Introduction

Our group consists of four people, two girls and two boys. All of us are Caucasian and dependent on our parents. We all attend UW- Eau Claire and are freshmen who live in the dorms, have a meal plan, and under the age of 21.

The book My Freshman Year discusses what a professor learned by becoming a student at the university that she once taught at. She went through the steps to disguise herself by getting accepted based off of her old high school transcripts and by changing her name. In order to get the full freshmen experience she lives in the dorms, attends orientation and participates at welcome week. From observing the people around her she changes her dress and her vocabulary to fit in with all the other freshmen on campus. Throughout the book she compares her time spent on campus with her time being emersed in the several villages oversea; she is aware that although she may feel like part of the culture, she will never get the full experience of someone actually living out the culture.

Due to our groups demographics we will read this book a lot differently because we fit the stereotype of the "typical freshman" that is portrayed in her book.

Chapter 1 and Preface (pg ix-18)

Graphic Organizer By Mark Van Den Broeke
Rebekah, a college professor, decides she wants to research the difficulties of an incoming freshman into college. She is accepted into the same college she taught at off of her high school transcripts alone. She doesn’t want anyone to play favorites for her so she enrolls as a new freshman. Rebekah goes through a lot of changes from dorm life to simple tasks like talking to students. I think she is trying to hard to make friends, but I understand she has to, to make her book interesting somewhat.

Vocabulary By, Emma Carlson
Replete- Full or abundently provided or filled
Pseudonym-A ficticious name
Pedagogy-The art, science, or profession of teaching
Nietzsche-A german philosopher
Sabbatical Year- A leave of absence, often with pay
formidable- causing fear, dread, or apprehension
Accredited- to give official authoritization or approval
Presaged- to give an omen of warning of: foreshadow
Contingent- likely but not certain to happen
Purview-the range or limit of authority

Summarizer by David Loukidis

This first chapter was a brief description of what the author is going to look for research as an undergraduate freshman. She explains how she will look at the ethnography of incoming undergraduate freshman at the college in which she is a professor. She explains the difficulty in her research and anonymity involved in it because she wants to learn as much about the culture and life of freshman by being one of them. She is a fifty-year-old professor who decides to stay in the dorms, get involved in freshman activities, and sit in classes as an active student. The tone is very informal but informative as she tells the reader how she will be conducting her research and the issues that arise within her research. Also, the author compares her experiences of learning about freshman with her experience in as an anthropologist studying other cultures in different countries.

Discussion Leader by Jessica Dulli

Why would the author decide to enroll at her own university instead of one where no one would know her?

Because Nathan is so familiar with the college atmosphere at AnyU, it makes sense that she would choose to examine student life at the same campus instead of at an entirely new settting. She is used to seeing college life as a professor, so by attending her own university as a student, she can better understand the factors that contribute to the behavior of the students she encounters in the classroom every day. She is able to see if her perspective of the university changes just by becoming a freshman in the same setting.

Would students ever really see her as a fellow student?

In the classroom, it is very possible to see her as a fellow student, because she has the same status and classroom requirements as everyone else. Outside of class, however, it would be harder to see her as a college student because she is so much older than the typical freshman. She does not share the same college culture as the younger, stereotypical freshman, because fellow students do not automatically assume that she has the same status as them.

Would her past experience with being a college student and a professor at the same university prevent her from getting the true freshman experience?

Her past experiences would prevent this, because she has been exposed to college life from many different angles, whereas the typical freshman is experiencing everything for the first time. She is put in a position that she has already been in, which forces her to compare that experience with her first college experience and the bits of college culture she witnesses every day. Also, she enrolls as a freshman to research the culture, not to further her education, which gives her a different mindset as every other freshman.

Does her age prevent her from having the freshman experience, considering how most of the incoming freshman are 18 or 19 years old?

Her age does prevent her from having the freshman experience, because people do not see her as a fellow freshman. As far as her interactions with other freshman go, she is seen as a peer strictly in the classroom. Not many freshmen would invite her to hang out with them because of the significant age difference; many students would find it difficult to relate to her because they come from different generations. While she may experience what it feels like to be a freshman academically, she will never truly be able to participate in the social aspects of what it means to be a freshman.

