Prompt: Lessons Learned

It's Tuesday, which means a new blog prompt! I've been getting a few responses here and there, which I thank everyone for but I could definitely use MORE! I am also willing to come film anyone interested in being part of my project. You can either message me on facebook about that or send me an email.

Okay, so as of Sunday we have three weeks left until graduation. As classes wind down and we're all focused on finishing up final projects/papers and studying for tests, it's gotta hit at some point that for some of us this will be the last time we will be completely saturated in a pure learning environment. Although college is about experiences and having fun, it is above all a time for learning. This learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom, and I know that I will be leaving S.U. with many lessons to reflect upon in the years to come. So here's your prompt:

What is one lesson that you learned during your college years that will stick with you? This can be anything from something academic or something you learned from an experience on Marshall Street or Downtown.

I learned last week that for some reason, videos cannot be posted themselves so you have to post just the link instead. If you know how to make it a hyperlink, great, but if not just post the url to your uploaded video (: And of course you can always just email me the video!

Prompt: Commencement Advice

Originally, I was going to post about the whole commencement speaker controversy that has taken over the campus (and especially many members of the senior class) during the past week or so. But after the countless articles, editorials, and rallies I think everything that could be said about why Jamie Dimon is or isn't a bad choice to speak has pretty much been said.

After thinking about my own commencement speaker desires, I got to thinking about what it is I would tell the class of 2010 as we prepare to step out into the "real world". Unlike last week, I'm not going to go into huge detail with this post about my response and will instead share that in a video post later on.

So for now, here's your prompt:

What would you say to your fellow graduates if you were speaking at Commencement?

Again, for your response I just ask that it be recorded in video format. You can either upload the video to youtube/vimeo and post it in a comment to this blog post, or send it to me in email at jocember @ gmail (dot) com. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Prompt: What Comes After

To get this first prompt started, I might as well tell you about myself since you might not know (unless you happen to be one of the many friends I intend to strong-arm into helping me out). My name is Jocelyn. I am 22 years old, a Scorpio, and when I'm old and retired in Florida will probably love long walks on the beach. I am originally from Ohio, but have transplanted myself to New York for college and have no plans to go back. I am an Anthropology and Writing double-major, and possibly the most indecisive student ever when it comes to figuring out what I want to do after I graduate.

Unfortunately for me and my indecision, graduation is rapidly approaching and I still have no solid plans for what comes after. Originally, the plan was grad school but that has been pushed back at least a year. I've already signed an apartment lease in Syracuse, so now I am left with finding a job within the city (which has proven difficult). And through it all, I keep getting the same question posed by relatives, friends, coworkers, and classmates: "What are your plans after graduation?"

It's like the perpetual "How was your break?" conversation that repeats itself for weeks until the next one rolls around. Everyone asks it, because it's the thing to do. Either that, or they are completely incapable of starting a meaningful conversation... anyway, the point is that for seniors, the dreaded question cannot be avoided. It's everywhere you go, prodding and poking at the nightmare that is what comes after graduation.

Maybe it doesn't bother you like it does me. Maybe you're one of those lucky seniors who has a job secured already, or a grad school to attend come Fall 2010. I envy those I meet who have a good answer to respond with, because it certainly must beat the hemming and hawing and on-the-spot fabrication I've become so good at. But I know that there are just as many out there like me, waking up in a cold sweat in utter terror at the nightmare of insecurity and unknown that lurks after May 16.

So, my first prompt asks: what will be happening to you after that Sunday, looming in the not-too-distant future, when we will no longer be undergraduates? Are you scared? Excited? Anxious to get it all over with? Why? Do you have any concrete plans, or are you only shaky in the comfort that you've got a bedroom/basement/closet in your parents' house to hide in?

Record your response, upload it (youtube and vimeo are good), and post as a comment to this entry. **Remember you can also email the video to me at jocember@gmail.com**

What This Project Is

This blog project is, ultimately, something that I am doing to get a grade; it's my final project for WRT 400: Writing With Video. The assignment asks us to produce a project in which text and video interact, essentially to combine writing with video as the course's title suggests. My first idea was to create a website that followed a "choose your own adventure" format with videos embedded as the end result, but after a conversation with a fellow classmate I shifted to the idea of instead doing the website in a question/answer format and asking for video responses rather than textual. After speaking to my professor, I realized that a blog would be the best way to do this in a timely manner so I could have the several weeks' worth of results I need. Rather than trying to tackle some bigger than life topic which would require research and potentially yield boring results, I decided to focus on something that sits at the very center stage of my life right now: graduation.

College is a big deal, and in less than six weeks it's ending for me and many of my friends. This blog is about the final days of being a senior in the class of 2010 at Syracuse University. It is not only to be about my experiences, but about the experiences of anyone who wishes to contribute--so long as they are a 2010 graduate**. I want your opinions, your rants, your fears, your desires... and I want them in video format. If you don't have a webcam or a digital camera that takes video, that's fine. But I know most of you have gotta have some kind of camera access, from cell phone to laptop. It takes just minutes to record a response, and I *know* you've got something to say. So, please, let your voice be heard!

I will be posting a weekly "prompt" blog, roughly every Sunday, from now until May 2. That gives you a whole week to record a response and either post it in a comment to the blog post or email the video to me (jocember @ gmail dot com) if you can't figure the whole uploading thing out (but it's pretty easy, I suggest using youtube or vimeo.com). And don't hesitate to respond to an old prompt if you stumble upon this blog after a week has gone by--I'm collecting them until the very end. There will probably be other posts throughout the week, just to make it more blogly and less class projecty. Feel free to respond to those, too (minus the video).

I will be using the tagging feature to make it easier for you to find the prompt posts, so check the right-hand sidebar for the "prompts" tag if you're getting here late. If you have any questions, please comment with them!


**While I could open this up to include the many graduating seniors I know from colleges across the country, I think it would be best to keep the focus on those of us at SU, to help the blog stay relatable.