Mentors

When you join the elite group of President Scholars, you are assigned a mentor who you meet at the luncheon before the school year starts. Each scholar is given a mentor, usually someone of high capacity at the college [some even with three funky letters at the end of their name], to which they meet with and discuss everything from life at school to things bigger than North Shore (life skills to be exact). My mentor happens to be a very busy man at North Shore, so when we are able to meet, I like to squeeze every last drop of information out of him. This week, I had a issue with something at the college, something that I really didn’t know how to deal with without offending the professor I was dealing with. So, I did the adult thing, and seeked out my mentor, with who sat me down and give me one of the best lessons in life you can be handed: when dealing in a situation like this, you need to craft your words so carefully so that you can get your point across, not offended the other party, and find a resolution that fits both parties. After being told this, I realized how valuable that lesson from the my mentor was. 

Dealing with difficult situations is a fact of life, but dealing with them respectfully and in a proper manner can make all the difference in the end result. Its get better though. I found out that day I had two mentors: I walked across the hall to check in with one of the three-at-the-end-of-her-names and asked her opinion. This young lady stressed something that my other mentor stressed: grades aren’t everything. They aren’t the end all be all. Its what you take from the class and can go forward with that matters at the end of the day

Agoraphobia: The Fear of Embarrassment or Losing Control

Before entering college I had a few thoughts in mind: 1) I was going to let go of my past & look forward to the future 2) I was going to keep to myself, not let anyone get to close to me because I was scared of drama (a lot like in high school) ruining my plans and dreams 3) Study my hardest, and make something of myself by doing so Well, numbers 1 & 3 weren't so bad right? Number 2 was my biggest issue.

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS AND OTHER GROUPS

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS AND OTHER GROUPS
Does anyone know what a Presidential Scholar is, or what the Presidential Scholarship Program is? Most people don’t. As a Presidential scholar, I represent the school at various events on and off campus. Also as a scholar, I have a requirement of attending a certain number of events each semester. This can be difficult with academics, extra-curricular activities, and work. Some of the events require not only attendance at certain things to represent the school, but active participation. For instance, I was invited to speak at an incoming student orientation in front of a large crowd. I was also encouraged to put together a small presentation at a local Rotary Club meeting. The events are a lot of fun, and are great opportunities! The scholars are given a reward for participating in this program, but above all, not everyone is invited to a Chamber of Commerce breakfast! It’s pretty neat!

To get into the program, I had to obviously apply, and put together an essay, or personal statement. In addition to this, I had to get recommended by staff members from my high school and have a certain grade point average. My goal is to eventually provide more awareness for this program, and for other students to realize that as Presidential Scholars, we help to keep North Shore’s reputation alive in the perspective of advertising how the college is full of opportunity. Another goal of mine being a Scholar, is to promote the Spark Literary magazine. Many students just don’t know about it! There are so many students that have an abundance of talent in writing, poetry, and art. Anyone ever submit to the magazine before? With any questions or submissions, please email SPARK@northshore.edu.
 
With all of this in mind, does anyone have any ideas for a new club or group? Share your ideas by commenting! :)
-Kristen

Guide for the Commuter

For anyone who commutes to the Lynn NSCC, I’m sure you understand my pain and frustration. You see I live in Gloucesta, and from all the possible colleges, NSCC was one of the closest. What I didn’t realize was that the train would not always work. And worse still, traffic in the city is a real pain! Therefore I will try and help anyone who is wondering what to do by telling you about my experiences

The Train: the train is nice, while your riding on it. That’s about it. I only live 5 minutes away so it’s easy to get to, and I know some back roads, so it’s free parking for me. But then I usually wait about 10 minutes for the train to come because you simply CANNOT MISS THE TRAIN. Anyways, once I’m on it is a nice relaxing trip, where those who don’t procrastinate could get some homework done or write some emails. The down side is that it takes a solid hour from Gloucesta to Lynn. Not to mention the fact that they have such weird schedules where I end up getting kicked off the train, have to wait 10 minutes, and then get on another train, just so that they don’t have to stop in Lynn (jerks).. Then theirs the ride back. My classes always end at 2:10; the train doesn’t come until 2:45. If your like me and don’t like wasting time, then that is a long time to wait. I guess I could try to do some homework, but why bother.

The Promient Dean

As a Presidential Scholar, I get asked to go to many different events on and off campus. These events can range from open houses, to chamber breakfasts and to special events that don't occur often. Today, I went to a event that is very near and dear to everyone at North Shore's hearts: a welcome dinner for the accreditation team that will be accrediting North Shore over the next few days. This event was very interesting in many ways, because going into the doors at the Sheraton, I had no idea what to expect. After walking around for a few minutes, I finally found the reception and met up with President Burton and the accreditation team, I was introduced to several members of the team and made small talk with them, comparing North Shore to their colleges. It was interesting to hear about various programs and events they have or about their expansions/renovations. As we started to come together to break bread, I saw a seat open at the table with a prominent Dean at the college at decided to take a seat next to him, and get to know him quite well. Turned out, that was my smartest decision of the night, besides turning down the fried chicken at dinner. This prominent Dean, happened to be quite the interesting character. I knew very little about him before I sat down next to him, and walked out feeling like I had just made a friend on the spot. This Dean, who holds three degrees from Ole Miss, was a great resource to discuss every aspect of school, and the future. This Dean projected a very important point to me: no matter what you get degrees in or take classes in, you never know where you will end up.

Molly's Story and Advice from a Single Mom

I was sitting in class next to a girl named Molly*. Molly told me she was 21, and has a 2 year old son named Austin*. As we were getting to know each other, I told her about this blog and that I needed a new topic to write about. She told me to write about her story.

