Week Thirteen

Oh my word, is this actually our last blog post? I might totally be wrong about that but a crazy part of me really hopes that it's not because all of the sudden I am feeling very sentimental about this application blog being done. No more having Blogger on my bookmarks bar? No more commenting on blogs?! That is crazy and i'm just really emotional about it okay.

What I had originally intended to talk about today was the the principle taught in Alma 34:33, specifically the part that says to "not procrastinate the day of your repentance." Now i'm not going to confess all of my sins in this blog post or speak about repentance and the cleansing process. Rather, I want to focus on procrastination. Specifically in terms of academics.

To be honest with you all, this semester has probably been my worst as far as grades go. I don't really have any excuse at all besides the fact that I gained a permanent addition in my life (22 days fyi) and apparently decided that nothing else mattered at all, most especially school. I've always been a good student and gotten good grades so I guess I just thought that mediocre work all semester would do? Well obviously not because today I checked my grades and I was not pleased at all with what I saw. Let's just say that I am going to have to ace those finals in order to get the results I want.

What i'm trying to say is this: don't procrastinate your school work or put it off until the last minute thinking everything will work out! Sometimes you get lucky and it does, but most of the time you will have to pay for the consequences. I know I sure am!

If this is the last blog post, adieu. If not, forget about that adieu and i'll be talkin' to ya next week :)

Week Twelve

Usually I try to get these posts in earlier in the week so that I can enjoy the weekend and not have to worry about cramming a post in right before midnight. But alas, here I am at one in the morning, the day before, writing my weekly blog post.

Two things are going through my head right now: one--we are so close to this semester ending. It's almost DECEMBER FIRST and finals start on the 14th?! What! That is crazy! Each semester of college has seemed to fly by even faster than the last.

Second, I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father. I try to express my gratitude every day, but today I find myself wanting to scream it from the rooftops. I'm that person that starts listening to Christmas music in August (don't hate me) and who has seen Elf five times before December even starts. The day after Thanksgiving is always the best because it means that it's legal and right to start celebrating Christmas, 24/7! I just love everything about the season, but I especially love WHO we celebrate it for. I owe everything to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and I am so grateful for His birth! Without Him as my Redeemer, I wouldn't be where I am today or have the ability to be sealed to my sweetheart!  Hoping you all have the best Holiday season.

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

Week Eleven

It's been eleven weeks since the beginning of the semester and our first blog post. Eleven weeks, are you kidding me?! How did that happen? I am completely mind-blown by the fact that November is almost over and December is almost here. (And my Christmas tree still isn't up yet! That is so out of character for me...I've gotta get on that!)

Last night I was driving to a PR event at UVU with somebody I didn't know very well. However, we got to talking and the topic of marriage came up. I mentioned that I was getting married next month and he said that he had been married for two years and then proceeded to give me lots of advice. It was actually pretty nice. He talked about staying in that "newlywed" phase longer than normal, the importance of making time for each other, and balancing school and a relationship. It was all very helpful and I'm willing to listen to anyone's advice that has some!

One of the things he said to me stuck with me the rest of the night, just because of how I've been feeling lately. He said that he and his wife have been married for two years and it feels like it was just last month...he doesn't know where the time has gone.

Okay ya'll, time is FLYING by and I know that everyone says that and everyone feels that way probably but it's more true than ever right now! I don't know if it's because i'm anxious and just overly excited to marry my man but the days are all mushing together and some are disappearing all together and it's just nuts. 

Good ol' Dr. Seuss wrote, "How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" I would like to shout amen to that a thousand times over. The weeks and the months--they fly! And I guess all we can do is live each of them to the fullest and make the most of every minute we've got. 

Week Ten

This week was our first mini-conference with presentations from all of the unlucky people who got the early dates. I was unsure of how it was all going to work going into it, but I was impressed by how smoothly it all went! Everyone I saw present did a great job and communicated the information very well.

There were a few things I noticed as an observer that I need to take note of when it comes down to my own presentation. For starters, one thing I noticed was the volume of each of the speakers. Most of them spoke in a normal tone of voice. Usually this isn't a problem with the small number of audience members each presenter had.  However, because of the environment we were in, volume was a problem. With so many people speaking at one time, the normal volume needed to be adjusted so we could hear clearly understand what they were saying. For the next set of presenters, I would definitely recommend speaking louder than what seems normal!

