Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Registration Week!

Yes, it is that time again to begin registering for classes for the Summer 2009 quarter! I ran through some details in my previous blogs about how to contact advisement via email and things of that sort. The class schedules are now available and ready for you to enroll in.

I am happy to say I got my registration done thanks to the help of Dean Smith! She is the greatest and such a big help! For the summer quarter I will be taking 15 credits and switching it up to an all online experience. For my three quarters I have been here, I broke it down into 2 classes online and 2 or 3 onsite. I am excited to see how I manage with them all online. I'm sure I'll be fine, but it will feel funny not waking up to go down to campus.

The classes I chose for the summer were English Composition III, Business Communications, International Marketing, and Psychology! I am definitely excited about the international marketing class. I am taking Principles of Marketing right now, so it will be interesting to see how different marketing is internationally. I look forward to learning their specific styles of marketing and the way they market to others. As far as my other courses, I look forward to them as well. I won't really know what to say about them until I actually start in July, but hey it gives me something to look forward to.

We are already in Week 4 and this is sad that I am already thinking about this, but mid terms are in 2 weeks. I know so far I have one mid-term in accounting, but I'm hoping it won't be so painful. I'm going to put that thought off for now until next week, since that's when I'll really have to start looking over everything I will need to know.

So, what's going on in the news lately? Yes, the Swine Flu is the talk of the country. I wanted to take the time to inform everyone about this and ways to prevent yourself from coming in contact with it. Today at work, State Farm was sending around an email providing us with some tips about how to keep ourselves protected. I thought that was a great idea and figured I would do a little research for everyone!

I got this information from a reliable source: www.WebMD.com


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Everyone is asking: What is swine flu?

Like people, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren't the same as human flu viruses. Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. It's caused by a new swine flu virus that has spread from person to person -- and it's happening among people who haven't had any contact with pigs.

What are swine flu symptoms?

Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Those symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions, and that means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, if you've got swine flu. It takes a lab test to tell whether it's swine flu or some other condition.
If I think I have swine flu, what should I do? When should I see my doctor?

If you have flu symptoms, stay home, and when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands. That will help prevent your flu from spreading.

If you've got flu symptoms, and you've recently been to a high-risk area like Mexico, CDC officials recommend that you see your doctor. If you have flu symptoms but you haven't been in a high-risk area, you can still see a doctor -- that's your call.

How can I prevent swine flu infection?

The CDC recommends taking these steps:

* Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
* Avoid close contact with sick people.
* Avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.


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I hope that information was helpful to some of you. It's very important to watch who you are around, especially if that person is sick. This is something that you do not want to get stuck with.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Congrats Grads!

Tomorrow is Graduation Day for those who are graduating! How exciting is that? I wish it was me! Nah, I'm only kidding...I'm not ready to graduate just yet. I know one of my fellow bloggers is speaking at the Graduation so Aleksandra: Best of luck to you and congratulations! You will do great! Aleksandra has been a big help with getting me started on blogging and also with talking to some people on campus to get involved, so I really appreciate all of her help!


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So it's hard to believe that Week 3 is finally coming to an end. You know what that means! Week 4 and the registration process starts all over again! It feels so weird to be picking my classes for next quarter already considering we just started, but it's good that they open up the classes now and not at last minute. What I would like to do is just inform everyone of what they need to do in order to register for classes and hopefully this will be helpful!


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The information for registration is provided on blackboard as well, so make sure you are checking blackboard for all announcements regarding the registration process. To get to the advisement section and check out available classes for the summer 2009 quarter, click on the community tab on blackboard. Once you are on that screen, you will see a list labeled My Organizations. Click on Advisement. When you click on Advisement it will bring you to their page that also contains all information regarding registration. You may want to read up on that to see if there is anything that relates to you and registering. After reading, look to the left side and click on Course Schedule. You will then have access to all the classes that will be available on your campus as well as online for the summer 2009 quarter!

Advisement has asked that you send an email to your campus, which I will later provide the emails for you. In that email, you will need to include your name, your ID number, a copy of your degree audit, and the list of courses you would like to enroll in. It's important that you write down the class number so that you make it a little easier for the advisors to place you in the course.