Chapter 2 (pg 19-40)

Chapter 2 Summary By, Mark Van Den Broeke
Rebekah moved into the dorms where she will be living for awhile. She can't believe how much stuff the other dorms have. She examines how different men and women are just by the doors and what they post on them. As she goes to her first hall meeting the main subject that was discussed was alcohol. Rebekah was surprised how lenient the enforcement was (if they don't see it then no harm done). She also has her first day of school but was very stressed and overwhelmed of the workload and even a simple task like getting her books.
Rebekah is straight up front about everything she sees or hears. She seems to write in a nonbiased view on each gender but points out the obvious about the genders. I can relate well to her writings because I live in the dorm and she explained dorm life exactly how I would explain it. My whole floor blasts their sound systems and the walls rumble because of the bass just like in the book. Also, she says that students and studying less these days and that is very evident in my dorm. Mostly everyone decides to hang out with friends or play video games as in the text.

Graphic Organizer by Emma Carlson

Rebekah Nathan endures the events that happen to freshmen within the first weeks of school. She describes what she noticed during move in and how students now days bring a lot more than she expected. She described the multiple decorations up in her including what was on the bulletin board and how her fellow residents expressed their individuality on their doors. She explains the first all meeting and all of the rules went over. Rebekah then goes to explain her first few days of school and the struggles she faces and makes discoveries about student life and how they are studying a little less and socializing less.

Vocabulary Builder by Jessica Dulli

1. discernible (p.22)-distinguishable

2. bureacracy (p.32)- the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government

3. mundane (p.31)- common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative

4. dearth (p.33)- an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack

5. aggregating (p. 35)- to bring together; collect into one sum, mass or body

6. ubiquitous (p.35)- existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time

7. emanating (p.37)- to send forth; emit

8. flux (p. 39)- continuous change, passage, or movement

9. elusive (p.39)- cleverly or skillfully evasive

10. touted (p.40)- to describe or advertise boastfully

Discussion Leader by David Loukidis

Chapter 3 (pg 41-66)

Graphic Organizer by Jessica Dulli
Nathan discusses the role of diversity on campus and how being part of the college community encourages people to build relationships with people of different backgrounds. People often associate more with people with similar interests as them, but when they are emersed into a new culture they must be open to those who are different from them. Nathan observes the interaction between friends of different ethnicities and beliefs by seeing who they choose to eat dinner with.

Chapter 3 Vocabulary By, David L
Interspersed: To diversify with something placed or scattered at intervals
Provocative: Tending or serving to provoke; inciting, stimulating, irritating, or vexing
Surmised: To think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.
Plethora: Overabundance; excess
Proliferation: A rapid and often excessive spread or increase
Vying: Competing; contending
Apathy: Lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.
Amalgam: A mixture or combination
Flatulent: Having unsupported pretensions; inflated and empty; pompous; turgid
Balking: To stop, as at an obstacle, and refuse to proceed or to do something specified

Discussion Leader By, Mark Van Den Broeke
1) Can you relate to the scenarios she had to on her Welcome Week? Which ones?

I could relate to the scenarios because I had to go to welcome week too. I have teachers that always wait and are persistent, practically like pulling teeth, for someone to answer the questions. Although at UW-Eau Claire, we were not forced to take a class during welcome week, but it is mandatory to have a FYE class.

2) What organization or club do you belong to? If there were none, which ones would you like to join in the future?

The book talked about joining a fraternity or sorority and I always considered joining one but didn’t because of the examples in the book. The large amount of money it costs and the time it takes up are the factors why I didn’t join. I didn’t know that one in ten people actually join a Greek organization and much more likely to report the highest level of satisfaction with campus life.

3) What do you enjoy about dorm life? And what don’t you enjoy?

