After reading the plagiarism articles, I learned a lot and several things were both interesting and surprising to me. One thing that surprised me is how easy it is to unintentionally commit plagiarism. It would be very easy to unconsciously include key phrases from another work within your essay without properly citing them. So, I realized that it is important to always pay attention to what you are actually writing, and double check to make sure that you give the original author proper recognition. I also realized that it is essential to cite your source even if you are using your own words to paraphrase an idea. That idea, despite the fact that you reworded it in an original way, is still not your own. So, it must be cited and attributed to the author of the idea. Another thing that I did not really think about or realize before reading the articles is that you must acknowledge a person who gives you help with writing the paper. Had this not been pointed out, I never would have thought to include such a citation. Also, I learned the names and specific types of plagiarism: direct plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, paraphrase plagiarism, and insufficient acknowledgement. Before the articles, I had no idea that there were specific types of plagiarism. But now, I feel confident that I understand each type, and am educated on how to avoid plagiarism on the whole. I feel that as long as I stay attentive and remember the information in the articles, I will be able to create my own original work, giving credit to others where necessary.

I thought the librarian’s lecture last week was very interesting. I was surprised by the breadth of her job description, and how different her job is compared to that of a librarian not employed at a university. I was also glad to learn about the many resources available to me both at and through the library. I feel that these will be indispensable as I make my way through college. She also mentioned the library renovations that are currently underway, and I am sure that the new building will be a great place to study. The Career Counseling visit was also very helpful for me. I was not aware that so many resources were available through Career Counseling. I will surely use the resume review service offered there at some point in my college career. Additionally, I plan to take advantage of the graduate school information which is located there if I do in fact decide to pursue further education. Yet another resource that I discovered and am planning to use is the interview preparation service. This seems extremely useful and such a service would make me much more comfortable in an actual interview, in turn making me more likely to get the position which I am interviewing for. We were also informed that GauchoLink is an online database that contains internships, part-time and full-time jobs, and a resume builder. This is an extremely convenient way to search for work as well as internships, and I am sure that I will be using it soon.

There was a lot to see at the major / minor fair, as well as at the SRB. Several things which stood out to me at the Student Resources Building were the computer lab, the places to study, the many resource centers, as well as the CLAS classrooms. It seems like all of these would be extremely useful and an essential part of being resourceful and using all of the materials available to me to the fullest extent. I think that other things that I need to take advantage of to be resourceful are the library, study groups, online resources, as well as office hours. The major / minor fair was also interesting and I was surprised by how many different fields of studies there actually are here at UCSB. I was excited to see that if I do decide to switch majors there are lots of different opportunities, which I feel I would greatly enjoy and would offer excellent careers following graduation. I talked to the people at the biochemistry table, the engineering table, and the EAP table and gained a good deal of knowledge about each. One thing I did learn was that in several cases, it would be fairly easy to obtain a minor because some required major and minor courses overlap. In regards to meeting people in college I feel that there are many viable ways. For instance: joining a club, joining a sports team, participating in study groups, going to lecture, going to parties, and talking to people at the dining commons are all effective ways to meet new people and form new friendships.

My name is Garrett Short and I am from Placerville, California, which is located in the foothills  between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. I graduated from El Dorado High School, a public high school in my hometown with around 1500 students total. I am currently a Mechanical Engineering major, however I am also interested in other subjects and fields of study. I enjoy playing soccer and have played on both club and high school teams. I also plan to play on an intramural soccer team at UC Santa Barbara. Since I lived only about 30 minutes away from Tahoe, I also spent a lot of my time skiing and sledding with my friends. Additionally, I really like music and have been playing bass guitar for 6 years now. I also like going to concerts as well as listening to and discovering new music. As a student, I most enjoy the subjects of history, math, and science. Obviously, I hope to learn the information which will allow me to get a job, and perform it well; yet, I also desire to learn other information and skills not necessarily within my field of study. I believe that in the long run this will make me a more well-rounded and knowledgeable person. Also, I am excited at the possibility of gaining hands-on knowledge, in addition to just theory. During my time in college, I also desire to learn about the different job opportunities and job descriptions which I may have the opportunity to fulfill once I graduate.