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The emails for each campus as well as the online advisement are as follows:

NYCAdvisement@berkeleycollege.edu Midtown Students

NWKAdvisement@berkeleycollege.edu Newark Students

GMTAdvisement@berkeleycollege.edu Garret Mountain Students

MDLAdvisement@berkeleycollege.edu Middlesex Students

BGNAdvisement@berkeleycollege.edu Bergen Students

WSTAdvisement@berkeleycollege.edu Westchester Students

Advisementonline@berkeleycollege.edu Online Students

Please submit your requests beginning on Monday April 27th. The longer you wait the faster the classes will fill up, so to guarantee yourself a spot, register early!

I have been asking students to write me a up a little something about their time at Berkeley College, and this week I would like to introduce you to Antonio! I met Antonio at the Garret Mountain Campus in The Religious Experience elective and he was also in my Management class. Let's see what Antonio has to say!

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"Hello, my name is Antonio and I am in my third quarter of my Berkeley Bachelors degree in Management. Right now I am taking classes like International management and Organizational behavior which deal with my management degree. Overall, so far I am very pleased with Berkeley College. The teachers are great and the atmosphere is magnificent. Everyday I am excited to wake up and learn something new."

Best of luck to you Antonio and it's great to know that you are enjoying your experience at Berkeley!


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So on the to-do list for this weekend is to decide which classes you would like to take and send them on over to advisement so that you get into the classes you want!

Enjoy your weekend and once again Congratulations Graduates of 2009!


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Sunday, April 19, 2009

What a great weekend!


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Unfortunately, the weekend has come to an end and Monday is just a few hours away. I bet we wish we could have Monday off as well, but that's never the case! Hopefully everyone enjoyed the spring weather (FINALLY!)

I actually got a lot done this weekend, homework wise, so I was pretty happy about that. Tomorrow is back to work and good news is, I am almost finished with those dreadful phone calls. It was funny at work on Friday because we were talking about how my major is marketing and how these calls are good practice for me, but in reality, I do not want to do marketing in terms of sales. I am more interested in working with the creativity aspect of it such as designing the advertisements or figuring out a way to market the product in the best way. Creativity just allows for so much and it's much more interesting then sitting around begging and persuading people to buy things from you.

While I'm going off on my little tangent about Marketing, I would like to incorporate some marketing into my blog here. Today was the National MS Society walk to help raise money for those with MS.

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MS has become a new part of my life, so this is something that is extremely important to me and my family. With the support of my friends and family, I raised money and walked 4 miles on behalf of those with MS. Where the marketing plays in here, is company sponsorship. There were a lot of businesses and companies that sponsor this walk, and in return, their names were advertised on T-shirts, pamphlets, and even banners. This type of marketing shows that they work towards working with communities and for special causes. From a consumers point of view, if they see things like this, they will usually buy from them because they know they are doing good for the community and for special causes.

Here are some pictures from the MS event at Waywayanda State Park. This is one of the many walk sites they had set up for the MS walk. The route was 4 miles and they provided us with water, snacks, and even lunch! It was a great day and a very fun event!


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Spring Weather...Where are you?

Despite the cold weather we have been having these past few days; it is safe to say the warm weather is on its way! Friday and Saturday it’s suppose to be 74! Woo Hoo! I feel like a weather woman here since I usually have something to say about the weather, but it’s true, where is the spring weather?! I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter! Lots of candy, right?



So here we are in Week 2 already. I have to say everything is going very well so far. I have already taken quizzes, which I did not expect to have just yet, but I passed so that is all that matters. Managerial Accounting is off to a good start so far. I have to admit I was getting very nervous about it, but the material so far is very well explained and understandable. My marketing course is a lot of fun and the professor makes it fun as well. That’s the worst when you have a professor that bores you to death for an hour and 40 minutes, but on the plus side you only are in the course for 12 weeks. I would still rather have an exciting professor though.
I noticed on blackboard, there was a poll about how many students are prepared with their books and all for this semester. According to the results, many people were not quite prepared as were others. By this week, I would hope that everyone has what they need and especially any books they need. I ended up only buying two books this semester, both totaling under $100, so I was extremely happy about that. In two weeks, we will be back to square one with registering for classes once again. For the summer, I am going to enroll in all online courses because I have potential plans of going away to spend some time with family in Florida, so I would rather have the online courses, this way I do not miss anything if I were enrolled in an on campus class. Plus, in the summer I wouldn’t want to be driving back and forth down to campus, when I can enjoy the outdoors and of course my pool during those torturous hot days.

