A Reflection on Social Media

Isn’t it interesting how quickly a semester can go by? I feel like just yesterday I sat down in my Social Media class on the first day and listened to the professor explain our “Blog Project” that would last the entire semester. At the time, it felt like the project would last forever, with infinite blog topics to write about (in a good way, I was THRILLED to have consistent inspiration to blog about). But here we are, the last blog for class already.

Some of my friends thought a social media class seemed silly. I mean we are the generation that is growing up with social media, so many just assume we are the experts. But the average person has no idea how to read metrics or create a social media plan. Many don’t strategize their posts either and have no idea what the difference is between life-casting and mind-casting. Taking a social media class has helped give me an edge over many classmates of mine who do not have formal training in social media. Just like anything else, even if it comes naturally to you, you need to take the time to truly understand and master it.

The best part of taking a social media class, however, was the routine it established for me. Lately my blogs have been a little off (sorry guys, the end of the year gets a little hectic) but the habit of posting weekly is instilled in me now. I am much more conscious of how often I post on Twitter and am more likely to spread Tweets out, instead of retweeting 18 things at once.

If you asked me if I would recommend a social media class to someone, I absolutely would.  This class was one of the most practical classes I’ve taken, and it’s nice because I can utilize these skills right now with my own personal social media. So if you have the opportunity, take a social media class. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Why Grades Mean Nothing to Me

Today marks the end of my week-long, relaxing Spring Break, and being back at school made me realize something: I have yet to check my midterm grades.

I have no excuse for this either; it is not like I had some incredible, life-altering Spring Break that kept me so busy and devoted to forget about school. In fact, over break I already planned out my classes for next year (yes, I’m THAT girl).

The truth is, I just don’t really care about what letter my work has been given this far. And not because I don’t care about school, because I can guarantee my grades are sunny with a chance of mostly A’s, maybe some B’s. But what does a letter grade really tell you? Nothing.

I’m very fortunate that I seem to be in a department where professors seem to have the same mindset, because two of them had one-on-one meetings with students before break and the others leave comments on everything we turn in.

Conversations or comments are the only real form of evaluation I care about. What did you like? What didn’t you like? How can I better myself to excel at this course? That’s the information I like to know, and that is what I care about.

Unfortunately, not all departments are like that. I watch the Pre-Med, Nursing and really all science students stress out because “THEY NEED AN A,” (yes, in all caps). They’re so focused on a triangular letter that I fear they don’t actually care about the learning or the journey that will actually get them accepted into their school of choice after undergrad.

Perhaps this is just more proof that I’m in the field I belong in, but I would much rather listen to a critique of my work than be blindly awarded a grade any day.