I enjoy the communal bathrooms, unlike what the book says, because it makes people get out their room. I feel like I wouldn’t have a chance to talk to a lot of people if I didn’t see them just walking to the bathroom, not necessarily in the bathroom. I don’t enjoy the cramped living space and having to deal with a roommate in the same room because I don’t have the same sleeping schedule as my roommate.

4) Do you think we need more of a diverse community at UW-Eau Claire?

UW-Eau Claire is a very low diverse community. For some reason, the school decides to put most of the diverse students from other countries in their own separate dorm at the bottom of the hill. It doesn’t let the other students socialize with them foreign kids, so I think something needs to change and scatter more of the students.

Summary by, Emma Carlson

Rebekah Nathan opens up the chapter by describing welcome week and her ideas about “community” meant at AnyU. She states that youth, pop culture, and getting a degree are the ties that bind together a public state university “community”. Another way to build this “community” was through elective involvement; the problem with this, however, is the lack of participation by most students because of the growing importance of individuality in this “community”. This is due to the student’s busy schedules and resources in the name of individualism, spontaneity, freedom, and choice. She goes on describe the personal interviews she conducted and stated how every students view on community is different, which could explain the unclear definition on what “community” means at a public state university. Most of the students’ communities were based on their small groups of friends that they can relate to well. This ego-centered network helped Rebekah grasp a better understanding of her peers and past students.

In this section the author described what community is at a public state university through personal interviews and observations. These two allowed her to make unbiased remarks and add to the clarity of her writing. The interviews added to the “personal” feeling of the piece and gave it a touch of reality for me as a student. Her observations were very in depth and it was easy to create a picture while reading. Overall Rebekah’s use of descriptions helped create the vision of what community means to the students at AnyU.

Chapter 4 (pg 67-89)

Vocabulary By Mark Van Den Broeke
1. Grappled-struggle for superiority or dominance. (68)

2. Mundane-Relating to, characteristic of, or concerned with commonplaces; ordinary. (68)

3. Veneer-A thin surface layer, as of finely grained wood, glued to a base of inferior material. (69)

4. Gregarious-Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable. (71)

5. Fraternized-To associate with others in a brotherly or congenial way. (71)

6. Albeit-Even though; although; notwithstanding. (72)

7. Unfathomable-Difficult or impossible to understand; incomprehensible. (75)

8. Perplexing-To confuse or trouble with uncertainty or doubt. (77)

9. Academia-the academic community. (77)

10. Beseeched-To address an earnest or urgent request to; implore. (88)

Discussion Leader By, Emma Carlson

1. What was Rebekah’s purpose in adding the personal interviews from the international students? Did it add or take away from this section?
- The addition of these personal interviews added to this section. Rebekah does a good job with this throughout the book by adding the unbiased personal touch to each of the sections. These interviews also help with the questions asked that Rebekah cannot answer because of her ethnicity and place of origin.

2. Is it true that American students meet people through their hobbies? If not, how do American students meet people?
- For me as a student I find that I meet people through similar interests, or hobbies in this case. But in my group of friends we have many different interests and our friendship is reflected on our personalities and beliefs. The international students made a fair assessment on American students by saying that people with similar hobbies tend to hang in the same groups. In other chapters Rebekah also sees this in similar cases through her observations.

3. How do international students impact a public state university?
- For me my university has a small percentage of international students so I don’t have a fair assessment on how they affect a public state university. But my friends who go to the larger big ten schools say that international students aid to the diversity at the school and help the schools “image” in a positive way.

4. Because of their backgrounds, do you think that it was easier for Rebekah Nathan to relate to the international students better? Can this be due to the fact that they don’t fit the “typical” freshman norm?
- The freshman norm isn’t as clean cut as it once was. There are many different groups of people because “freshman” at a new school. With this being said, however, I think that it was probably easier for them to relate because they didn’t fit the norm at the public state university.

