A4: My Personal Ethos

Anna MirabellaApril 29, 2015

51-396

The Different Roles I Fill

Mattering Map

Focus: Activities vs. Academics

I’ve always thought of myself as a very analytical and academically focused person – “School always comes first”

Went from minimally involved in activities, to greatly involved. This has become an area of transition for me in the last 6 months

Tension: activities vs. my academics

My Past – Before Middle School

Started Middle School

Quit Flute

Quit Horseback Riding

Flute2 teachers in 2 years

Horseback Riding2 barns in 5 yearsDidn’t own my own horse

No strong ties to either activity

SchoolMy family strongly valued academicsIt came easily to me

Wanted to “focus on my academics”

My Past – High School

Volleyball

Student Government

Joined Robotics Team

Quit Volleyball

Robotics Team Captain

High School Student Government

Reelected Robotics Team Captain

VolleyballFew connections with coaches or

team

Student GovernmentLiked working with peers and

facultyPositive, supportive environment

RoboticsStrong sense of community, 3+

hours a dayPassion for engineering and

problem solving

Still always put academics first

My Past – Freshman YearFirst-Year Advisory

Board (FAB)

Attended 2 Robotics Club Meetings

Started Research

Quit Research

FAB Ended

First-Year Advisory Board – Summer 2012No connections or sense of

accomplishment

Robotics ClubNot a supportive environment

ResearchDidn’t feel like I was contributing

(no meaningful tasks or deadlines)

My Freshman Experience13 MechE’s so lots of academic

supportExtremely close with my floor,

spent all my time there

Still always put academics first

* Left the year with no extracurriculars

My Past – Sophomore Year

MechE SAC

Joined Sorority

Scholarship Committee (Theta)

Recruitment Party Chair (Theta)

Added a few extracurricular commitmentsLived off campus so I still felt very disconnected from everything

Joined my sorority

Still always put academics first

My Past & Present – Junior Year

Reelected to MechE SAC

Scholarship Committee Again

Greek Peer Mentor

Operations Chair for Philanthropy Event

Chief Financial Officer (Replacement for Fall 2014)

Pi Tau Sigma Vice President

Membership Development Committee

Chief Recruitment Officer

Booth Room Chair

Became connected with my sororityMoved into the houseTook on many more positions (as I

got more out of it I wanted to keep doing more)

Pi Tau Sigma & MechE SACBecame much more connected to

my department (peers, faculty and

staff)

Are academics still always first?Real vs. IdealConnections with People

My Current ScheduleDo academics still come first?

Homework DueLab Report Due

Exam

New Conflicts

Time-managementToo little time, awkward lengths of free timeSacrificing sleep to get everything doneOverlapping deadlines, Ex. Booth

Group vs. Extracurricular MeetingsScheduling conflicts, overlapping deadlinesWhich one comes first? Who do I let down?Ex. Theta national representative visit vs. Design 1 project

In a Position to be a Role ModelWith more commitments, more eyes on me doing well in school

Questioning Akrasia

Do academics still come first?

True

I highly value my academics

I commit to activities because of the people rather than how much they relate to my academic or career goals

My extracurriculars have begun to detract from my academic performance and the time I have to take care of myself

I don’t have any hobbies related to my academic interests

Ideal

Fulfilling my academic and extracurricular commitments at the level I want

Saying no to new opportunities when needed

Getting involved in activities directly related to my academic (and career) interests*

*This would still be putting more on my plate

Real

Academics don’t have to be the #1 priority all of the time

Short Term:Question my decisions. Why should I take on this position? How will it benefit me? How will it detract?

Long Term: What option will get me to my current end goal? What are the applications of my school work?

Where do I go from here?

Reevaluating my commitments and how I spent my timeAre academics the most important?What am I putting energy into, but not getting much

back from?Focus my energy on the things that are more

important school isn’t always the most important thing

After College Another TransitionIdentifying the skills and organizations important to

meStart evaluating these commitments during my

summer internship

Solution for Senior Year

Academics & Career• I will be finishing my

undergraduate degree next semester

• Cutting back on my activities will allow me to make more time

• Career Search I can focus on the classes that are relevant to what I will be doing after graduation– When my classes are directly

relevant to a job it will be easier to feel accountable for them

Activities• Keep the activities I am

already committed to for the fall (CRO, VP of Pi Tau Sigma, MechE SAC)

• Support the communities that I am currently a part of– Don’t sign up for leadership

positions in my sorority– Support the new leaders by

fulfilling my required roles on committees• Also helps to support younger sisters grow

and helps the organization long term

QUESTIONS?