Bright FuturaSmoking & Drinking Teens Are The Unhappiest Of All
Posted on June 30, 2012
Teenagers who smoke, drink alcohol and eat junk food are significantly more likely to be unhappy than their clean- living counterparts, a study has found. About 5,000 children were questioned on their appearance, family, friends, school and life as a whole, and had their happiness levels rated.
Researchers discovered that those who never drank alcohol were between four and six times more likely to have higher levels of happiness than those who did
While those who shunned cigarettes were about five times more likely to have high happiness scores than young smokers.
The authors of the study, based at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University, used data from Understanding Society, a long-term study of 40,000 UK households, to analyze the home life and health-related behavior of about 5,000 ten to 15-year-olds.
Their results found that unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and not taking exercise were closely linked to substantially lower happiness scores, even when factors such as family income and parents’ education were taken into account.
Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, and less eating of crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, was associated with high happiness levels. Also, the children who played a lot of sport were deemed happier.Cara Booker, co-author of the research, said that children could be turning to damaging vices to cope with their unhappiness. She said: ‘Another explanation could be that youths who smoke and drink first fit themselves into certain groups that tend to be unhappier, and then they find themselves unhappy. It becomes a vicious cycle.
‘It’s probably a combination of both. Some will take up smoking because they want to feel more adult, but then find themselves hanging out with people who are less happy and then they become less happy. But if you’re participating in sports and have a social group who are also interested in the same things, you’re happier versus not doing much of anything.’
The study found that between the ages of 13 and 15, teenagers’ food consumption became unhealthier – only 11 per cent reported eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day – and their participation in exercise fell. And the figures for alcohol consumption revealed 8 per cent of ten to 12-year-olds admitted having had an alcoholic drink within the last month, rising to 41 per cent among 13 to 15-year-olds.
Dr Booker added: ‘The message [to teenagers] is that you need to be as healthy as possible, and participating in more adult behaviour such as smoking and drinking is not necessarily going to make you happier.
Why Women Like Bad Boys
Posted on June 15, 2012
Dear Nice Guys,
I feel your pain, I really do. You just lost the girl of your dreams to some asshole, because well….you were nice and apparently being nice is not what girls want.
Yeah, my head just exploded too
But now it’s been revealed there is a science behind that idea. During a discussion this week on America’s NPR (formerly National Public Radio), human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar was surprised that
Rihanna still reportedly likes Chris Brown, who ‘didn’t only hit Rihanna, he made her look like Buster Douglas’.
National Review writer Kevin D Williamson pointed out, however, that she may not be able to help it – because it’s in her genes to like men like Chris Brown.
Writing in a blog following the show this week Mr. Iftikhar stated that
bad guys combine the self-obsession of narcissism, the impulsive, thrill-seeking and callous behavior of the psychopath and the deceitful and exploitative nature of Machiavellianism.
Unattractive as the combination might appear, women often equate it with masculinity - and the ability to father healthy children.
As a result, those looking for the thrill of an affair, or hoping to become pregnant, are drawn to ‘bad boys’. Scientist Peter Jonason said James Bond is the perfect example of a ladykiller with a rather questionable personality. ‘He’s clearly disagreeable, very extroverted and likes trying new things - killing people, new women,’ the researcher told New Scientist.
Mr Jonason, of New Mexico State University in the U.S., subjected 200 college students to personality tests designed to rank them for each of their dark triad traits.
They were also asked about their attitudes to sexual relationships and about their sex lives, including how many partners they had and whether they sought out flings. The results showed that men who scored higher on the trio of traits tended to have more partners and more interest in short-term relationships.
Nice guys need not lose all hope though
Dr Gayle Brewer, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire, said that while women tend to like cads for flings, they usually settle down with more caring types.
Full Article at Elite Daily.com
Leon Langford| Bright Futura Columnist
How A Woman’s Glance Can Tell A Man If She’s Interested
Posted on May 3, 2012
The female mind has always been a complete mystery to most men and their enigmatic thoughts and actions almost impossible to decode – until now. Finally the closely-held secret of whether a woman fancies someone has been exposed and experts have found it is all in the eyes.
A new study looked at how and where women glance after a man makes initial eye contact and found this shows him all he needs to know about his chances of romance.