Summary by Jessica Dulli

In chapter four, Nathan discusses how international students adjust to the American college scene. She shares testimonies from several students, seeing their thoughts on how relationships and schooling are different in America than in their home country. Most of the international students reported that Americans are very independent and as a result, friendships in the U.S. are generally more superficial. Their thoughts on the schooling aspect of American college were more diverse in that some liked the freedom given to the student in the classroom and others thought there was too much freedom. As for their fellow students, many international students felt as if they did not work hard enough in their classes. They said that students often do not do the assigned readings and that instead they go out and party.

Nathan adds the viewpoints of the international students, because like her, they are entering a culture that is very different from their own, although they were not familiar with American college life before their emersion. She writes the chapter with an unbiased tone. She is telling their personal accounts, so she tries her best not to insert her personal opinion into the conversation. However, the way she organizes the testimonies gives a feeling of negativity of the international students. The statements for each topic started out with many negative views on American culture and college life. After several generalized statements about our culture and attitude, there would be a few positive remarks. Switching up the order of these statements would give a different, more positive, voice to the reading.

Graphical Organizer by David Loukidis

Chapter 5 (pg 90-106)

Summarizer by David Loukidis

The first part of this chapter is about how the author is studying the classrooms and how the students act in the class and what the professors do. She explains the different types of ‘icebreaker’ exercises the professors engage in, within the first couple days of school. Also, in this chapter, there is a lot about what the students talk about in class and throughout the dorms. All the dialogue in this chapter is really helpful, as it shows what most of the students were really talking about instead of just the authors overall findings of everyone combined to one conclusion. The tone was very curious as the author discussed and researched what students said in class about the course they were taking. She explained how the students would ask questions about assignments due but would never ask other students if they liked the assignment and if it got them thinking or not. Lastly, she posted a question to see if students would buy the diploma if they could and most of the said they would not. This was surprising to her because she felt that students didn’t want to go to the classes but then found out that most students wanted to stay for the experiences of college while only one or two, in the study, said that he or she would not buy the degree because they want to feel the sense of accomplishment and know that they worked hard to their diploma.

Discussion Leader by Jessica Dulli

Whydo students feel that they cannot discuss class content outside of the classroom?

Students may feel like they cannot discuss class content with their friends because they simply have no interest in the topic. During one's freetime, he or she most likely would not want to talk about something that directly relates back to one of their classes. Even if a student does find the class content interesting, when one is relaxing and talking to friends it is like taking a mental break from schoolwork. If I learn something interesting in one of my classes, I may mention it to one of my friends, but I do not expect, nor do I want, an in-depth discussion on the topic.

Is it true that many students consider classes " 'the price one has to pay to participate' in college culture" (103)?

Many students do feel that college is mostly about having a good time. The students that feel this way are most likely the ones with little motivation to do their best in their classes or who are unsure which direction they want to take with their education. At times, however, it does feel like the college experience has very little to do with classes because of the incredible amount of freedom each student has and the strong sense of community. Everybody at some point has to make the sacrifice of doing schoolwork over going out with friends.

Was the description of the perfect class truly ideal?

Although the course "sexuality" that students at "AnyU" recommended had many good qualities such as community and informality, a class with traits like that could only be found in a course with content like that. This is because large lectures for chemistry and even small sections of english do not contain the correct content for building a community within the perimeters of the class. While friendships do form in classes, it is not what is being taught that sparks the connections. In the eyes of many students, "sexuality" would be the perfect class, but the setup would not be as much of a success if a different subject was being taught.

Why is it that students do not participate in class discussions?

This may be because there is no interest in the topic and therefore no viewpoints that they are willing to share. They have no motivation to share a view on the topic, especially if it means it will lead into a heated debate with their fellow classmates. If they truly have no interest in the topic and they choose to speak anyways, it is purely for the grade. It is more for the teacher's benefit instead of their own.