Another thing I liked was having something different--something that stood out--in a presentation. Some people included a small picture, some had different hooks at the beginning, some had catchy acronyms that stuck in your head. Since we were watching so many presentations in a row, it really helped to have something that was out of the norm!

Overall, I think the first presentations went so well and I can't wait to see what other interesting topic are in store for us. 

Week Nine

It's November. It's November. IT'S NOVEMBER! How on earth is 2014 almost over?! It is so scary to me how fast time is flying by! Everyone always tells me that it just goes faster the older you get and that just stinks.

There's a lot I learned this past week and for this post I know exactly what I want to focus on: celebrating even the smallest of accomplishments and taking things one step at time. 

I know you're all sick of hearing about it but I get married in 51 (!!!) days. Invitations still aren't out...whoops. It's on my mind constantly and it stresses me out every day. Choosing the picture wasn't easy, designing the actual invitation took a while, and finding the cheapest way to print them took a lot of time too. Breaking news though: as of this morning, they are ordered. It feels so stinking good to at least know the order has been placed and all that's left to do is wait. So even though I don't have a dress yet...and bridesmaid dresses still need to be exchanged...and venue details need to be finalized...that's okay. I am celebrating this occasion because why not? It's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and I just want to be better about celebrating the little, great things that happen on a daily basis. Today i'm celebrating invitations. 

Now for some fun news: we ordered 500 invitations and are addressing them all by hand. Long story as to why, but we just are. This is going to take up a big chunk of my time and it's easy to be overwhelmed by the task ahead of me (I've got a meltdown or two under my belt to back this up). However, as I was talking to my fiance about it last night, I found myself being surprisingly optimistic and telling him that it wouldn't be so bad because I would just take ten at a time and congratulate myself for each set that I complete! I don't know where it came from, but it's true! If I just break them up it's easier for me to wrap my head around and realize it's really not terrible! I'm just going to approach this one step at a time.

In the Church, we are encouraged to keep an eternal perspective and act with the potential consequences in mind. I think this is something we should all remind ourselves of once in a while. The little stresses of each day are not the be-all and end-all. Life goes on and we will have lots of awesome, fulfilling days ahead even when it doesn't feel like that. We can't let small things weigh us down! So I'm going to look at the bigger picture and remind myself of the great things to come. I am marrying this man next month. I love him more than anything and I can't wait. This is a good, good life ya'll. 

Online Interview: Skype and Sniffles and Such

I have to admit, it feels really good to have the online interview completed! At first I was pretty unsure about it. The first thing that came to mind when the assignment was introduced in class was messy, sometimes very loud and chaotic, apartment. I thought for sure that I would have to go somewhere else to do the interview--maybe the library or complex clubhouse. But then volume would be an issue and if people were there it would be weird. Plus our internet is always pretty shaky and my camera was bound to freeze up a time or two or ten. To add onto that, I was sick all of last week and could hardly get a sentence out without sniffling or sneezing. But enough with the laundry list of concerns...

My partner and I decided to do the interview Saturday morning. She was kind enough to work with me and my schedule and do it bright and early! The original plan was to use Skype but (of course) my video wasn't showing up. We adapted and switched over to the oh-so-reliable FaceTime. From there, everything was smooth sailing. 

Here are some things that I learned during this assignment:

1. Professor Middleton was right when she told us to dress professionally--from head to toe. Our online interview was scheduled for 9:00 am so I set my alarm for 8:00. The plan was to wake up, shower, and get ready before the scheduled time. Before I knew it, it was already 8:45 and I was still in bed, after pressing snooze a time or two. As a result, I managed to put a dress on but didn't have time to do my hair, put on make-up, or even brush my teeth (HALLELUJAH the interviewers can't tell--am I right?) I would never show up to a traditional interview like this and I feel like it had an impact on the way I sat and held myself. Next time, I think it would be beneficial to treat it as I would any other interview, in terms of my dress and appearance.

