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I have really enjoyed this English 304 class. I have learned many important lessons concerning writing in the business world. In order to succeed in this class, there are a few things to keep in mind. As with any class, you should always put your best effort forward. It is also important to make sure you stay on top of the assignments. As long as you put effort in and follow the formats that you are taught in class, you will do fine. You also need to always remember your ethos in order to best convey your message.

In order to succeed in the client based project, it is crucial to know exactely what your client expects. Our project was confusing because it was unclear what was expected. Our project was not the typical business or marketing plan that other classes did, and I wish that we had something more like that. It is also important to make sure you choose a good group to work with. I was lucky enough to have people in my class that I knew I would work well with. We all had roughly the same schedule, and none of us were slackers. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and wish future students the best of luck!

Free write...

I really never know what to write about for free topic weeks. The end of the semester is usually very stressful, and this one is no exception. I can't wait to go home for Christmas break! Exams will be done and I'll have 3 weeks to kick back and do nothing. I love being home for Christmas. It's great to be with your family, make cookies, and of course, get presents. The holidays are usually a very busy time and its easy to forget about what is really important. I want to try and do something special for the holidays to help someone else instead of focusing on myself. I also want to try to spend more time with my family since I do not get to see them when I'm at school. Overall, I cannot wait until this semester is over!

Personality on the job...

I agree that personality plays a big role in how someone does their job. Even though personality traits are important in figuring out if a person will be good for a position or not, most employers are not able to properly dissect someone's personality. The resume and basic interview just are not enough. It is also important to remember that when an employer picks someone for their personality, they must make sure they are selecting people who will mesh well with others. For example, a whole team of people with type A personalities will not work well together. Managers need to make sure they blend different backgrounds and points of view, otherwise they may get less accomplished than they expect. But if you are able to find the correct mix of people, this mix can make getting work done easier and a lot more enjoyable. By doing groupwork at college, I know the types of people I work well with and those that I do not. I tend to take leadership roles in groups, and I think it would be difficult / not enjoyable to work with a group of people that were just like me. We would all be fighting to get our points across and probably spend more time arguing than actually getting anything done. It is important for individuals to realize which other types of personalities they mesh with in order to more effectivley market themselves in the business world.

Commercials...

One set of commercials that comes to mind are the Orbit gum commercials. In every commercial, there is usually some ridiculous scene going on where people are getting dirty / their mouths are dirty, such as the ones where people are being splashed with mud, dirt, and even fish. Orbit uses the British Orbit girl, who comes across as very "clean" (she is usually wearing a light color, has light skin and hair, and a sparkling smile), and the dirty people in the commercial smile with a crisp white smile. The commercials usually say "Dirty mouth? Clean it up with Orbit", or something that goes along those lines. The use of that phrase and the image of a clean mouth among a bunch of dirt helps us connect these two images to the gum.

Group Work...

For the past few weeks, I have done a lot of work with my English 304 group. So far, we have had great group synergy. We haven't had any problems with working with each other yet. The hardest part for us was actually figuring out what we had to do with this project, not how to split the work up. We do a good job of splitting up the work we need to do, and getting done what we need to get done. We have similar schedules since we are all finance or accounting majors, which makes it easy to schedule meetings. Another thing that has made us successful is that we all have some sort of connection with each other before starting this project, which I believes makes us more willing to help one another out. For phase two, I think that since we have a better idea of what we need to do we will not be waiting until the last minute as much to figure out what needs to be done. We also need to differentiate which specific jobs each person wants to do. Overall, I am very pleased with the progress of my group thus far!!

Mock Interview

This Monday, I had my mock interview. The position I was "interviewing" for was a financial center associate for Wachovia. I found this internship listed on their website, and decided I would use it because I am interested in finding an internship in finance. I was not really that nervous before going into it, but I was very tired since I am not usually up before 12 pm. At first, I talked a little fast, which I tend to do when I am in situations like that. Another weird thing that happens to me when I do things like that is that my mouth gets dry, which in turn makes me talk even faster. Aside from that, I did go over some interview questions and made sure I was familiar with different things on my resume. Overall, I am happy with the way my mock interview went. Next time, I am going to take a few more minutes to collect my thoughts before I walk into it and to try and keep in mind that I need to slow down.

Free Write...

I feel like I have been going non-stop the past two weeks. With all my tests/papers and activities, I've barely had any time to even be at my apartment other than to eat and sleep. Besides my mock interview and a couple assignments due this week, I will finally have a chance to relax. The best part about this week is that I get to go home on Friday! I haven't been home yet so it is going to be great to go eat at some of my favorite restaurants, see my family, and just relax. I'm surprising my mom for her 50th birthday on Saturday...so only my dad knows I'm coming home. I can't wait to see the look on her face, hopefully she will be excited. I planned a nice girls day out on Saturday with my sister and mom, and then we are throwing a little party for her at the best steakhouse ever, Morton's. It will be sad to leave home on Sunday but at least my mom and my sister are coming to visit me 2 weekends from now!