Vocabulary Builder by Emma Carlson

Tangible- capable of being precisely identified or realized by the mind

Discourse- the capacity of orderly thought or procedure

Poignant- painfully affecting the feelings

Goaded- to incite or rouse as if with a goad

Cynics- one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest

Prurient- marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire

Quintessential- the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form

Subsumed- to include or place within something larger or more comprehensive

Irreverent- lacking proper respect or seriousness

Disconcerting- to throw into confusion

Graphical Organizer by Mark Van Den Broeke

Professors use a variety of icebreaking activities to get students out of their “shell”. The icebreakers could be the student’s favorite food or major or hometown, etc. A good class is often thought of when the students are involved, so icebreakers are a good activity. Also, Rebekah learned about the small talk that went on before and after class from what happened during the weekend to academic talk like “did we have anything due?” Rebekah learns a good question to ask has to pertain to mostly assignments, and also she really enjoys her new sexuality class. I can relate to most of these topics because after reading this chapter, I see it more often in my everyday class and make it easy to write about.

Chapter 6 (pg 107-131)

Chapter 6 Discussion Leader by David Loukidis
1) Have you ever felt overstressed in school? If so, what techniques do you use to relieve stress?
I feel stressed during some point almost everyday. From schoolwork to papers and tests, but I have to be prepared for the stress because I came into college expecting stress. The main thing I do to relieve some stress is exercises or lifting weights because I can release some steam. Also, I found out that eating food and drinking water makes me focus and relieves any worries I had on an assignment and taking a shower relieves stress because it wakes you up and makes you feel fresh.

2) Have you ever cheated on a paper or a test?
Personally, I haven’t tried to cheat in college yet because I realize that it is not worth it. The only time I even came close was when I forgot to cite the right source on a paper, and paid for it on my grade even though it was not on purpose. I think it is just human nature to cheat because everyone is looking for that extra edge to get ahead of the other competition.

3) Rebekah realized that instead of using a planner, it was better to plan your schedule in advance, and know your professors and their expectations. What do you do to sharpen your time management skills?
In high school and in college, I never used a daily planner. Writing stuff in my planner never seemed to keep me organized for some reason, so I always used my phone in case I had important dates to remember. To manage my time better, I usually will plan at least fifteen minutes in between appointments just in case I run over my time limit.

4) Just in the first semester of college, do you think your time management skills have grown?
I definitely think my time management skills have grown, because I have been able to handle the stress of a first year student in college. At the beginning of college, I was over whelmed with the workload my professors gave me, but overtime, college has been getting easier and easier and I figure out my professors tendencies. I think I had a difficult time keeping up with school in the beginning because in high school I was not used to studying, and my whole senior year I never had homework.

Graphic Organizer by Emma Carlson

Rebekah Nathan uses Helen Horowitz’s historical text Campus Life to help introduce college campus cultural traditions. Rebekah uses this text to interpret the dynamics in college life in details of what she has observed so far while living on campus. Rebekah then goes into talking about the importance of time management and a daily planner. She discovered through her observations that a daily planner was not the key to time management but it was controlling college by shaping schedules, taming professors, and limiting workload. She then goes into talking about how to perfect ones’ schedule and how picking classes that fit your biological clock and have good professor will help manage stress and time. This whole chapter talks about the art of college management and how a student will develop it over time.

Vocabulary by Jessica Dulli

1. paradigm (p.107)- a set of forms all of which contain a particular element

2. monolithic (p.107)- characterized by massiveness, total uniformity, rigidity, invulnerability

3. perturbed (p.107)- to disturb or disquiet greatly in mind; agitate

4. salient (p.107)- prominant or conspicuous

5. bureoned (p.109)- to grow or develop quickly; fluorish

6. accolades (p.108)- any award, honor, or laudatory notice

7. purveying (p.108)- to provide, furnish, or supply

8. repudiated (p.109)- to reject as having no authority or binding force

9. predilections (p.111)- a tendency to think favorably of something in particular

10. relegating (p.121)- to assign or refer (something) to a particular class or kind