What happens in the 45 seconds after meeting makes it crystal clear if love is in the air or whether the hapless male suitor will get the cold shoulder, experts have said.
Life coach Ali Campbell says in his book ‘More than Just Sex’ that the look men want to see is her looking down and then moving her eyes in a sweeping motion across the floor because it almost certainly means that she is attracted to you.
This glance means that she is checking her internal emotions, in short, she likes you but is working out how much.
‘This is the one you are after, it’s the holy grail of looks. It is a great indication that the female is interested,’ he told The Sun.
And in a complete reversal the disinterested, shy or bashful look sideways a woman often gives is not the brush-off most men thought it was.
It is in fact the opposite.
If a woman looks away for up to 45 seconds and then stares you straight in the eye it is another sure sign that she is interested because she is thinking hard about whether you are a suitable partner.
But of course with good news there is bad and this book has also given men the clearest indications yet about whether they have no chance of love with someone they like.
If after the man makes eye contact she instantly looks over his head or stares straight back at him it is almost certainly curtains.
These two ‘aggressive’ reactions mean the man should back off quickly and turn his attentions elsewhere to avoid further embarrassment.
‘If your date looks over your directly over your head it isn’t because they are imagining pictures of you and her running into the sunset together. A direct stare back is to avoided at all times. If this happens your best bet is to leave that woman alone and move on,’ Mr Campbell told The Sun.
Mr Campbell’s study has also found women give off other signals that men should look out for on a date or when they meet someone for the first time.
Whether she is right or left handed she will use her dominant wrist to point at you if she likes you.
Also if she touches her hair she is attracted to you and if she twirls the ends then she really likes you.
Original Article at Daily Mail
How Sleeping In Class Actually Helps You Learn
Posted on April 4, 2012
If you haven’t passed out in class you either aren’t going to class or you aren’t working hard enough. So I will just assume that you have nodded off but before you go feeling bad about it perhaps you should read an article by elite daily.
It turns out that nodding off in class may not be such a bad idea after all, as a new study has shown that going to sleep shortly after learning new material is the best way to remember it. According to leading U.S. author Jessica Payne, a psychologist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, nodding off after learning something new is like ‘telling’ the sleeping brain what to retain.
Research Article: Memory for Semantically Related and Unrelated Declarative Information: The Benefit of Sleep, the Cost of Wake
Along with colleagues, she studied 207 students who habitually slept for at least six hours per night.
Participants were randomly assigned to study declarative, semantically related or unrelated word pairs at 9am or 9pm, and returned for testing 30 minutes, 12 hours or 24 hours later.
Declarative memory refers to the ability to consciously remember facts and events, and can be broken down into episodic memory (memory for events) and semantic memory (memory for facts about the world).
Related: Students Can’t Stop Texting, Even to Sleep
Related: 6 Simply Ways To Wake Up Ready Like A BAMF
People routinely use both types of memory every day – recalling where we parked today or learning how a colleague prefers to be addressed.
Innovations that help you sleep in class
At the 12-hour retest, memory overall was superior following a night of sleep compared to a day of wakefulness.
At the 24-hour retest, with all subjects having received both a full night of sleep and a full day of wakefulness, subjects’ memories were superior when sleep occurred shortly after learning, rather than following a full day of wakefulness.
‘Our study confirms that sleeping directly after learning something new is beneficial for memory. What’s novel about this study is that we tried to shine light on sleep’s influence on both types of declarative memory by studying semantically unrelated and related word pairs,’ Payne said.
‘Since we found that sleeping soon after learning benefited both types of memory, this means that it would be a good thing to rehearse any information you need to remember just prior to going to bed. In some sense, you may be “telling” the sleeping brain what to consolidate.’
Video –Jessica Payne (ND Expert): Kids, Sleep and Creativity
via elitedaily
The 10 Best Cities for Young People to Find Jobs
Posted on March 19, 2012
By LEAH KONEN, The Fiscal Times
For recent college grads, the future may seem bleak. In 2010, employment among young adults was at the lowest rate since World War II. The average college graduate carries more than $25,000 in debt, and millions of them are trading sexy dreams of big city lofts and office happy hours for a not-so-sexy reality of cruising job sites on Mom and Dad’s couch.
