Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Mexican Atmospheres essays

Mexican Atmospheres essays When I visited Mexico for the first time I remember thinking that it was not the third world country that everyone had described to me. After a couple of days there and a little more venturing into Mexico I realized that it was really everything that had been described. While we were in the vacation areas and hotel resorts the atmosphere was very nice. They are decorated with festive ornaments, they play loud music, have plenty of gift shops, and many attractions for people to see. When we ventured outside of these areas things took a drastic turn from pretty and festive to dirty and poverty stricken. I realized that the pretty images that Hollywood gives people of Mexico is only true in certain places, and that it is actually a third world country. When we arrived in Mexico at the airport I really could not tell that it was a third world country. The one thing that really caught my attention while at the airport was that it was not air conditioned. The airport was dreadfully hot, not humid, just a very dry heat. I remember while standing in the customs line I was sweating as though I had been running a marathon. I was sweating so much that my shirt was sticking to me. The airport was decorated nicely with a mural of sea animals painted on ocean colored walls. The airport was very similar to the airports I was used to in America. It had all sorts of gift shops, restaurants and many stands with brochures of places to visit while in Mexico. The ride to the hotel was also very nice, and the scenery did not appear to be that much different than here in America. The roads were paved, much like ours, but there were swamps all around us that reminded me of the Everglades in Florida. The bus had most of the luxuries that our buses have and one additional feature that I was really not accustomed to. It had a cooler that was filled with Coronas and bottled water for sale. I had never in my life seen alcoholic beverages f...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Fail

When to Take a College Course Pass/Fail Most college courses require students to take them for a grade, but not always: In some cases, students can take a few courses as pass/fail during their time in college. Whether or not thats a good choice for you depends on a variety of factors, and there are a few things you need to know before choosing a pass/fail option over the regular grading system. What Is Pass/Fail? Its exactly what it sounds like: When you take a course pass/fail, your instructor simply decides whether your work qualifies you to pass or fail the class, rather than assign you a letter grade. As a result, it isnt factored into your GPA, and it will show up on your transcript differently. Assuming you pass, you will get the full course credits, just as if you had received a letter grade. When to Take a Course Pass/Fail There are a few situations in which you may want to take a college course pass/fail: 1. You dont need the grade.  Whether youre fulfilling graduation requirements or you just want to experiment with other areas of study, youll probably have to take a few courses outside your major. You may want to consider the pass/fail option if a letter grade in one of those courses isnt necessary for earning your degree or getting into  graduate school. 2. You want to take a risk. Pass/fail courses have no bearing on your GPA - what class might you take if you didnt have to worry about it affecting your grades? Pass/fail can be a good opportunity to expand your horizons or take a class that will really challenge you. 3. You want to reduce your stress. Maintaining good grades takes a lot of hard work, and opting for a pass/fail course can relieve some of the pressure. Keep in mind your school will have deadlines by which you have to declare youre taking the course as pass/fail, so it might not be an option for avoiding a bad grade at the last minute. Your school also likely limits how many courses you can take pass/fail, so youll want to carefully plan how to take advantage of the opportunity. Other Things to Consider Make sure youre choosing pass/fail for the right reasons, not just because you want to take it easy. Youll still need to study, do the reading, complete the homework  and pass the exams. If you slack off, the fail will show up on your transcript, not to mention the possibility youll have to make up for the credits you didnt earn. Even if you withdraw  from the class to avoid failing it, that will also show up on your transcript (unless you get out of it during a drop period). Keep in mind you may not be able to enroll in  all as a pass/fail student, and before you commit to a grading system, you may want to discuss the choice with your academic advisor or a trusted mentor.