2. Make sure your environment is distraction-free and clean. The morning of the interview, our apartment living room was kind of a disaster. I was able to clear a section by the door with a white wall and without any other clutter in the camera. However, I could still see the rest of the living room during the interview and it was distracting. Next time, I should consider cleaning the apartment, or maybe just the room I'm in, to ensure there are no distractions and just an overall feeling of organization and cleanliness. 

3. Talk slowly and enunciate. I've always have the problem of talking too fast and not enunciating my words. Life is just too exciting and I want to get everything on my mind out and share it with people  before I forget! This is often times the case in interviews as well: the interviewer will ask a question and I think of a great response but I don't want to forget any of it so I just talk really really really fast! This is a problem in person but especially over the computer. Often times there is a poor connection or outside noises that already distract from what the other person is saying. It is so important to slow down your normal speech and say each word clearly. My partner did this so well and it's something that really stood out.

Hope all your interviews went well! 

Week Eight

What a great week in MCOM! I so enjoyed our mock interviews on Monday. Since I had just done two interviews the week before, I wasn't looking forward to doing more in class. However,  I got over it and dragged myself to class. I'm so glad I did!

My group all had amazing interviews--they were each going into completely different fields, but the one thing they all had in common was their friendliness and fun personalities. I think that it's so important to have the right qualifications and experience on your resume when you're interviewing for a job. However, I don't think that's enough to cut it. A million other people might have those same qualities and be just as qualified for the position.That's why the interview is so important--it gives you the chance to stand out! And that's exactly what each of the interviewees did.

There were a couple of things I noticed during this exercise that I want to take note of and remember in future interviews. First off, eye contact! That was something that everyone in my group struggled with in some way. Usually we all focused on just the person who asked the question and neglected to look around at the other people around the desk. It's so easy to lock eyes with one individual and speak to them, rather than shifting your eyes every few seconds or so, but it makes the biggest difference! Another thing I noticed was how fast you have to be with your responses! You really have to be able to think on your feet and give the interviewer an answer without keeping them waiting for very long. That's where the PAR paragraphs will come in handy!

Overall, this was a great experience and just another opportunity to find areas for improvement. I even got great recommendations for my resume and look forward to editing it this weekend!

Week Seven

Big news: I have two job interviews today! I had one this morning and will have another one after work today. My current job is fine, but I have been there for over a year and I am ready to branch out.

Anyway, I debated whether or not to even go because interviews make me nervous and I hate dressing up for them and actually doing my hair (I know, sad). After talking about resume/interview tips in class, I decided to just do both interviews. I told myself that interviewing for the positions wouldn't obligate me to take the job and also that it would be good experience.

This morning's interview covered EXACTLY the stuff we covered in class. As soon as I sat down, they said, "tell me a little about yourself." I mumbled on about where I was raised, bragged about just getting admitted into my program, and shared my exciting wedding news with them. While I was talking, my mind went to the discussion we had in class about already having a 1-2 minute response prepared and I wish I had done that beforehand. The two interviewers switched off asking the questions: "how do you handle stress? What is your ideal work environment? What type of management do you work well under? Can you describe a time you've had to overcome a major problem? When you've had to have an attitude adjustment?" Then, towards the end, she brought up the thing that I had been dreading: "Describe three of your strengths and weaknesses."

THREE?! Oh man I was not prepared at all. How badly I wished I had taken the advice in class and prepared a list and a way to describe my weaknesses in a more positive way! I stammered on about being a high-energy, organized person who loves to socialize and get to know people. For my weaknesses, I said that I get too comfortable in what I already know and feel confident with and have a hard time branching out...probably not a good response. I also said I get stressed easily...probably not what a potential employer wants to hear. 

So this is a testimony of what we have been learning in class this week. Those interview guidelines and tips are real and I want to spend more time reviewing them on my own. I'm also getting very excited about the PAR paragraphs, since I have seen how this will be beneficial in an interview.

Here's to hoping that interview #2 goes swimmingly and I keep these things in mind! 