I would like to take a part of my blog and dedicate it to this event that is very important to me and many of you may have already been introduced to this before. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society takes part in a walk to help raise money to support research and end this terrible disease from affecting many Americans lives. I will be participating in this walk on Sunday April 19, 2009 at the Waywayanda State Park in Hewitt, New Jersey. Luckily for me, this is a 5 minute drive for me and I am very excited to participate. I was looking to gather some students from Berkeley to participate in this event but it was too short of notice. If anyone is interested in walking, I would advise for you to visit this following website: http://walknjm.nationalmssociety.org

There are many walk sites available so you may choose whichever is closest to you. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. I believe in the work they do, and I invite you to see for yourself all the good they've done for the MS community because I am one of the many who has been diagnosed. More than 400,000 Americans live with MS, and your support can and will make changes in their lives.
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If anyone is interested in making a donation, please contact me prior to April 19th at my email: Lyndsay-wright@mymail.berkeleycollege.edu

The weather is calling for rain, but the walk is rain or shine. I’m hoping for sunshine, but we will see. I will have pictures to share once the walk has been completed. I will be walking approximately 4 miles with two of my closest friends and all the others who have registered to walk!

Other than school, I am still working at State Farm during the week. I am still continuing with my marketing calls, which are coming to an end soon because I pretty much called everyone I possibly can! I have had success with getting some clients to go through with homeowners, which always feel good.

I have some reading to take care of before classes tomorrow and some studying to do for my online classes. I find myself making a to do list in the beginning of the week. It seems like there is so much I have to do, but it’s not all that bad, just seems like a lot. I definitely suggest this idea to anyone who has trouble remembering what assignments they need to complete or anything of that sort. It’s very helpful!
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Friday, April 10, 2009

Hippity Hoppity...Easter's on its way!

The weekend is approaching which means Easter is coming! Hope everyone enjoyed their Good Friday and if you did not have class or work, I hope you enjoyed your day off as well!

One week down for this Spring Quarter, now just think 11 more to go! Hopefully by now everyone has all their books that they need and any other materials! My classes have started off great so far, but I'm sure as the weeks progress, I'll be swimming in lots of paperwork and homework. I'm ready for the challenge that this quarter has to offer, so I say bring it on!

Just to fill you in on some things happening online, the SGA club is looking for your votes on deciding for a new logo. I actually submitted one so your votes would be nice! To participate in the vote, log into blackboard, click on the community tab, look at the bottom where it says clubs, and look for SGA (Student Government Association) and click enroll. Once you have enrolled, you now have access to the SGA club online. On the page, look over to the left and it will say SGA Logo Contest. Simply click on that tab and follow the instructions that follow to select your favorite logo that you think would suit SGA well! Happy Voting! My submission is below!


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So what else is happening? A whole lot of nothing! I am getting back on my feet again for school and still working, so that has been my life these past few weeks! As my classes progress I will definitely fill everyone in on how it is going. I am looking into getting people to tell me about their experience with the online program in my online courses, so I will be looking forward to setting that up and talking with my fellow classmates.

I ran into Dean Smith the other day up in advisement and we had a brief conversation about me helping her out over the summer with registration since times get tough. I do not know all the details yet, but I would definitely loved to get involved and help in anyway possible!

Another thing I have been looking over is the powerpoint that Mrs. Okun has asked for me to put together with some information that I feel students should know at registration time. This will give me the opportunity to explain to students the many things they can do as far as using blackboard and things of that sort!

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and go out and buy some PEEPS!

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Tell me how delicious they look and even better how delicious they are!!


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Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Welcome back...

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Vacation has ended sadly and now it's time to get back on track! First off, I hope everyone had a great vacation and enjoyed their time off. Hopefully everyone is well rested and ready for the Spring quarter. I know I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to my vacation, but now it just gives me something else to look forward too, which is our next vacation.