If you’re a young person looking for a job, which cities are best? Though it varies from industry to industry, certain cities have shown markedly low unemployment for young people in recent years and have the companies and culture that makes them a hotspot for college grads. We looked at unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s 2010 population survey, the latest data available, for 25-34-year-olds, as well as 20-24-year-olds, in 116 of the country’s largest metro areas, to find the 10 best cities for young people to find jobs — and some of them might just surprise you.
10. San Antonio, TX
They say that everything’s bigger in Texas, and in San Antonio, the job market certainly is. The unemployment rate for the San-Antonio-New Braunfels area is just 6.6 percent, with the city at a low 7 percent. The Milken Institute recently named San Antonio the nation’s best-performing city in its ranking of 200 metro areas, thanks in part to extensive oil drilling projects in Eagle Ford Shale — which in 2010, generated 6,800 full-time jobs and $311 million in salaries and benefits, according to researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio. This month, Boeing also announced a plan to move aircraft and maintenance work from Wichita to San Antonio in 2013.
9. Portland, OR
All you have to do to see that Portland is hip is turn on the TV — IFC’s recent hit, Portlandia, paints the city as a haven for hipsters, artists and creatives.
Startups are booming here — Fast Company named the “Silicon Forest” as one of the best places to launch a startup in 2010, and the city itself is a trusty friend to startups, giving them city-sponsored events, like the Portland Incubator Experiments, to help draw investors. We’re not surprised that this hip city added 12,000 jobs from November 2010 to November 2011 and has an unemployment rate of just 6.5 percent for 25-34-year-olds.
8. Honolulu, HI
(editors note: HECK YES!)
It seems that Honolulu is home to much more than just beaches and hula skirts. According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, visitor spending rose 15.6 percent to 1.1 billion in October, which is good news for Hawaii’s largest city and state capital, home to top companies like Hawaiian Airlines and the University of Hawaii. The unemployment rate for 25-34-year-olds is just over 6 percent, and at 9.3 percent for 20-24-year-olds, it’s the 9th best city for that category, as well.
7. New Orleans, LA
Post-Katrina, the “Big Easy” has built an impressive hub for jobs, with the unemployment rate at just 5.5 percent in the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner area and just 5.9 percent in the city itself. Private companies like Tulane University and Pan-American Life Insurance help keep the economy going, but it’s the city’s tourist appeal that really brings jobs.
<Yes, the tourist appeal
In 2010, New Orleans hosted 8.3 million visitors, the most since the flooding. And the recent return of three major cruise ships promises to keep business afloat. The city added 9,000 new jobs in 2011, and major retailers like Walmart and Costco are planning to open new locations there in 2012.
6. San Francisco, CA
When you think of cities popular for young people, San Francisco of course comes to mind. A cornerstone of startup culture, the city is the birthplace of tech favorites like Twitter, Yelp, Dropbox, Wikipedia, and StumbleUpon, and added 18,000 jobs between November 2010 and November 2011.
Plus, a new program, the Civic Startup Accelerator is working to pair top startup companies with City Hall to get new and innovative technology worked into the government sector — and famed angel investor Ron Conway has already agreed to advise the program. It’s no surprise that the unemployment for San Francisco County is 5.4 percent for 25-34-year-olds.
5. Washington, D.C.
(Editor’s Note: Home)
It’s no surprise that the nation’s capital is an epicenter for jobs. Between government, tourism, finance and lobbying, there’s no shortage of industries. But much of the growth is happening in the private sector — the Washington Post’s annual list of top companies in the area, the Post 200, is dominated by defense companies, government contractors, information organizations, hotel companies and financial firms, with names like Geico and Hilton Worldwide topping the list. These firms and others give the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area an unemployment rate of just 5.4 percent for 25-34-year-olds.
4. Boston, MA
This historic haven is also a haven for jobs, with the unemployment rate at a cool 4.8 percent in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area and just 5 percent in the city proper. With Harvard, one of the nation’s top universities, employing about 18,000 people in the area, it’s no surprise, but there are plenty of businesses booming from technology, like iRobot, a robotics company most famous for Roomba, to the environment — Clean Harbors, Inc. was ranked by the Boston Globe as a top company — it was instrumental in containing the BP oil spill. The area added over 50,000 jobs in 2011, and the passage of a new casino bill promises to bring even more jobs to the area.
