>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea: We're going to jump right
into our new show with information on being successful
at Montgomery College.
Our topic today is "Workin' the Plan."
We're going to speak to faculty, students,
alumni about the best way to plan for your college success,
learn tips on how to lessen your stress, and a lot more coming
up on the very first edition of "MC 101 - On the Real".
[ Music ]
Hi. Welcome to "MC 101 - On the Real".
I'm Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, Senior Vice President
for Student Services at MC, and I'm here with some
of the students from the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus,
and we're going to be talking today about steps they're taking
to be successful at MC while they are working their plan.
I'd like to start first with Antoine,
and ask him what does he hope to get out of MC.
>> Antoine Battle: What I hope to get
out of MC is the opportunity to leave an impact
on other students, and since this is my last semester,
I've already accomplished certain goals.
I hope to help out first-year students
as a First-Year Experience Student Ambassador.
>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea: Nathalie, why don't you tell us
about how you are working your plan?
>> Nathalie Hernandez-Urrutia: Well, academically,
I'm trying to complete my degree here at Montgomery College
and then transfer to a four-year university and also I want
to take the opportunity that Montgomery College gives me
to get involved in some of the activities
and to develop my skills at the highest level.
>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea: And, Ralph,
why don't you tell our viewers what you're doing
to work your plan?
>> Ralph Stoddard: I've been working on my skills
as a student so that I have the confidence to go on and transfer
to a four-year school, and this has been the perfect place
for me to do that while having a real life.
>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea: One thing I'm hoping for is
that everybody knows how to develop a plan
for college success and then work the plan
that they have designed.
For those who don't know what's available at MC
to help them plan, here's the 411.
>> Katie Mount: The MAP stands
for the Montgomery Advising Program.
It's for all brand-new students at Montgomery College as part
of our first-year experience program.
There's three different kinds of MAPs that we have.
We've got the regular MAP, we have the IMAP
for international students and students
who are non-native speakers of English,
and then we have the eMAP,
which is the electronic version of the MAP.
>> Goodness Ncanana: The MAP that I was assigned to attain,
it was an IMAP, which is the, for international students.
I was hesitating to go, but my sponsor forced me to come
to school because I was scared and ashamed
that my English is not well.
>> Katie Mount: As a new student to Montgomery College,
it's a whole, a brand-new world for you,
and you don't know exactly where you need to go
or what you need to do.
So by attending a MAP session, you're going
to be guided down the right path -
>> Goodness Ncanana: When I went to the MAP, I was so blown away
about the experience that I've had with the counselor,
and they helped me to be so comfortable that, OK,
I'm ready to start school -
>> Katie Mount: When you attend a MAP session, you're going
to learn about things like what counseling and advising is here
for and the services that they can provide for you,
how to register for your classes, and the courses
that you have placed into -
>> Goodness Ncanana: Before class, I already knew
which classes I need to register for, and the counselor worked
with me one on one to register for my classes,
and it was really a good experience,
and it really helped me to go to the IMAP -
>> Katie Mount: What is the college catalog?
How should you use it?
Why it's important?
All the different programs that we have here
at Montgomery College, how to manage your time and plan
for attending classes and the work schedule that you may have,
how to create a schedule and the study skills that you need
to be a successful student.
>> Goodness Ncanana: If I had not have went to IMAP session,
I don't think I would have continued with school
because without going to the IMAP, I wasn't going to know
which classes to take, which counselor to work with,
and how much my classes are going to cost, and what kind
of GPA I have to keep in order for me to be
in a good standard with my education.
>> Katie Mount: Whatever campus you attend, you will meet
with a counselor as a new student,
and we look really forward to working with you and can't wait
for you to start your journey here at Montgomery College.
[ Music ]
>> Daniel Garcia: My name is Daniel Garcia, and I graduated
from Montgomery College in 1997.
I'm originally from Honduras.
I came to this country when I was 12 years old.
Certainly, I built the skills that were necessary
to successfully complete college,
but also it opened my eyes to the world diversity--
the different ways of looking at the world
and where I belong in that world.
It really clarified to me what my purpose was.
Remember that smart is not something you are.
It is something that you become.
That you become smart by working hard.
So keep at it.
[ Music ]
>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea:
Did you know Montgomery College has the largest student body
in Maryland representing more than 160 countries?
To help students navigate MC and college life,
we have designed special classes that have a DS designation
in our catalog to prepare our new students for success.
>> Dana Baker: The First Year Seminar is part of a series
of programs and services of the first year experience.
>> Dr. Jay Marciano: The purpose of the First Year Seminar,
study habit development, helping students
with the transition to college.
>> Dana Baker: In the First Year Seminars,
we strive to give our students an opportunity to learn
about college resources, about getting involved
and staying connected with the institution,
how to become a better student from high school
and the differences from high school to college-
>> Dr. Jay Marciano: All the DS courses, the 104,
which is a seminar for international students,
and the 107 for national students are really to give
that student an initial connection.
>> Dana Baker: For many of our students,
this is the first time they've been in the United States.
