Week Three: MBTI test

Doing the MBTI test was once again very fascinating to do!  I find it very impressive that from answering a few questions so much can be revealed about someone.  By doing this test I have seen that I am a extraversion, sensing, feeling, and perceiving person, which means that I am an outgoing, friendly and  realist person.  I try to find solutions that work best for everybody and quickly, while also knowing that I prefer to talk things over and I love to ask questions.  I live in the moment and take things one issue at a time.  I need to remember these characteristics along with many others next year when working with mentees and the other mentors, so things can go as smoothly as possibly.

In class the exercises we did I thought were very interesting because they showed first-hand how the different types of people react to different situations. The exercise I found to be most interesting was the Concrete-Abstract Activity because I have never really seen how a group of people can look at the same picture and see two very different set of things.  The group I was in saw the actual objects in the picture, the piano, numbers, the wine glass, and many more objects.  The other group saw abstract things like a party, and a busy café and many other places and activities.  Doing this activity showed me that when working on something having all types of people involved is important because each person can bring something different to the work being done. 

Week 2: Helping Students Make the Transition to College

                From my own experiences last year, I know that the transition from high school to college can be a little overwhelming at times.  The feeling of being overwhelmed can be helped if you have people, in our case a mentor that knows how to relate and encourage.  The focus this week of helping students make the transition to college was very interesting to me for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is because it made me think about last year and how my mentors helped me through my first semester at Iowa State.  The second reason I was interested was the Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. 

           Schlossberg’s Transition Theory which used the four Ss, situation, self, support, and strategies, I feel really helped me to better understand how to help first years transition to college and how to relate to them in the most beneficial way.  Some of the things I learned from this was each person has their own story and I have to remember that when working with my group next year.  Secondly I learned that I need to help mentees figure out their own strategies to overcoming different issues, so that they feel it was their own idea.  If you can make it their own strategy the person is more willing to buy into it.  Through reading the end of the chapter and the discussion we had in class, I realized there are a lot of different areas that one has to be caution of when making the transition.  Remembering how my mentors interacted with me and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory I believe I will be able to better help my mentees transition to college life. 

Hixson Week one

For week one I felt that the reading and class worked started at a great place.  The reading got us thinking about becoming a peer mentor and gave us things to think about and remember throughout the process. While at class we were able to get to know each other a little better and understand what we were going to be doing this semester to prepare for next fall. 

                Coming into this I felt I had a pretty good understanding of what a peer mentor does, however after the reading I see there is a lot more to it than what appears to the eye.  For example one has to find motivation that is a mix of self and other focused.   I had never thought about focus in mentoring, but after reading about it I see there is a big need for a balanced motivation, so both the mentor and mentee can get as much as possible out of the experience.  The second big point from the reading that affected me was that there is not only a responsibility to those you are mentoring, but also to yourself.  A mentor has to be aware of what they are doing and how it will affect the mentee which I knew.  However, I never thought about how reflecting, goal setting, and studying smarter as an individual would  affect how one was able to mentor others.

  

           After going through the syllabus in class I realized that we will be expected to do a lot of different things throughout the duration of the semester.  Two that I am looking forward to is the twittering for a week because I have never done it and it should be interesting.  The second is the digital story telling because when I did it as a first year it was a blast.  The diversity event and Iowa State Leadership Experience sessions should show for a lot of learning on my part.  Overall, I feel that I am in for a lot of new experiences, which will be exciting!