3. Fort Worth, TX
Dallas’s neighbor has a seriously sunny economic disposition, with an impressive 4.7 percent unemployment rate for 25-34-year-olds in the city and 5.1 percent in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area. In 2011, the area added over 57,000 jobs and in 2009, Site Selection magazine named Dallas-Fort Worth the country’s third most active market for corporate relocations. The area is home to the corporate headquarters of a number of household names, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Radio Shack, Pier 1 Imports, and Motorola. Of course, it’s also home to American Airlines, which declared bankruptcy in November.
2. Tulsa, OK
It looks like this famed oil capital is continuing to see prosperity. Tulsa beat the national average by nearly 6 points, clocking in at just 4.5 percent unemployment for 25-34-year-olds — and just 6.2 percent in the greater area. Privately-funded local initiatives have helped put this city at the top. The city added over 10,000 jobs in 2011, landing itself on our recent list of 10 Best Cities to Find a Job, and more than 4,000 of those jobs pay an annual income of $50,000 or more, according to the Tulsa Metro Chamber. Add to that extremely low overhead. Due to low rent, energy costs, and taxes, the city is attractive to businesses in aerospace, energy and health care.
and number one is……..
1. Jacksonville, FL
This military-centric North Florida city might not be the first one that springs to mind, but its low unemployment rate of 2.7 percent in the city and 3.2 percent in the greater area for 25-34-year-olds makes it a clear winner (that’s more than 7 percent below the national rate of 9.4 percent for that age group). The city also had the eighth lowest unemployment for 20-24 year-olds (8.3 percent). Why so many jobs? Three naval air stations supply a steady number of noncivilian jobs, which trickles down to the rest of the community. Plus, the city is home to the largest Toyota distributor in the U.S., and has even seen a recent renaissance in filmmaking, satisfying those creative types.
LEAH KONEN via The Fiscal Times
Posted by Leon Langford| Bright Futura Columnist
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2012: The Year of Joseph Kony
Posted on March 7, 2012
A 27 minute video has suddenly gone viral, and you should know how it’s changing the world in less than 27 minutes (video below).
The purpose of the video:
The purpose of the video is to stop the rebel group the LRA’s (Lord’s Resistance Army) leader Joseph Kony. By making people aware of Joseph Kony, they hope to turn your awareness into action.
What You Need to be Aware of:
Joseph Kony is the leader of the LRA, and fights to keep himself in power. His soldiers: kids, half your age.
These kids are abducted and forced to join his army. For 26 years he has been abducting kids into his rebel group. BOYS are turned into child soldiers, and GIRLS become sex slaves. He makes them mutilate people’s faces and even forces them to kill their own parents. And it’s not just a few kids.
It’s not 100 kids. Not 300. Not even 1,000.
Over 30,000.
Be aware: Joseph Kony has an army of child soldiers that need to be rescued.
Jason, the director, is good friends with Jacob who was one of those children. Jacob had managed to escape, but his brother was killed in the process. Jason promised Jacob he would do everything in his power to help.
This is his promise at work.
^^ Director Jason Russel and Jacob^^
Jacob and other free child soldiers now work with Invisible Children to provide awareness about the plight of these children. They have been active for a number of years. They have built schools, they have created jobs and even built an early warning radio network. The building of these structures did not come from help from the government, but from donations from people who cared; people like you and I.
After 8 years of activism, the United States government has heard the voices of 100,000 young people and committed 100 military advisors to Africa to assist in the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield. Joseph Kony has since gone deeper into hiding and in order to increase support and keep up the military effort this video has gone viral.
KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
^This video will expire on December 31st 212^
- In order for Joseph Kony to be arrested The Ugandan Military has to find him.
- In order to find him they need technology and training to find him in the jungles.
- In order to get that, they need the U.S. advisers.
- In order for the U.S. advisers to be there, the U.S. must deploy them.
- In order to get the US to deploy them, the U.S. must here from US
What you can do:
Make him famous!
Make him visible! Tweet about him! Spread this video! Put him in your Facebook status! Write, call, email, tweet, facebook, facetime, skype, pigeon mail one of the 20 law makers and Media Personalities, on their website that you intend to:
MAKE KONY FAMOUS
COVER THE NIGHT
On April 20th 2012, there will a world wide effort at sundown, by Make Kony Famous activist to blanket their town with Kony 2012 posters, stickers and tags. When people wake up that morning, their streets will be littered with Kony 2012 information.