Summerizer by Mark Van Den Broeke

This chapter is very interesting in the fact that it gives a lot of insight about college students and course-work. Rebekah Nathan first talks about how students need to budget their time wisely in college. She explains how students are torn between all the offerings of college such as program offerings, office hours of professors, extra curriculars, and work. The students make sacrifices to fit all this into their busy schedule along with homework as they set priorities for themselves. Rebekah explains college students and the labels that they fall under as well such as; punks, geeks, Goths, and the rebels known as feminists and environmentalists. A lot of information from outside sources is incorporated into this chapter as well as she describes the national statistics of students who cheat and how some define cheating, whether it be looking at someone else’s test, working on homework with others, or simply having someone else sign you in for class if the student does not want to go. She pulls all this together by explaining how students try to make more time in their busy schedules by cheating or skipping every now and then. Lastly, she describes the senior students and how they have grown over the years to cheat less and how they have learned to have less “fun” because they need to make time for more important things in their schedules such as work and school.

Chapter 7 (pg 132-157)

Graphic Organizer by Jessica Dulli
Nathan concludes through her experiences as a student that students do not do the readings for class if the teacher does not make it clear that it is necessary for the class. She reasons that college students have so much work from other courses, so they need to make the decision when budgeting their time of which assignments are more important. Especially for class readings that the professor simply recommends for the students' comprehension of the material. If a student can not do an assignment for class and it does not affect their grade in anyway, the student will most likely not do it.

Summarizer By, Emma Carlson

In this chapter Rebekah Nathan addresses the question on what she personally learned from this experience. She starts the chapter off by discussing the conversation she had with both her colleagues and her students before entering her field work. Then makes correlations between when she was a student and when she begins to review her lesson plan for the new school year; she uses these correlations to perfect the lesson plan to better fit her future students. To end the chapter Rebekah discusses the liminality of student culture and how student culture compares to the American culture in a university. All of her observations made throughout the book are analyzed back to previous assumptions she made prior to entering “the field”, this is used to compare and contrast the student culture and how it has helped her as a teacher.

The tone of this passage had a sense of enlightenment; she described everything that she learned by being student and how it has helped her be a better teacher for her future students. While reading this, I found myself wishing that some of my professors would have done the same as Rebekah did so that they can understand the need for time management among students. I also like how she ends the passage by bringing up the need for education and what makes it important if we end up changing our jobs multiple times when we get older; and that understanding this will help the story of the modern university unfold.

Vocabulary Builder by David Loukidis

Sabbatical- any extended period of leave from one's customary work, esp. for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.

Bimodal- having or providing two modes, methods, systems, etc.

Officious- objectionably aggressive in offering one's unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice; meddlesome.

Superlative- being more than is proper or normal; exaggerated in language or style.

Tacit- understood without being openly expressed; implied.

Virtuous- conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright.

Dearth- an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack.

Acculturated- the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.

Monographs- a highly detailed and thoroughly documented study or paper written about a limited area of a subject or field of inquiry.

Quixotic- impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

Discussion Leader by Mark Van Den Broeke

1) Have you been able to connect with this book? How?
I felt like I connected really well with the book because I too am a college freshman just like Nathan. Nathan talks about the struggles and personalities of college students, and after sitting down and thinking about what she says, everything sticks out to me in everyday life. From when she was sitting down at the cafeteria and who eats with who to college professors.
2) Why do you not do some readings for class? And do you agree with Nathan’s opinion about why students do not read?
The reason why I do not do readings for class is because I simply do not have enough time. I agree with Nathan that students have too much other work in other classes and too many other activities. I need to find a way to manage my time in college since there is so much more work that you have to throw out a reading here and there to get bigger projects done.
3) Do you think Nathan wasted her time with all the research of the book?
I think Nathan did a good job of organizing all the facts and research for the book. She came up with theories if she didn’t know the answer, so it helped me connect personally to her writing. I think the book was creative and if she never told any of the students what she was doing, then they would have never known.
4) Do you think she would have had more personal experiences if she were younger?
If she was a “normal” college student in their teens or twenties, she would have been more accepted into the culture of college life. She never wrote about parties, or the nightlife which many college students experience. Also, a huge part about having a good time in college is meeting friends and creating friendships. I believe due to her age, Nathan was held back on a lot of the good times of college that younger people get to experience.