So DS104 spends time helping them to learn how the system
of education in the United States works,
how to make friends in the U.S., how differences
in all different types of aspects of being a part
of the United States work.
>> Yelena Simeon: The DS104 class was really interesting.
They gave us a way to relieve that stress that everyone has
because you're new, you don't know people.
You have a new experience, new country,
new language, for a lot of us.
>> David Junior Roche: The DS104 class focus
on international students.
Give them the guidance.
What they can do in order to be a successful student.
>> Yelena Simeon: It was amazing to have that experience
and to get through that part
that you don't feel an alien anymore.
>> Dr. Jay Marciano: The DS107 class gives students, really,
kind of a big picture of the services we offer here.
>> Antoine Battle: The student development courses,
such as DS107, are stepping stones toward student success.
>> Karina Velasco: In DS107, I learned, like, different things
that help me throughout my college life.
It was a very rewarding experience.
>> Hawaney Djaleta: I took it,
and it was an experience that was needed.
It taught me so many things
about what I should do in the college.
>> Antoine Battle: Career exploration, career planning.
>> Hawaney Djaleta: How I should transfer.
>> Antoine Battle: Educational planning.
>> Hawaney Djaleta: How I could do a payment plan.
>> Antoine Battle: Time management, organization.
>> Hawaney Djaleta: How I just needed to be successful not only
at Montgomery College but in my future.
>> Karina Velasco: I learned more than just planning
for my college career, but also all the things regarding life
and my environment.
[ Music ]
>> You have to find common interests.
Maybe you can find friends from your classroom or lunchroom
or mutual friends from somebody else -
>> There are a lot of clubs you can join.
I mean, there's the cafeteria.
Lots of people just go sit down, chat to people.
It's good.
>> Talking to people in my classes.
Just seeing who's really outgoing.
I try to talk to the shy people, too -
>> Just break the ice with people.
Do good conversations and have fun.
That's the important thing.
>> Right now, I'm part of the Macklin Business Institute.
I joined other clubs, and, you know, like, get to know people.
Like don't just come to class and leave.
Meet new people, basically.
[ Music ]
>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea: So you're a college student now.
You go to all of your classes, study,
and complete your homework assignments,
but you also have other responsibilities.
You have a job.
You have a partner.
You're on an athletic team.
You're involved in campus activities.
You have kids.
Maybe all of the above.
Here are some tips on how you can manage your stress while
giving your best.
>> Brenda Salas: Ahh!
Do you recognize that feeling?
That feeling of being overwhelmed
and being over stressed.
As a Montgomery College student, I bet you do.
You're so busy keeping up with your classes,
doing your studying, going to the library,
and preparing for exams.
There's no time left to de-stress!
Well, I'm going to give you some tips on how to de-stress today.
First of all, starting with how we respond to those "Ahh!"
moments. What you can do in the moment is stop
and examine your response.
Is your response appropriate?
Is it realistic?
Is it accurate?
For instance, have you ever been to the grocery store,
and you're in the 12 item or less line, and the person
in front of you clearly has 20 items.
What do you think to yourself?
Well, look at that person.
Or do you think to yourself, poor thing,
he doesn't know how to count.
Just by reframing the situation you can put some humor in there
and really defuse your own physical
and psychological response to that.
There's some other things you can do.
You can think about rather than what's going wrong in your day,
what went right today?
Keep a gratitude journal, two or three things a day
that really delighted you
or made you feel good and reflect on those.
That can change how you view your day as well,
and make the bigger things look not so big
because in reality they're not.
And here's a technique you can do with your body.
It's called contraction and relaxation,
and by contracting the major muscles in your body,
you're going to invoke the relaxation response.
It sends messages to your brain to relax, to recover,
to be calm, and you get a little burst of endorphins
at the same time, which makes you feel good.
So let me show you how to do it.
And hopefully you'll do it with me.
What we're going to do is take those feet and pull them up,
and really tighten your toes and then relax.
Take your calves, squeeze them,
back of the lower leg, and relax.
Take your quadriceps, the thigh muscle,
and contract it really, really, really hard.
Let it go.
Take your glutes, squeeze them together, and relax.
Take your belly, pull it in, squeeze it.
Relax. Let it go.
Take your triceps, extend the arms, push,
push, push, and release.
Take your biceps.
Curl it in, squeeze those fists, let it go.
Take your back, round it, and push.
Let it go.
Open up the chest, hands behind you,
squeeze those shoulders together.
Let it go.
Close your mouth, squeeze your eyes,
squinch your face up, and let it go.
There. Do you feel it?
That's the relaxation response.
This is something you can really do anywhere,
and it immediately causes the body to relax and recover.
I hope these tips are helpful for you.
[ Music ]
>> Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea: Well,
I'd like to thank my friends today who gave some great tips
and some excellent advice to really help us to learn
about what it takes to be successful here at MC.
And I'd like to thank you for watching our first episode
of "MC 101 - On the Real", but before we go, we'll leave you
with some science fiction illustrations on display
in the Arts Institute Gallery
on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.
See you next time.