Blog # 5: My In-The-Next-Five-Years Bucket List

I wrote a before-I-die bucket list when I was about 12. It's filled with a lot of random activities such as bungee jumping and swimming with sharks. It also includes aspirational goals such as become a doctor and become rich. Lastly I listed personal goals such as get married, have kids, and become a well-rounded individual. It's interesting to see that two bucket lists I found online have many similar goals: https://bucketlistjourney.net/my-bucket-list/ and https://www.developgoodhabits.com/bucket-list-ideas/. Looking at my before-I-die bucket list now, I can see many ways my goals have changed and some goals I still hope to achieve. It's a lot of pressure to fulfill a before-I-die bucket list. Many of the tasks can be daunting because of their significance and difficulty. So instead I'm going to compose an in-the-next-five-years bucket list. It's much less overwhelming and achievable, like a baby step in my life.

My 5-year bucket list includes a wide-range of things I'd like to accomplish. I'm setting my list to 5 items as it seems like a reasonable amount. So let's get started!

1) Study abroad for a semester next spring.
As I've mentioned in my first blog, I love to travel. It always has such a significant impact on my life and helps me grow and develop. Almost all of my close friends at SDSU are also studying abroad at the same time so I'm excited for us to all be experiencing new challenges and cultures. I haven't decided on the specific country yet, but I know I want to travel to somewhere in Africa to experience something completely different then what I'm used to.
2) Finish my undergraduate degree at SDSU in psychology.
It has been very difficult narrowing down exactly what I want to study and do with my life. I started at SDSU as a political science major, added psychology as a double major, and have now dropped political science to a minor and am majoring in psychology. I am FINALLY confident in where I am going in life and am excited to finish my undergraduate in psychology with a minor in political science.
3) Take a year off after finishing at SDSU.
During this time I would love to do some type of program teaching English or a participating in a psychology program in another country for a year. Ideally I would love to spend the year in a Spanish speaking country so that I can try to fluently learn the language.
4) Attend graduate school.
If somehow I can afford graduate school, I would love to also be able to afford it at a school in New York. This is one of the most challenging goals on my list, but if I were able to make it happen, my life would be at it's peak!
5) Visit Brazil with my friends.
One of my close SDSU friends is Brazilian and my friends and I are planning to visit Brazil with her within the next few years. We are hoping to experience Carnival with her! Another more challenging goal on the list because of how expensive it would be and how difficult it is to coordinate traveling abroad with a large group of friends.

Blog #4: Three Types of Learners, Which One Are You?

I think we can all agree school is stressful. The challenging assignments, pressure to succeed and get A's, and the difficulty of juggling extracurriculars with heavy homework loads has made most of us joke with a friend "I'm dropping out LOL!!" after an all-nighter studying for finals. Obviously the majority of us do not actually follow through. Rather we continue on with our lives, managing the best we can. 

And with this comes the different ways we approach school and how we learn. Murphy Paul explains three different types of learners: surface, strategic, and deep. Surface learners do the bare minimum in school, only trying to get by. Strategic learners do the most they can to achieve good grades. Lastly deep learners, who she considers to be the most successful, approach school on a deeper level, looking to absorb valuable knowledge, not necessarily achieve good grades. Murphy Paul then discusses different individuals, such as Stephen Colbert and Neil deGrasse Tyson, who are considered deep learners. She explains their educational backgrounds and how they reflect the individual as a deep learner then and now. 

I would consider myself to be a combination of a strategic and a deep learner, leaning more towards strategic. Why am I more of a strategic learner? Because as much as we'd like to think grades don't matter, they do. They matter a lot. This is especially true in our increasingly competitive job market. Straight A's versus straight C's can be the difference of whether or not you get a position in a research lab, or a teacher's recommendation, both of which can help connect you with a future job. I constantly wonder how different school would be and how students would turn out if grades were not such significant factors in our lives. Until the current system changes, I will continue to dedicate more time to achieving good grades then obtaining rich information. That being said, I have been trying to switch more to becoming a deep learner as I realize how important it is to take advantage of the invaluable information and education. It will just take time to rewire my brain to learn in a new way.

I believe success is an individual experience specific to that person. Therefore I disagree with Murphy Paul and her belief that deep learners are more successful. One of my roommates is a textbook surface learner. She does assignments hours before they're due, only does as much as is needed to complete the assignment, never reads the textbooks, and somehow manages to achieve A's, B's, and sometimes C's. Honestly I don't understand how she's made it as far as she had. But hey, she's made it. I consider her successful because she's content with how she manages school work. My brother on the other hand, is a text book deep learner. He is always looking for HOW and WHY things work and tries to understand the deeper meaning of things. He failed high school English because it was not his strong suit, however he got high A's in math and science. Therefore he learns in a completely different and equally successful way. Overall, the success from how someone learns is completely dependent on that person and how they define success.