I officially started my classes today on the Garret Mountain Campus and it was nice to see some familiar faces in my classes. My online classes also have started up, so I have already started my assignments for those and again saw some familiar names!

The two classes I am taking on campus are the Principles of Marketing and Environmental Conservation, which is my elective. I met both my Professors today and they are very nice and definitely willing to work with the students towards their success. I am excited about my Marketing class because it is what my major is, so I'm excited to start learning more in depth about it. For both those courses, the Professors have made it clear that they use Blackboard a lot, which is good for me cause I am always on there for my online courses. It's so bizarre that some students haven't even used their blackboard yet. I think I would be lost without blackboard honestly, but that's just me!

I ended up only having to purchase 2 books this quarter, which was very helpful since I need to save some money and pay off my bills! The two online classes I am taking, which are English Comp II and Managerial Accounting, use the same books I needed for last quarter, so I lucked out!

I am getting excited for the quarter and what it has to bring to me. I also look forward to it ending but hopefully it won't be so bad! Hey, at least this quarter I get to sleep in a bit. I do not need to be down to campus until 10:45. I planned that one good! The only bad thing is the terrible parking I end up getting, but that's ok. It's getting nicer out so walking won't be such a dreaded issue!

Well, for the rest of this Tuesday afternoon I need to start some reading for my classes and maybe I'll start working on some assignments. I have a busy weekend ahead of me so I need to be a little proactive! Oh and the wedding was great! I know I mentioned that in my last blog and I'll add a few pictures at the bottom here, but I had a lot of fun! It was a rainy Friday, but after the ceremony in the church was over, we stepped outside for photos and the sun was shining right on the front of the church doors. It was perfect and amazing!




I hope everyone has a great first week and remember to stay on track! Oh, and get out there and buy those books!!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Happy April Fools Day!

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April 1st already! This is hard to believe! Next week this time we will be back in classes and waiting for the next break to come! Ok, Ok, I know I am ahead of myself here and shouldn't be thinking about it just yet! I can't help it though! I need a longer vacation that's for sure!

So here we are on April Fools Day! It's a rainy, disgusting day out, so not much is going on. I went to work this morning, then my friend and I curled my hair as a little preview because I have a wedding to attend on Friday, so I needed to get an idea of what to do.

Nothing much is new at work. Same old thing! Tomorrow I am going in to make some marketing phone calls to get people interested in saving money. With today's economy why not! I'm still trying to get use to getting rejected and dealing with nasty customers, but hey you're going to have that. It's just helping me deal with it easier and accepting it. It's not my fault that they do not want to take advantage of a deal. All I am trying to do is help, so some people shouldn't be so mean!

Oh, so reminder to everyone...


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I went there yesterday and got everything straightened out and thankfully that annoying pop up is now gone! Berkeley informs you many times about paying your bill, so it's in your best interest to go and pay your bill. Also make sure you are clear with financial aid as well. All of this needs to be completed by Friday, or you face being withdrawn from the Spring Quarter! That would be bad news!

Classes begin next Monday, April 6th so make sure you are prepared as far as having your books, pens, pencils, notebooks, and anything else you need. I went out and bought myself a planner last week, which I find to be very helpful. Between my online classes and on campus classes, I can focus on days that would benefit me best to sit down for online, and other days to work and work with my on campus class work. This quarter I am only taking 4 classes. These include Managerial Accounting (SAVE ME!!!) Marketing, Environmental Conservation, and English II. I have a lot of work ahead of me in accounting but I am sure I'll be fine. Financial Accounting is the course I took last quarter and ended up with a B, and all A's in my other classes, so it was a little disappointing, but this quarter, I am determined to get an A even if it drives me absolutely insane!

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Perfect picture to describe how crazy I might drive myself! Just Kidding!!!

So this week I am finishing up with work and then off to a wedding on Friday! I'm going to be exhausted this weekend, but that's ok. I start classes on Tuesday so I'll have a little extra time to bounce back on my feet! Hope everyone is enjoying break, and until next time, toodles! Photobucket