So use Facebook for something else than just promoting yourself, don’t just tweet today’s funny quote, don’t just comment “lol” on a Youtube video. Use today’s technology to make a difference, save lives, and make a man famous.
Leon Langford | Bright Futura Columnist
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Bright Academia: George Mason University
Posted on February 22, 2012
To help students, college as well as high school seniors looking forward to a new university, Bright Futura presents Bright Academia. Bright Academia is a fusion of student reviews of their own university and basic need to know information regarding your campus. This weeks campus is George Mason University. Below is a set of information you should know about George Mason University followed by links to interviews from actual students at the university talking about what you want to know!
*information courtesy of College Prowler
Student Confessionals
George Mason University Freshman II
Posted on February 22, 2012
GMU Freshman
Name: Arielle Flax
Major: Theater
Classification: freshman
Year You’re Graduating: 2015 (hopefully)
1. Why did you pick George Mason University?
It wasn’t my first choice in the beginning, but after touring the campus and learning about the program offered here it rose in my list.
2. How different is college from high school?
It’s sooo different. I remember being in high school and hearing college kids say how different it was. And I thought “Ok, I get it. It’s different.” But I feel now that no one can really understand what college is like until you actually go. There is no way to describe the college experience to someone who hasn’t been yet. It’s liberation. It’s community. It’s responsibility. It’s confidence. It’s so many things.
3. Do you commute or live on campus?
I live on campus. I didn’t pick my roommates beforehand but I picked a quad. I’ve roomed with other people before, from siblings to camp-mates to summer program, so I wasn’t worried about sharing a room.
4. George Mason University touts itself as the most diverse school in the nation, how do you think the diverse population helps expose you to new cultures on campus?
I love the diversity here. I’m Jewish, and it’s really nice to be in a place where being different isn’t out of the ordinary. There are a lot of Jews here. And Muslims. And Christians. And Athiests. And there’s a melting pot of cultures and races as well. I love learning about other people and lifestyles. I believe it makes me a more well-rounded person.
5. If you were giving a tour of campus to freshmen where would you take them that most tour guides wouldn’t take them to?
I would take them to Harrison 3rd. It’s not my floor, but I spend a lot of time there. I love how close their floor is and I want to show how living in a place with a bunch of people your own age can be a wonderful and fun experience.
6.What is there to do on the weekends at George Mason? Parties, student organizations, visit home?
There’s “Weekends at Mason” a group that organizes fun things to do on the weekend. There’s always going be parties, because hey, it’s college. But there are also movies being shown at the Johnson Center (with free popcorn!) and there are fun, creative, events to go to.
7. Do you have a college bucketlist (list of things you want to do before you graduate)?
Yes. I want to get A’s and B’s every semester from now on. I also want to wear the Mason Patriot costume. And I want to meet all the redheads in my class and take pictures with them.
8. If there is one thing you would like to add to George Mason what would it be? Then one thing you think the campus could do without?
I would add a pinata room for students to let off steam during stressful times like finals. I think Mason can do without the dip n dots vendor because it’s never there/open when I want some dip n dots.
9. What are some the best kept secrets on campus (ie. Free places to print, best teachers, etc. Places/people/things that you think people don’t know about on campus but really should)?
I’m a Freshman. I have much to learn. But if there’s one secret I do know, it’s that George Mason’s frozen body is hidden under the George Mason Statue.
10. As a freshman, what are you most looking forward to in your future time at George Mason?
I’m looking forward to becoming more involved in campus life. I went to my first basketball game this semester (I didn’t get a chance last semester) and it was so much fun cheering for our guys with all my friends. GO GMU!
I’m also looking forward to upperclassmen housing.
Bright Academia George Mason University Student Confessionals
George Mason University Senior I
Posted on February 22, 2012
Name: Cristian Pineda
Major: Communication (Minors: Film & Media Studies; Business)
Classification (freshman/sophomore/junior/senior): Senior
Year You’re Graduating: 2012
1. Now that you’ve been at George Mason University for 4 years what is your favorite thing about the university?
I like that I am comfortable speaking with faculty and staff and able to navigate myself around resources on what to do after graduation. Even thought I am not a shy person, I was always hesitant on asking questions on logistical manners, such as organizing events, scheduling meetings, etc. Now that I have been here for this long, I know who to go to for the questions I have.