Week Six

This week was hard. I had a doctor's appointment, which is never fun. I had like seven papers due... not fun. I had printer problems in one of my classes and had 10% deducted for turning it in electronically, wha wha wha. I also had the hardest time getting my briefing article and the graphic and the sources to all fit on one page...I threw the biggest fit with Microsoft Word.

To top it all off, I just found out this morning that I made a huge mistake on one of my midterm exams for another class. I walked into class and my professor asked if he could see me outside (never a good sign). We went outside and he told me that I completely forgot about one of the essay sections of my exam. It wasn't that I had an incomplete thought written down or grammar mistakes...I just didn't even fill it out. Like what?! Who does that?! I was so embarrassed and so frustrated with myself. I had studied so hard for the exam and even got 100% on the photo/artist id section. However, because I had left that one essay section empty, my grade was brought down a whole letter grade.

So what? My grade's a tiny bit lower. I'm lucky that I did okay on the other sections of the exam. But I still can't stop thinking about that one section that I missed. How did I skip over that box entirely? Could I have gotten a perfect score if I had filled it in? I can't stop thinking about the exam and this dumb, dumb mistake.

Now what? This is a lesson to me on paying attention to detail. Especially with our grammar section, we are taught that every little detail is important. Sometimes it's just a comma or quotation that's missing, but it changes the entire meaning of the message. This attention to detail applies to so much: work, personal life, and definitely school. This stinky situation has taught me to pay attention to these things and go over my work again, even if I am confident that nothing is missing, because you just never know.

Week Five

This week I thought a lot about the major I am trying to get into, Public Relations. I interviewed for the program about a week ago and am currently waiting to hear back. Obviously it's been on my mind a lot as I've prepared for the interview, but I've also been thinking about it as I brainstorm ideas for my briefing article.

We were prompted to choose our topic based on a current event or issue in our field. What immediately came to my mind was the issue with Chick-Fil-A a couple years back. The president made remarks about gay marriage and made it clear that he did not support it. This caused a lot of backlash against the company and the PR representatives were largely responsible for repairing the good reputation that Chick-Fil-A is usually known for.

This has all made me think about how careful we need to be about what we say. Whether that be with those around us, people we communicate with online, things we post on social media, etc. Our words often stick with people longer than we think. Things posted online literally stick to the Internet forever.

As a hopeful PR representative, I must especially be careful of this and make sure I always choose my words carefully. I want to be genuine, but I can be genuine and tactful at the same time. 

Week Four

I LOVE that this post is now listed under October and that September is behind us! Granted, September 2014 is the month that changed my life for a lot of reasons and I am so grateful for it. But October!! Everything looks and smells so good in this glorious month and I love it more than I can explain.

Now...CLOUD: coherence, length, organization, unity, development. This was one of the topics discussed in chapter three of our reading this week. At first I was worried about remembering what each letter stands for but when I actually started to analyze each step and what they meant, remembering it became much easier. It all just makes perfect sense.  Of course it needs to all be cohesive and have unity. Each message we give needs to be focused on what exactly it is that we're trying to get across. Keeping organized (like with an agenda) will help with that purpose. Length seems obvious since we all have experience with messages we didn't even give a change because of their intimidating length. Lastly, we need to support our topic with details! Just like it's important for us to have support from family and friends or arch support in our shoes, it is important for us to support our claims with evidence, details and explanations.

As a Public Relations Pre-Major, I am so anxious to apply these CLOUD principles in my writing. It is going to be so important for me to get my point across clearly, whether that be for the benefit of my superiors or clients or coworkers or anybody else.

Happy October ya'll!

Week Three

This week has been stressful and wonderful and just really crazy. For one, I have been preparing to take this terrible, awful, scary, hellish delightful grammar exam and find myself just as nervous for it as I was a few weeks ago when I first found out about it. As it turns out, English is rather difficult and full of many, many exceptions.

I'm also finding it hard to concentrate on the material like I need to be because as of Saturday night, I am a betrothed woman! I got engaged to my wonderful handsome at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City and am now not only trying to pass my classes but also plan a wedding! Gotta love what life throws at us, huh?

