Blog #14

I listened and read the audio and transcripts for the articles "Clinton Reveals Blueprint For An 'AIDS-Free Generation'" and "College Football: Pro and Con(servative) Views" on NPR radio. One story was more in the news and politics genre, while the other was in sports. since these are two very different topics, I examined the transcripts and how each one flowed.

In the politics genre, the transcript about Hillary Clinton explained Clinton's plan to wipe out AIDS in today's generation. The entire transcript was developed with interviews and comments from the hosts, byline, and Mrs.Clinton herself. This is completely different to how my own transcript is written. My interviews are not continuous, and each interviewee not only answered once, but they all gave input to a different question. I also noticed that compared to this essay transcript, mine went on and on in the introduction and between interviews. 

"Last year, 1.7 million people around the world died of AIDS. The U.S. government wants to make that number zero. Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled what she calls a blueprint for achieving a generation free of AIDS. But as NPR's Richard Knox reports, the plan leaves a lot of big questions unanswered." (Introduction to Clinton Reveals Blueprint For An 'AIDS-Free Generation') The content was different overall in regards to information and written style.

NPR radio's "College Football: Pro and Con(servative) Views" transcript was much more similar to my own than the last. The major similarity is the way it was written, not a lot of interview mentions, unlike the transcript for Hillary Clinton's that was almost entirely dialogue. 
There are some minor differences, but are acceptable. Our topics are distinct and the perspective is more of a first-person kind in their transcript, like an editorial. For example this line:

"Yes, yes - I know college games can be entertaining, and there's loyalty and tailgating, but wherever fans are, give them a choice, they'll gravitate toward the best."(College Football: Pro and Con(servatove) Views, stanza 9)

After comparing my draft to the published NPR radio articles, I understand how transcripts can vary from genre to genre depending on how important opinions and what the discussion is focused on. When it comes to public figures like Hillary Clinton, interviewing them is a huge plus, and therefore, more dialogue. In terms of sports, adding public input is more of a choice, even though it adds credibility to your issue. Engaging with people holds onto the interest of the audience in both transcripts. I want to ask my interviewees more about their opinions and experiences, fix unnecessarily long paragraphs and rewrite my introduction to hook the audience a bit more.

WP#3: Transcript Draft

The Freshman Year Experience, living on campus or living at home?

*School bell ringing*

College is the stepping stone from High School to the real world. College is intended not only to teach us knowledge, but also to prepare us for the next part of life. That being said, incoming freshmen always have to make the decision of moving out on campus or living off campus when attending ASU. Everyone has their own opinion about this controversy, whether it is influenced by experience or not. There are several pros and cons to living in the school dorms, and one of the most popular intrigues is the independence.

M.B: "It's no secret that what us kids fresh out of high school want is independence. I know that's the first thing I thought about once I graduated."

Students who evidently do end up living on campus argue that those who do not are not being fully prepared for the real world that awaits post college graduation at Arizona State.

V.W: "I feel like the kids that live at home and commute to school every day are the same students that miss out on the entire college culture. Living on campus your first year, at the least, is the whole purpose of the 'the freshman year experience'."

The freshman experience is traditionally described as living on campus and getting used to new customs from eating to socializing. The social scene seems to be influenced a lot by living in the residence halls and getting to know your roommate, suite-mates  floor mates, etc. Attending school events such as the ones during homecoming, sporting events and other activities are also seen as more convenient when living nearby.

Of course, the factor of financial status can be a disadvantage to some pupils. Not everyone can afford the room and board expenses and come up short in scholarships and coverage. The cost of living on campus can be up to thirty-five percent more than living off campus. Living on campus is one set price per semester. The cost of living on campus is added to the already expensive tuition. This can be a road block to many incoming students. Some kids will even find it easier to invest in a car to get to class every day rather than pay to live in the dorms. Other students find the difference in the costs of residential halls and simply renting an apartment close to campus.

J.A: “Me, I rent an apartment really close to campus and split the bills with my roommate. It's almost like living on campus because I’m close to my classes, but not really. I have to buy my own food, there’s no pre-paid meal plan or anything. I have to pay the monthly rent so I work part time because my scholarships aren’t going to cover off campus living, right? It’s a lot different. Some kids think it’s just cheaper than living in the dorms but there’s more to it. Living on campus might be a little more expensive but I realized in the long run, paying everything up front would’ve been easier.”

Living in the residential halls seems to be supported, but there are cons that some students bring forth after some personal experience.

M.B: “A few downsides to living in the dorms exist actually. There are regulations to follow, like in any building at ASU. Quiet hours, rules regarding safety and courtesy. I understand all that I just don’t get why I can’t toss a sponge ball down the hall sometimes without getting yelled at. That’s annoying.”
V.W: "Independence can definitely become your worst enemy, if you abuse it. If you're too busy socializing and going out with your new friends you'll start to slack academically and no one will be there to tell you to do your homework and go to bed. Trust me."

*Transition sound for conclusion*

As you can see, there are many aspects to making the final decision. Students should make the decision based on what is best for them without being too influenced by the preferences of their peers. However, if the expenses can be covered, why not see what the first year experience is all about?

Blog #11: WP2 Reflection

Writing Project #2 was easier to complete than the first project, although it required more special circumstances such as creating links within links in order to blog it. We had the opportunity in Writing Project #2 to select the locations we would evaluate for the overall project. I feel like giving the students a bit of freedom in choosing their topics motivates them and allows them to sit down and make an effort in writing a paper about it. In Writing Project #2 in specific, we were able to select four locations on campus that provided goods or services, useful or not. I then had to explain in what ways these locations were good or in what ways they are terrible. The evaluations for each location became an annotation, of which we end up having four in our paper.

My four pin pointed places were four of the school's book stores and shops, convenient for ASU affiliated merchandise. The Sun Devil Campus Bookstore, the College Store, Campus Corner and the Student Book Center. These are the best locations to purchase ASU apparel for game day, or just to stock up and stay spirited. The key to choosing the best overall shop is to evaluate each store's quality of product, variety, and affordability. These were essential to my evaluations since I was supposed to present the reader with the best four locations regarding my topic.

Although Writing Project #2 seemed to be an easy break from essays such as our first project in class, it proved to be otherwise as the deadline was approached.  I felt as if I spent more time than necessary trying to figure out the tactics of blogging my essay correctly and making sure I had everything from the Google map to the hyperlinks in place. Perhaps the thing I had the most trouble with was reaching 100-800 words in just an introduction without repeating myself. This is definitely not your typical hand-in-your-printed-essay English class, but projects like these challenge me to think outside the standard college essay.