2. Now that you’ve been at George Mason for four years, who was your favorite professor, and what was your hardest class?
My favorite professor was Alejandra Balestra, for my SPAN 315: Spanish For Heritage Speakers class. Not only was the class a very good break away from the stresses of other classes, Balestra made the class entertaining. I always learned something new about my culture in that class, and she went above and beyond to make the class entertaining but informative. She taught us material that wasn’t required, and also held a very good relationship with the students. My hardest class was my MSOM 300: Managing Financial Resources class. I am not keen on accounting, and this class made me stress so much, having to study more than I ever had for any other class.
3. What organizations are you affiliated with on campus and why are you excited to be apart of them?
I have been lucky enough to be a part of many organizations throughout my four years on campus. The three organizations I am very active with this year are La Unidad Latinda, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc, the Aguilas Mentoring Program, and the Hispanic Student Association. I am excited to be a part of each of these organizations because I have grown closer to the members of each organization, and they have strengthened my passion for Latino issues. Another organization I am a part of is the Program Board Film Committee, where we organize film-related events on campus.
4. Where are some the best places to visit, shop, or eat at in Fairfax and how far away are they?
Around the area, I like visiting the Fair Lakes Shopping center, roughly 15 minutes from campus. They have a good selection of food, shopping, and recreation.
5.If you could send a message to yourself when you were a freshman to help prepare yourself for college what would it be?
I would let myself know that it is okay to NOT be super involved my freshman year. I would let myself know to not stress on not knowing a major, since it gradually formed throughout the years. I would also let myself know to enjoy my time early because the four years fly by REAL fast.
6. George Mason University is touted as the most diverse University in the nation. How do you believe the schools diverse population has impacted your academic and social lifestyle?
I think comparing GMU’s demographics to other schools, I would agree that we have a more diverse population than other schools. I believe that this has helped academically and socially because I am able to learn, listen, and understand other people’s points of views and lifestyle that I would never hear otherwise. This can also help shape my beliefs as well.
7. What is there to do on the weekends at George Mason? Parties, student organizations, visit home?
GMU provides services on the weekends, but because there is a large commuter population, there is a significant decrease of people on campus. There are occasional parties, but every university has that crowd. The DC scene on the weekend seems to be popular with people as well.
8. If there is one thing you would like to add to George Mason University what would it be? Then one thing you think the campus could do without?
I would add more of a push for school spirit on the university’s side. Certain organizations try to pump up the school spirit, but I feel like the school itself can do a part in promoting Patriot Pride. I could do without the unnecessary structure of Mason Housing and Mason Parking. Both services seem to get lots of complaints, and I have not had good service multiple times from both offices.
9. What are some the best kept secrets on campus (ie. Free places to print, best teachers, etc. Places/people/things that you think people don’t know about on campus but really should)?
There are PLENTY of offices that provide free printing, but students don’t take the time to research them! Ratemyprofessors.com is DEFINITELY an important (and accurate) tool to select teachers. There are 5 gyms on campus, but people seem to only go to the Fitness and Aquatic center; all five gyms seem pretty good to me.
10. What skills have you learned over the years (ie. Time management, networking, etc.) , that you can say have helped you get to where you are today?
GMU has taught me not only academics, but also skills that can help me in the workplace. I have worked on and developed a sense of organization that time management is an important tool to manage schedules. I have gotten over my fear of networking, and am less shy approach people for job opportunities. I have learned how to deal with people who act completely different than myself in a group or individual setting. I also learned the balance between work and school, as well as the balance between business and personal life.
Bright Academia George Mason University Student Confessionals
George Mason Junior II
Posted on February 22, 2012
Name: Helena
Major: Global Affairs
Classification (freshman/sophomore/junior/senior): Junior
Year You’re Graduating: 2013
1. Now that you’ve been at George Mason University for 3 years what is your favorite thing about the university?
I really love my major and all the great things I’m doing here. I’ve had such great professors and continue to meet such wonderful people. I’ve also been able to have an internship at National Public Radio, where I hope to work one day while going to school. Since Mason is close to Washington D.C. the internship opportunities are boundless, allowing you to take internships during the school year. Not only can you go to school and do an internship so you don’t have to give away your summer, but you tend to have less people applying during the school year than during the summer since most college students are vying for internship during the summer.