Tonight I went to a review session for the grammar exam in the TNRB. I found it to be very helpful and comforting, as I realized that many students have the same struggles and concerns that I do (especially with case and agreement and sentence structure). At one point during the review, the instructor reminded us that in our writing, "that" is used for things that are essential and "which" is used for nonessential items. This was the biggest thing I took away from the review for two reasons:

1. This exam is going to kick my butt and I need to find ways to remember all of the grammar rules that will be covered. This is a great way for me to remember under what circumstance to use each word.
2. It reminded me to relax, regardless my feelings of stress and inadequacy. Several things are essential in these next few months: notifying family and friends of the wedding, setting a temple date, preparing to enter the temple worthily. However, there are also several other things like flowers, tablecloths, wedding shoes, etc. that are nonessential and do not need to be dwelt upon .

I'm grateful for this reminder to sort the "thats" from the "whichs" in my own busy life. So what now? I must constantly be reminding myself of the things that matter and directing my attentions and efforts into whatever that may be.

Week Two

I have thought a ton this week about the next ten years or so and what my future holds. More specifically, I've been thinking a lot about where I see myself professionally. I want to have a family so bad but I also would like to spend a couple of years in the workforce before dedicating 100% of myself to my kids. A lot of this consideration has been triggered by our most recent discussion on networking.

I love people so much and I love the idea of networking; having a support group of colleagues and classmates that act as connections in the workforce and even in personal life. I feel strongly that every person has something to learn from the people around them and that it is so important to keep a strong network. It is easy to sometimes receive help or advice from someone just once and not follow-up with them or keep the relationship going. Although that may be beneficial in the short-term, it will be most beneficial to keep tabs on that contact and follow-up with them in the time that follows. That is how a strong network is maintained.

After Skyping with our guest speaker on Wednesday, I started thinking of people I have met here at BYU who would be good contacts for a future in PR. Two people especially stood out to me: a Communications professor I took a class from previously and a PR professional who's lecture I attended last week. I introduced myself to him and we talked some, but I did little to make sure we stayed in contact.

About an hour ago I decided to take my own advice and apply it to my life right now. I found the speaker on LinkedIn and connected with him there, as well as sent him an email thanking him for his lecture. It really was such an incredible presentation and I would love to stay in contact with him if I have questions later down the road about job positions or just general career advice.

So here's to networking! And not just to get stuff from other people...but to help others and build strong relationships with all different kids of people. Remember: networking is about exchange. You give to others what you have to offer and they may have something to offer in return. 

Week One

My first blog post as part of MCOM 320 Section 006! In the syllabus this is referred to as an “Application blog,” a place to apply what was taught in class that week and answer these questions for ourselves: “So what? Now what?”

All we have covered in class so far is introductions and basic sentence structure. As I sit down to write this post, what stands out to me most is Monday’s class, when we each went around the room introducing each other. It was so fascinating to me to sit back and watch my fellow classmates introduce each other. I love this beautiful world God has given us and I LOVE the diversity he’s thrown into life just to keep it interesting. No two presentations were alike---and I’m referring to more than just the information that was presented. The WAY it was presented varied tremendously from student to student. I could tell that some of my classmates were really confident with the activity. They sat up straight when called on and were excited to share what they had learned about their neighbor. Their voice was a little louder, it carried farther across the room and they didn't bother to look at their partner for affirmation when sharing a tidbit of information—they knew what they were talking about. On the flip side, some students dreaded this introductory “fluff.” They spoke quietly and kept looking at the white board to remember which item they were on or looked at their partner after each fact to get confirmation via eye contact. Or perhaps they’re just more introverted and being in the spotlight made them feel uncomfortable. Regardless, it was a great exercise and a good reminder to me just how different we all are. Our spirits are all so unique and we each bring something different to the table. That’s what makes this mortal experience so challenging sometimes…but also so very wonderful.

So what? Why did I focus on this for my first entry?

As we are put into teams for the semester there are inevitably going to be people that we do not “mesh” with. People that we would always choose last for our sports team or rather claw our eyes out than spend an evening with. Our task is to not only look past our differences but embrace them—realize that other people’s brains work different than our own and because of that, we should consider ourselves lucky to hear their opinions and get a little insight into how they see the world.