Reading+Responses+Group+2

 I agree that the student needs to be responsible for his/her own education. I do not think that we should be spoon fed information. I like that the author says that taking responsibility for yourself means not to take the easy way out of situations. I think that people need to take the harder route in life because in the long run you’ll learn a lot more. I like how the author uses women as an example of this. To this day we still live in a man’s world. That doesn’t mean that women stop trying and do whatever the man tells you to do. It just means that it’s sometimes challenging for women to get equal opportunities. There are plenty of women that take the challenge and come out just very successful. For me, I am the type of person who doesn’t let obstacles get in the way of the goal. Instead I know that when I reach the goal, it will be more rewarding because I know that I gave it my all. Overall I thought that this article was empowering. For me, I thought that this article reminded me that to be educated requires hard work and discipline. There are going to be times where I want to give up, but I have to ignore those impulses because I know that the result will be good.
 * __Claiming an Education: __**

 One of the things that interested me in this reading was that the author talks about decorating the room. The author talks says that people should decorate their rooms because it will be beneficial for them. Adding decorations to your room allows it to be more comfortable for you and helps you bring your personality out to the surface. For example, people bring pictures, rugs, and different colored objects in order to make their space more relaxing. The author mentioned how the dorm rooms are usually plain white and that people don’t really like that. This made me think about colors and how there is actually research that explains why we choose the colors we pick to make our room. For example, blue is a common color picked for a room color. It also is supposed to create a calming effect for the person in the room. Since we can’t really paint the walls in our dorm room, it made me think about the decorations we get. Maybe since we can’t paint our room we get things in the color that we would like our room to be painted in order to receive the same effect from the color. For example, back at home my bedroom is blue, so for my dorm room I got blue bed sheets and towels in order to receive the same effect I would’ve gotten if I painted my room blue. The author says that it a room should be a place to relax. I believe that adding color to your room helps make the room more relaxing and enjoyable.  One of the topics that really struck me in this reading was that the author stressed that you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate. I enjoyed reading this section of the reading because it relates to my situation currently. My roommate and I are friendly and respectable to each other, but we don’t really classify ourselves as friends. We get along because we know that for a year we are stuck with each other and it is better to be friendly than not. Both my roommate and I have certain rules that we have laid out and make sure to follow in order to avoid and disagreements and fights. After reading the article I felt more assured about how we handled things. The author of the reading talks about how the two roommates don’t have to be best friends and don’t have to do things together, but they do have to live together and make it work somehow. I also liked that in the reading the author stresses that the living arrangement is only for a year and that there are plenty of other living arrangement options for the years to come. Overall I thought this reading was relaxing to read and also refreshing.
 * __Group 2: __**
 * __How to Win at College: __**
 * __Navigating Your Freshman Year: __**