going to be the same as starting off in a new career, a new life with a family, and anything that is new to you. Just don’t be afraid to tackle it head on.
“Good enough” is powerfully enabling language. Not everything has to be excellent. I feel like I’m not a great or even really good writer. I’m generally a “good enough” writer for the kinds of work I do. And that’s good enough. Which isn’t to say that I’m not still learning as writer, just that I’m confident that in most situations I can produce writing that works well enough.
Most of us here are on our own for the first time ever. We are in a new environment with no prior knowledge or experience. Of course, our situation isn’t as deadly as her’s…but it’s still drastic. Koepcke’s survival strategies can be applied to this year’s experience.
Be realistic about your situation. Be open about. Don’t kid yourself. You have work to do, so get it done. But also stay positive about it. Life is a lot brighter when you find the good side to things. Koepcke could have given into despair, she could of crawled up into a ball and stayed put the entire time. But she didn’t, she saw that she was still alive and continued to move forward. College can be a little like that. If you get a bad grade or mess up, it’s not the end. Find a way to keep moving forward.
Just like Koepcke, we are alone. Isolated away from our families and left to our own devices. Which means we can break the rules. Not that we should, it’s just that family rules don’t apply here anymore. They are obsolete. We have to rely on ourselves’ to make decisions.
One of the biggest similarities is that we have to stay calm. Freaking out, no matter the situation, never gets anything done. So stay calm and keep moving forward.
I wonder if she found humor in what she was doing. After all, she was walking around with one shoe and no glasses, slapping at anything and everything to scare away snakes and bugs. If it were me, I hope that I would be able to laugh at how idiotic that would’ve made me look. True, she was struggling to survive, which is on time to laugh. But sometimes laughing is what keeps us going. So in college this year, I plan to laugh at all my mistakes and embarrassment.
Years after her accomplishment, I hope she was able to be proud of what she had accomplished. She survived. Where everyone else died, waiting for help, she survived. In college, surviving is an accomplishment too. A lot of people drop out after the first semester, after the first day. So be proud that we are still here. Be proud that we’re still surviving.
Hi Cali, it sounds like you have a pretty balanced approach to your first year in general. I’d be interested in hearing more about how you think you’ll use this class to confront the unknown in writing. I think maybe Miller and Jurecic’s strategy of writing to arrive at essential questions that you then pursue in later writing might be something that you could embrace.
Her first strategy is basically improvising. I can use that strategy in my school year by making-do with the resources our school has to offer. Also, maybe going over and beyond just doing the normal thing the professor asks. The second strategy is about how she was afraid but she used fear as a resource. For me, certain subjects are intimidating because they are difficult and I am afraid to get a bad grade in it. However, if I just have the right state of mind where I’m going to try my best and not try and let it intimidate me I will be more likely to succeed. Lastly, the third strategy is her state of mind that allowed her to make do with what the moment had to offer. That connects to school as well. At any given moment we can be thrown a curveball where one moment we can be stress free and in control and the next we have a huge assignment worth a significant amount of points towards your final grade. We as students, can approach that in a way where we know we cant change anything so we take a step by step in order to get that assignment done and completed. Overall I think these are great strategies to use going into college and using them throughout our college years and beyond.
Hi Chelsey, I think you’re right about trying to reduce the importance of grades as a motivator. If you can work up a genuine interest in your work, you’re bound to do better. Improvising is important, because it requires flexibility. The one risk to improvising is that you’re changing everything all at once. It’s important to keep somethings the same as you improvise, and to keep track of what works and what doesn’t. That way you can get better and develop useful and reusable strategies for performing in different learning and writing situations.
I remember my first year teaching writing at UNE. I had been teaching college writing for more than 15 years at the time, and didn’t think that the transition from teaching first-year writing at the George Washington University to teaching first-year writing at UNE would be all that difficult.
Boy was I wrong. An assignment analyzing different versions of Little Red Riding Hood that worked splendidly in DC, fell really flat here. Assignment after assignment, activity after activity produced tepid responses. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I knew that I had to turn it around quickly. Rather than complain about UNE’s students and pine for the days of GW students, I decided to improvise and learn what motivated UNE students, what interested them, and worked on adapting my ways of doing things to the needs and preferences of my new students. I spent the rest of the semester asking students what they were interested in, what their experiences in high school had been, and adapting my assignments and activities. I’d like to say that I did more than survive, but I think that’s about the best that happened. I survived; they survived, and we all got better.
I think that Koepcke’s survival strategies and a first year college experience are similar because most of us are just starting out on our own and don”t really know what we’re doing. Even though Koepcke was afraid she kept pushing through much like what first year college students have to do. I also think that Koepcke not following the rules is similar to college writing because we know realize the rules we had in high school are not the same rules we are following in college, for example the five paragraph essay.
My first year experience at college can be related to Fear of The Unknown because ‘Although I am afraid…, I use fear as resource for action. Writing has always been a harder subject for myself and I have never seen myself doing well.
To get over this hurdle of not writing well, I have become afraid. I am afraid I will never pursue the career that I want because I am having a hard time jumping the hurdle know as writing. Being afraid has made me move on though. I might be fearful of how I am doing but at the same time I push myself through it so I can learn the techniques needed.
I also have found that if I make due with what I have to do, then I will try my hardest to do my very best with what I have. If I don’t like it but have to do it, I will still make sure to put my full effort into whatever project I have facing me. These are the strategies I am using to get through my first semester of college. I think to myself, even if I am scared and not sure if I am doing this right. I will use that fear to try my hardest at making it right.
I think “making do with the situation” might be the most important survival strategy for you. Linked to that is accepting the idea that your writing might only need to be “good enough.” Rather than striving for perfection, try to get a little better bit by bit.