MBTI Step 2: A better look

Woot MBTI!  I think we can all agree that this was an exciting week for the peer mentors all thanks to our new MBTI results.

I kind of had an idea of what I was not only from last year but also just because of the review before Debra gave us our results packet.  I was indeed an ESFP, but this step two of the MBTI goes more in depth so now I guess I am a Conceptual, Original, and Planful ESFP.  I have been carefully reviewing my results to help understand how they arrived at this conclusion.  Even now, as I write this post, I keep finding little things in the report that set off little bells in my head and make me go “That is just like me!”

Since I could easily fill a page or two explaining each facet of each letter, I will just go over one or two from each, the things that were out of range for the items, and anything else that sparked my interest.

Extraversion

Extraversion was one of my strongest traits overall.  The thing that interested me the most about it was not what parts were considered in preference for me, but the one thing that was in the middle the gregarious-intimate scale.  I was reading the characteristics that they list for someone who is in the middle and two in particular stood out to me: like large-group activities or one-on-one conversations at different times and appear outgoing at times and reserved at others.  I thought both of these “hit the nail on the head” when it comes to me.  It all depends on my mood for that day.

Sensing

Out of all my results I found sensing to be the most interesting.  Under the sensing trait I had two facets that were considered out of preference: conceptual and original.  While I was reading the details below the thing that kind of shocked me was that it said conceptual people may be more attracted to an academic career rather than being a practitioner.  This is definitely not true for me.   I plan to be a practicing child psychologist and the idea of an academic career sounds terrible in my opinion.  The other thing that was out of preference was being original which again “hit the nail on the head.”

Feeling

The thing that stuck out to me was not an extreme; in fact it was the opposite, in the facet of tough-tender I was exactly in the middle.  The descriptive points that were provided confused me a little at first but the more I keep reading them the more they make sense to me.

             Perceiving

                I was considered out of preference under the planful facet too.  I like to have a plan, but I do not have to follow my plan to a T and that is pretty much what the points were describing. 

               The MBTI is a perfect tool to help you understand yourself on a deeper level.  Not because it is telling you what type of person you are, but that it makes you think/reflect on all of the facets that make up your personality.

Cultural Diversity: A lesson from last Spring

This week our book talked about cultural diversity.  Cultural diversity is something you are taught about in school, but unless you actually have some experience with individuals whose culture differs from your own you never really get a full understanding.  In my home town there was not a lot of cultural diversity of any kind.  So in an essence I was in a bubble.  Coming to ISU gave me so many more opportunities to interact with people whose lives and cultures differ from my own and from the bubble that I grew up in.

Last spring I enrolled in a one credit human sciences course called dialog on diversity.  I’m not going to lie the only reason I enrolled in the course at first was because it fit into my schedule and it meets on of the U.S. diversity requirements you have to have to graduate.  With that said, it is vitally important that I mention that by the end of the class I was so glad I had enrolled and I would now recommend taking the course to anyone.  Especially to students from towns like mine where there was very little diversity.  The course met once a week and each week had a specific topic of diversity that ranged from sexism to sexuality and how we view ourselves.  One topic that we covered in class was also talked about in our chapter this week which was the majority privilege.

The thing that probably resonated with me the most from the dialog on diversity class was the week we talked about sexuality.  The instructor had four volunteers who identified as being heterosexual sit in chairs in the front of the room and face each other.  Then she asked us all to answer some questions including “Why are you heterosexual?” or statements like “I think your sexual preference is wrong.”  The idea behind this is that the questions and statements are ones that many heterosexual people pose to homosexuals.  Not only did this exercise open my eyes to how rude these comments were, but also it made me want to be more aware of how I approach people who are different from me in general.

Coming to Iowa State has definitely changed my view on diversity, but I know that there is still much to learn.  I’m just happy to say that I have been making the right steps to change my thoughts an actions when it comes to being aware of diversity and accepting/embracing it.

Well it's a new year and a new round of blogging for the Hixson Program.  Although blogging is not my favorite thing, to do I do think it is a good chance to get to know each other on a level that you may not be able to reach in person.  The things we write reveal more than you realize so I guess it is a good thing.  I guess I don’t like blogging because I sometimes find it difficult to find the words I want to use.   But that is enough complaining for today.

I’m really excited about being a Hixson peer mentor.  I am so happy that I am getting the opportunity to give back to the Hixson program, and the change to get to know more of the Hixson scholars.  So far our course this spring is going well.   I think it seems like it shall be a fun and insightful semester.  I am a little nervous about the learning sessions, but that is mainly just because I do not know what to expect out of them.  Hopefully those nerves will go away after seeing Easten’s presentation and a few of the other presentations too.  I am kind of looking forward to going to the Iowa State Leadership experience and the Learning Community Mid-year Institute.  There were several sessions that sounded really interesting.  I hope that I will be able to get some useful information from the sessions I have signed up for.