Afterword (pg 158-END)

Vocabulary Builder by, Mark Van Den Broeke

Rapport-a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well (159)

Queries-ask a question about something, esp. in order to express one's doubts about it or to check its validity or accuracy (159)

Relinquish-voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up (160)

Mulling-period of careful deliberation (161)

Divulged-reveal something (162)

Unambiguously-not open to more than one interpretation (163)

Privy-sharing in the knowledge of (something secret or private) (165)

Verbatim-using identical words (166)

Voyeurism-1. somebody who watches for sexual pleasure
2.persistent observer of misery or scandal (167)

Pseudonym-false name (168)

Discussion leader by, Emma Carlson

1. Do you think that Rebekah Nathan followed an ethical protocal while conducting her interviews with students? How would you have acted if you were in her shoes?

-We beleive that Rebekah took the best approach when conducting the interviews. She fit the role of who she was interviewing without making them feel like them as students were being "studied". When she talks about addressing to the students prior to interviewing them, that she was researching would have been a poor decision. This is because the students would have answered in a way to make them sound "perfect", in a sense she would not have gotten the true facts.

2. Was the data she provided in the book legitimate? Give some examples as to why or why not.

-The information that she provided was legitimate because the information gathered answered her questions in the beginning. Us as readers, however, believed that she should have asked more questions about the social lives of college students, rather than talking about groups and organizations. She rarely talked about parties, and if she did it was in a negative way. One thing that she did well was taking the information she gathered and related it back to her own personal experiences when she was in school or while she was teaching. It helped see the two different worlds between students today compared to students decades ago and professors.

3. Why do you think that she didn't share all of ther information in the book?

- We believe that she didn't want to share all of her knowledge because she didn't want to expose certain students. She went on talking about how she gained their trust and she would feel bad exposing them in writing. Another reason why is because possibly it was only one instance that didnt relate to anything back in the book and couldn't be elongated inorder to write a whole chapter on it.

4. Do you think students would have gotten mad if they saw there quotation in her book?

- They would probably be more mad if the information they gave was negative about the institution or if their name was by the quote. But sense Rebekah did such a good job with being a professional; if the comment was negative she didn't leave a name by it. These comments also added to the different sections because it sounded like a true student talking.

Summarizer by Jessica Dulli

In the afterword, Nathan discusses how she conducted her research. She ensures the reader that she followed all the ethical guidelines when doing her research and when publishing her ethnography. She stresses the fact that all the information she received from students at "AnyU" is confidential and that she chose a pseudonym in order to protect the identity of the students included in the book, as they probably still attended the university at the time.

The tone of this short chapter is very professional. She keeps this tone, because she is justifying all of her research methods and informing the reader that she followed all the ethical guidelines a researcher must follow when collecting data. She also kept the afterword very concise, because she already made her conclusions in chapter 7 of the book. It is almost as if the afterword is just one very large footnote.

Journal #1 (11/13/09)

The information that surprised us the most is that she got caught drinking already in the first chapter. The reason this was surprising is because she is of age and is allowed to drink outside of the dorm. Also with her being the age she is, you would think that she would know and follow the rules of the place she is residing in. It is also shocking because you don’t hear of people with doctorates getting in trouble and having disciplinary measures taken upon them. Another thing that surprised us is that she participated in athletic events provided by the university. The most shocking thing about this is that she was actually good for her age, and despite her age, she found a way to connect with other college students.

Some information that has been left out so far is how this experience has affected her in her transition to living in the dorms. If she does have a family, we wonder how they are handling living without her and if she visits her home often. We also would like to know if she went to any college parties, or if anyone invited her because of her age. We wonder if she was accepted and seen as an equal in the classroom by both students and her professors.

The ideal audience for this book is college students, preferably freshmen, because they can relate to it better. The book may help them deal with the new situations they are being thrown into; also may bring humor to what they go through and the struggles they face. Professors may also be a good audience, because it may help them understand his or her students better. It may also answer the questions for people wondering if the typical college student has changed throughout time. Changes that are due to the influence of culture, and what is accepted in these groups of young adults.