Molly was 19 when she got pregnant and gave birth to a 7 pound 6 ounce baby boy. Austin's father, Justin*, denied him from the moment Molly got pregnant and has never been in the baby's life. Matter of fact, Justin kicked Molly out when she was 3 months pregnant and has since lived with her adoptive parents and sister. Molly got a court order for a paternity test and it was confirmed that Austin was indeed Justin's baby. Justin, after 2 years, just began making child support payments in August.

"GO GREEN" IN DANVERS! WELL... SORT OF.

Currently, the Danvers campus is building a new "green" building! Isn't this exciting?! I must admit, it was pretty cool watching the huge construction trucks easily rip an entire tree out of the ground. Anyone else get to see this happening during the day? The giant "claw" part of the truck looked like it could definitely be out of a movie scene. It was wild. Even though it was pretty cool to watch, let's just look at the big picture. They are building this "green" building... but are tearing down trees. Am I missing something? LOL -I realize that the construction requires this needed space, but this is just so humorous to me!

Alright… so does anyone actually know anything about the new building being built at the Danvers campus? I actually looked in the Pennon (school newspaper) and it had mentioned that the new building will be replacing the classrooms at the Essex Agricultural building. I personally have never been there, but I’ve heard it’s falling apart. Anyone have a class there? Also in the Pennon, I read that this will be the last major renovation for Danvers since there is no more room for expansions! This really didn’t surprise me…
It did mention something about moving to the Lynn campus next for renovations. It could use some updating, but I still think it’s in good shape considering its 27 years old, and considering the amount of traffic going through it each day. Craziness!

So… what does everyone think about all of this?
-Kristen

...Good thing he said something...

So, it's the first day of school, I just finished my first class of the day. Math. Things were going well so far. I looked at my list of classes and went down to the second floor for my next class. Biology. I got to the room early and waited with a bunch of other students to get in the room. Once the previous class got out, I followed a line of students into the classroom, and sat in the front row. A sigh of relief came over as a slumped in my seat. But then I heard a guy behind me asking another guy if the class was biology...he said "no", it's something else, I couldn't make out what he said. I swung my head around so fast it hurt my neck.

A Quick Change of Scenery

As I sit here on the brisk first day of October, a lot has changed since I first arrived on the Danvers campus a month ago. On the first day, anyone that took a second to look around would see people fighting for “primo” parking spots, Campus Police trying to catch students parking on lawns, shorts and t-shirts, new students rushing to find their first classes before the Professors start their lectures and a sense of wanting to go out and sit on various walls and lawns between classes to catch a breath of the summer air. Today, upon arrival, I noticed people journeying way into the deep woods of the campus to the already paved parking spots, and Campus Police at ease. Shorts and t-shirts have been replaced with jeans, sweatpants, and of course, “Uggs” boots for the female population. No longer are their students with lost of confused looks on their face, only looks of “I should have studied longer last night but fell asleep on Facebook”. Lastly, the walls and lawns looked very bare today. It seems as though North Shore does not have a outside heater for students to use while catching a wisp of the brisk fall air. As we roll into fall, Professors get more and more intense, and thoughts of mid terms and final exams are on the horizon. As a reader, what part of North Shore inside or outside of the classroom would you like to hear about? For this interested in the inside, here is a snippet of a Professors quote on the first day of classes referring to final grades “I drink wine the night I figure out final grades”.

Procrastinating Through the Day- an Introduction to the NSCC Blog

To start off I would just like to say to anyone reading this, welcome to the first NSCC Blog. My name is Ortiz. The whole idea of this blog page was to try and get students connected, and for future /prospective students the opportunity to see what it’s really like in NSCC, not just what the pamphlets tell you. And so to start things off I thought that whoever might be reading this would probably want to know a little bit about myself and what I’m suppose to be doing at the college. I’ve always been a person who likes to do things with my hands. Whether it be legos, chairs, robots, kitchens, or houses, I liked to build it. I am also a Maintenance Worker/ Landscaper. Therefore I knew I wanted to pursue a vocation. I ended up choosing the Energy Utilities Program here at NSCC for a variety of different reasons, the major ones being cost, location, and it was one of few focused, hands on programs. So the one year E.U.T certificate fit the bill (more information about E.U.T can be found on the main website). Anyways that being said, I would like to let everyone know what a day in the life of a nscc student is like.

It came to my attention that sometimes we all need a little advice…no matter how old we are

Entering college can be as frightening as riding your bike for the first time without training wheels. But, once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. Along the way, we all need some guidance and advice. Your best friend may go to a school fifty miles away (which is hard because now there’s no one to bail you out of those sticky situations you get yourself into), your parents have you under pressure to get good grades, and trying to make time for yourself seems close to impossible. BUT! There is hope! It may take some effort and hard work, but your busy schedule will become organized and you will adjust to your changing lifestyle. Thankfully here at North Shore Community College we have people who are willing to guide you in the right direction, answer your questions and lead you to success. It came to my attention, that sometimes we all need someone to talk to who is within our own generation and who can understand where we are coming from. I also know that I want these things to remain confidential, so that’s what I’m here for.

NSCC Student Blogging

What better way to get to know North Shore Community College than to read what current students have to say as they experience it firsthand? In the coming weeks NSCC will be publishing a blog for current and prospective students written by current students. Students will be posting about their day to day thoughts as they adjust to, and take part in, the busy life of an NSCC student.

Our bloggers will be posting here weekly throughout the semester. We invite you to check back often and read what they have to say. If you have something to say back, we encourage you to share your thoughts and interact with them. Let your voice be heard. By taking part in the College community you add to the completeness of your NSCC experience.