I have started reading the first to chapters in Students Helping Students.  So far I like how it is organized.  The discussion questions keep you engaged and give you something to think about while you are reading.  It is also nice to have a clear definition of the different types of student helpers on university campuses.  Overall from what I have read so far I think this should be a book that will actually be interesting to read rather than just another textbook.

Learning so much in a few short months

          Throughout the last few months of school I have learned so many new things.  Within the first few weeks I realized that I had to completely rethink my learning style and how to manage my time since nobody is here to say what to do and when to do it.  I have learned to step outside of my comfort zone and to try new things, such as applying for leadership positions or to talk to the people across the hall just because they live on your floor.  I have met so many amazing people here at Iowa State and I wouldn't want my freshman year at college to be any other way.
          I have also had the opportunity to learn about myself here.  Our Hixson classes aided in my learning with activities such as the MBTI and the learning styles.  I have learned more about my abilities to be away from my family and I am more confident when I think about doing things my own way in the future.  I have learned how to adjust to living with someone I barely know and becoming pretty good friends with them.
         This doesn't even include the things I have learned in most of my classes, but even without that I know that I have grown so much as a person throughout these last months.  I know for a fact that I am more knowledgeable overall when I compare myself to the person I was on the day of my high school graduation.

What does the hixson award mean to me?

          Going to college has been one of my biggest goals since I was about ten.  I did not know where I wanted to go and what I wanted to was constantly changing, but I knew that someday I would be a college student on my way to my diploma.  Although, some of my family members had gone to college, none have recieved a four year degree or more.  They had all attened community college and I knew I wanted more than that.
          At ten I never thought that my dad would lose his job right as a recession hit or that my mother's alocholism would cause other health issues leading to her being unable to work and struggling to support herself.  But, those events hit home during my high school years.  Entering my senior year I still knew I would go to college, but at that point I realized I would be doing on my own.  That realization struck doubt into my mind.  How could I afford tuition at Iowa State University?  Would I have to settle for community college for two years? 
          So what is the point to the story?  That's simple!  Recieving the hixson award made it more feisable for me to afford college.  It took a large proportion of the stress off of my shoulders.  By being able to make my goal of attending a university come true, the hixson award also is allowing me to show my nine year old brother that he can do what ever he puts his mind to and that there is so much more to life than the life our mother has created for herself.  To me the hixson award means so much more than money for college; it is an opportunity to make my dreams come true and to have a positive impact on the person that means the most to me, my brother.

Social media week

          Social media.  It's something that most of us engage in on a regular basis via Twitter, Facebook, and many other social sites.  Most of the time you do not necessarily think about the future implications of your updates, but in recent years employers of all kinds are turning to social media sites to get a better view of their potential canidate.  Young people need to be informed of the possible negative implications of the information and posts on social media websites.
           What I learned from the social media week is to think before posting on socail media websites.  There are things people should just keep to themselves.  I also learned that social media websites can be a tool to connect you with people who have similar interests or could potentially aid you in the future.  For the socail media week I decided to try Twitter.  I found it less distracting than Facebook and overall more enjoyable. 
          I had never thought about how a social media site could help me reach my goal of becoming a child psychologist, but I now know that by following current child psychologists I can find out what is going on currently in that field.  It could also allow me to connnect with potential employers.
          I was surprised at the variety of ways that people use social media around the world.  Especially about how people in Mexico are using it to inform each other and to keep the people they know safe.  By reading the article I learned that social media networks are not just to connect with "friends" from high school or to share links of funny videos.  Socail media is changing our world at a rapid pace.  Now whether it is for the good or the worse is up to you.

MBTI and ME a ESFP tactile/kinestetic learner

        Over the last couple of weeks we have been discussing our results from the MBTI and different learning styles people have.  In class we did a self assesment of our MBTI type before getting our results and I am pretty proud to say my self assesment was really close to what my actual results said I am.  I predicted I was a ESTP (Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, Perceiving) and my results said that I was a ESFP (F for feeling).  After I read about both types, I agreed more with the actual results.  Some of the things that hit home the most were the fact that I am very energetic and I love to be around people (the extravert in me).  That I am very open and caring.  Most of all that people who are ESFP make the most of the moment.  I believe that you have to make the best of every situation you are put into. 
       By taking this MBTI I have learned that I work well with people and am able to connect with what they are feeling more than others.  I also learned that people who are very extraverted, like me, can overwhelm intraverts, because we can be loud and rarely think things through before we act.  This also reaffirmed my opinion on how I learn best.  People who are ESFP learn best by doing hands on activities.  I have know for a long time that I understand things better if I can do things myself rather than to have someone just show it to me.
       How can all of this relate to my future goals?  By knowing what my personality type is and the strenghts of that type I can put those to good use when I meet new people.  Knowing the learning style that works best for me can ensure that I make the best of my education which will ultimately lead to better career opertunities.