Journal #2 (11/20/09)

The third and fourth chapters discussed diversity and community on any college campus. Nathan describes how college students group together and the reasons for a decreased participation in dorm activities. She argues that it is not that they do not want to participate in large group activities, but that they genuinely forget or do not have enough time for activities like that. Many people believe that college students are spending more time socializing and less time studying, but Nathan proves through the samples she collects that students living in the dorms on average only spend about three hours a day engaging in social activities; the rest of the day is usually spent studying, going to class, and eating.
Diversity is also a major topic in these chapters. The author explores the types of friends students generally make by observing who they eat with and who they generally associate with. She discovered that the majority of people tend to have closer friends that are the same race or ethnicity as them, and that many minorities tend to be the only one of their ethnicity at the dinner table.
Chapter Four goes along the same theme of diversity, only instead of focusing on how American students choose their friends, it focuses on how international students fit in and perceive American college life. As a professor from the same university, she is still somewhat accustomed to college life. International students, however, are entering a completely different culture from what they have been used to all their life. By looking at their experience of finding friends and adjusting to the social aspect of this country and of college, the true culture shock of becoming a freshman in college can be captured. After interviewing several international students from countries such as Japan, United Arab Emirates, and Mexico, she finds that they perceive American college students as very individualized and independent from their family. Also, many of them perceive the friendships and relationships as different from what they know back home. The difference in culture is described as being distant and not genuine. Many international students discussed that when talking to American students, they felt as if they were not interested in what they had to say.

Journal #3 (11/30/09)

This book coincides with a discussion we recently had in class about who has the most power. This discussion was based off an activity we did in class about socioeconomics and moving from one class to another. We related this back to our book by comparing how a professor, who would be viewed as a higher socioeconomic class, became a freshman in college, which would be considered the lowest socioeconomic class, and what she learned. The author determined that even though freshman in college were considered the lowest class, the fact that they were students gave them the most power. This power would be the individuals’ choices that affect their future. She also discusses that independence and individualism are the basis for community at a public state university. With such power of independence a student has the willingness to pursue college as a building block for the future career or the dreams and aspirations. Some students, however, do not reflect this characteristic because they are the ones who are content with staying in the “lower socioeconomic class”. This may be reflected in their choice not continuing with college or not attending an institute at all.

Throughout the book Rebekah Nathan uses personal interviews that she conducted while at school. Each interview aided in the unbiased effect of each section of the book. These interviews also helped her understand things that she couldn’t experience due to her age and/or ethnicity. An example of this would be in the section where she talks about international students and their experiences on campus. Since she isn’t an international student these interviews help her grasp the complete idea of what student life was like for them. Another technique she uses throughout the book is observation. During her days at school she walks around through the dorms, listening into peoples’ conversations, or monitor the lunch for anything that can be helpful for her writing. Although this may seem creepy, it does work for the tone of the book and helps it become more relatable for the reader.

Journal #4 (12/7/09)

The last few chapters of the book discusses what Rebekah Nathan learned by becoming a student and how she applies what she learned to her future lesson plan. While reading these chapters us a readers learned something about Rebekah a well and about how students progress throughout their days at school. Which leads to the most important thing that we learned as a readers, which is the effect of time management. Time management plays a big role in a students life and helps a student manage his or her stress as well. We also found it interesting that she found that the daily planner didn't play a big role in time management; that it was a students schedule, the taming of the professor, and limiting the workload.

Another thing that was thought was interesting is that she didn't add the comments from her piers and from her students till the very end about what they thought of her field work. We found that this could have been essential information to know at the beginning of the book because it would have given more personal background about herself. We wonder if she questioned it because it would direct the book on her experience before or get the reader in the wrong mindset prior to reading the book.

Since some of our questions weren't asked during the book we turned to outside sources which helped us answer our questions. Books like Binge and Generation X aided to our better understanding of what people found college to be like. We found it easier to relate to those books as well because they are more of what college is like. They went in depth about parties and sexual stereotypes that matched more with the college atmosphere that we are affiliated with.