Self Evaluation of my academic year (2009)

Well, this is the last post in this blog and it’s evaluated. It’s an essay about self evaluation of my academic year. To start, how everyone knows, I’m in my first year of University (second semester), and I have to say, the first semester was very difficult to me, because I have to adapt to another reality very different from school. But this semester was better and I feel better too.

In general, I am satisfied with this first year in University, like I said, the first semester was difficult to me, because I wasn’t giving the best of me, despite the fact that this career (more specific, this year) don’t occupy all my time and don’t suck my life like other carries. The subjects of my first semester were Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Methodology of the social research (I) and Contemporary world history. My grades were fine (better than I thought). The most difficult subject to me was Contemporary world history, not for the subject itself but the teacher (very frightening and strict). Besides these five subjects I took a CFG (general formation course) called Ecodesign, a very interesting subject about the sustainable development of products better to the environment.

The second semester was better to me because I’m getting use to the university life. The subjects were Methodology of the social research (II), Social Psychology, Latin American social history, Statistics (I), and Social science’s philosophy. I think (like other people) Social psychology is a waste of time and I don’t know why we have this subject, and about Methodology, if we only have to read the texts it’s fine, the important classes were where we reviewed the progress of our work in terrain. The most difficult subject to me in this semester was philosophy, to me, it’s hard to understand such a deep topic.

In conclusion, and like other classmate said, I entered to this career knowing nothing about Sociology, but now I think I know something about it.
In this career I have to read a lot, many chapters of different books and authors. Something good is I like to read, and I have had the opportunity to read about many different things and learn about different topics. This is something I like about Sociology, you can learn a lot of different things, and I know that I going out of the career with a huge culture. Until here, I’m very happy with my decision of studying Sociology.

One of the challenges my discipline is facing

To post number 11 (the penultimate! the last one is evaluated OMG!) I have to write something about the important challenges my discipline is currently facing.
Well, I want to talk about the education in Chile, I think is strongly connected with my discipline, and I’m very interested about this because (how I said it before in other post) my mother is a teacher and my brother is studying to become one…
There has been a lot of sociological studies about the education in Chile, both qualitative and quantitative (in the PNUD by his abbreviation in Spanish, the Program of United Nations for the Development, made in Chile the annual survey, and it had a particular study about education, using not only opinion poll but interviews too). Some studies describe and analyze the functioning of the Chilean school system; others study the opinions of the civil society about education. Even when it seems there is a wide agreement about the bad points of the educational system, I think there isn’t a political will to introduce improvements or simply change the entire educational structure. That’s why sociology has an important role to make known the reality of education (and that’s doing right know) and denounce the lack of interest of the authorities to improve this subject, authorities who says the way to overcome the poverty IS education; well, that’s what they say…
I think everyone agreed the bad points of education start with the education itself, and the fact that isn’t in hands of the Education’s Ministry; the career of teacher isn’t good viewed because the low salary, the vision of the schools as daycares, the lack of interest of the students in a lot of schools (and that’s a very important point because implies a deeper problem hidden in the root of society) etc, etc.
About the solutions, ufff!! It’s hard to say something, is a problem that needs strong politics to change, how I said before, the roots of society, but is really difficult to take it to reality. I hope the future government (whatever is the political party), do this at least something about this important subject. See ya!!

The things I like to do in my free time

To post 10 I have to write about my free time, what I like to do, why I like to do these things, what I would like to have more time to do, what forbidden things I would like to do and what I don’t like doing that eats into free time.
Well, that is an easy question, or maybe not, I don’t know really...
In my free time (preferably weekends) I like to sleep, yeah, sleep a lot, not until late, but to take a long nap. I also like to watch my favorite series (House M.D, Glee, Heading to the ground (a Korean series)); and go out with my family (to eat, visit some relative, etc, etc). I like to go out with my friends too (the past weekend we go to ice-skate), or just get together to watch a movie and eat something.
In my free time in the week, I like to try to catch up with the readings for classes, and try to advance in the papers we have to hand in. Well, I have to say I TRY to do these things. Many times I stay in the TRY.
I like to sleep, I don’t have a particular reason other than I love it. And like to see my favorite series too, because in the week I don’t have time! About to go out with my parents, I like it, because I very attached to them, and in the week I see them very little. And I have a lot o fun going out with my friends, especially with my best friend because now she lives far away (well not really far far away, but not in my neighborhood anymore), and it’s good to see her.
I would like to have more time to read, not only things to university but things I want to read for recreation, more time to do nothing (yeah, just to recreation, said in elegant terms), and more time to sleep!
This going to sound really nerd, but if I think about it, there isn’t forbidden/illegal things I would like to do.
Well, this going to sound contradictory, but a thing that eat my time is sleep; I know is weird, I like it and I don’t like it, but I like it most.
That’s all I can say about what I like to do in free time, I thinking seriously to find a hobby, yeah, I think I need it. See you next time!