2. Besides Graduation, what are you looking forward to next year as a senior?
I’m looking forward to hopefully traveling once I save up money. I would really love to travel all over the world one day, so I’m hoping I can find time (and money) to do that.
3. What organizations are you affiliated with on campus and why are you excited to be apart of them?
I’m the Vice President of Amnesty International, an organization on campus that I’ve been involved with since my freshmen year at George Mason. I am a huge supporter of human rights and educating others on human rights issues. Amnesty is a very reputable organization and we do a lot of great stuff on campus to address certain human rights issues that we are passionate about. I’m also involved with George Mason’s newly formed Invisible Children club, an organization that works to help end the longest ongoing in war in Central Africa as a result of the Lord’s Resistance Army and Joseph Kony. The goal of Invisible Children is to help bring home child soldiers that have been abducted by the LRA and building rehabilitation centers for them. We have a large group of passionate, committed individuals which keeps me going. I’m also involved in Close Knit, a knitting club that’s newly formed and is hoping to do craft and knitting projects to benefit the community.
4. Where are some the best places to visit, shop, or eat at in Fairfax and how far away are they?
I’m a huge fan of Bernie’s Deli which is about a five minute walk from campus. Bernie’s is a great New York style deli that offers quality ingredients and really great sandwiches. The price is a bit much, but you’re really paying for two sandwiches with how much you get.
5. As a Junior you should be working on classes on your major now. What’s your major and how are the classes treating you?
I’m a Global Affairs major minoring in Electronic Journalism. So far, I’ve enjoyed all of my classes here at Mason. Mason has some of the best professors in their field and I’ve been able to learn so much from them from economics to conflict analysis and resolution. I might be a nerd, but I really enjoy school and learning.
6. George Mason University is touted as the most diverse University in the nation. How do you believe the schools diverse population has impacted your academic and social lifestyle?
I’ve always enjoyed what different people, from diverse backgrounds bring to the table. In my academics, which are mostly discussion based, I’ve learned about different cultures and identities from my classmates through their experiences.
7. What is there to do on the weekends at George Mason? Parties, student organizations, visit home?
I usually study or hang out with friends. I’m really busy during the week so the weekend tends to be my only time to actually do some work. However, I like hanging with my friends while watching a movie or going to D.C. There are also really great performances at the Center for the Arts, which is a world-class auditorium where various arts come through from all over the world. I’ve been able to see so many incredible symphony orchestras from Russia, London, and the Netherlands for Free! The Center for the Arts is one of the things that I think people at Mason really take for granted.
8. If there is one thing you would like to add to George Mason University what would it be? Then one thing you think the campus could do without?
I would really like to see more tradition at Mason. I think because we’re a “new” school in comparison to other schools in Virginia, we don’t have any real traditions. That’s just something that’s going to take time.
I don’t really have anything that Mason could do without. I’m really happy here and I don’t have many, if any, complaints at all.
9. What are some the best kept secrets on campus (ie. Free places to print, best teachers, etc. Places/people/things that you think people don’t know about on campus but really should)?
A lot of people don’t know, but you can print up to 15 pages for free at the Office of Diversity Programs and Services (Editor’s Note: YES!)! I also think that people should utilize the free tickets offered at the Center for the Arts. I’m always surprised to find out how many incredible and world-renowned dance companies, theater companies, and symphony orchestras that come to Mason and students can go for FREE! I’d also suggest that students take advantage of all the great student performances on campus through the Theater department, plus going into D.C. where the Smithsonian Museums are free.
10. What would you tell to incoming freshmen about George Mason University to prepare them for the transition from high school senior to college freshman?
Time management. What I’ve seen, specifically as an RA on campus, is that freshmen come to college realizing how much “free time” they have. Freshmen, and upperclassmen too, slack off thinking that they have all this time, but they actually don’t do work and then their grades slip. Managing your time between fun and play is something I really stress to incoming students. Plus, I think people need to make the effort to meet other people and join organizations. College is what you make it and your college can only do so much for you, but if you don’t take advantage of it you’re not getting the full experience that your college has to offer.
Bright Academia George Mason University Student Confessionals
