JRSCC essay

I think it is worth saying that my time at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College has been very uncertain. It is my first year and I'm still thrown off by the schedule, but the teachers are very nice and classes aren't impossibly hard but still feel like a nice challenge. I really like it here but I'm not sure if it's perfect, but since I haven't even finished a semester one could say I have no ability let alone right to judge this school as a whole. Thankfully I'm not going to do that, just talk about my experience so far.

College is a curious new time and place for me and I'm still not completely sure if I'm big enough to try swimming in the deep end of the pool. I knew from the start that the work would be a lot more challenging, or the workload would be more than I'm used to, but I still underestimated how much so. I'm actually not sure whether the work is too hard or that there is too much; I'm starting to think that it's that I'm having trouble doing it all on my own. I always had a personal aide to take notes and help me manage a lot throughout my school life so this is the first year I'm all by myself, and although we went I went out of my way to learn independent and I am doing fine in classes, I'm still not as organized as I should be. I am not in any way saying that Reynolds is being unkind to me. I find everything very neat, and I have asked for help when I truly need it and the teachers are very understanding of my accommodations. The teachers are very qualified and they come off as both strict and fair, which is very difficult but very admirable.

Another personal appeal is that the Parham Road Campus is very convenient for me because I live in Cloverlea Ct. and since I'm new at driving I'm much more comfortable with this distance. In fact, the school is right along the way to the church that my family has been going to all my life. I also don't mind the food in the Parham Rd. building area; it isn't the best but I've certainly seen worse and it is quite cheap. On top of everything, I recently attended a movie being shown by the Anime Club called Steamboy, and I was very impressed; it had an intriguing concept, a very retro setting, explored certine moral questions about "how far is too far" when it comes to science that is all too true, and very stunning animation. So, it's everything I like. I'm a pretty big lover of animation of all different kinds, so I know for a fact I would fit right in with this club and can meet lots of people that share similar interests as me. The problem is that so far the club meetings have been roughly around the same time as my classes, which has made it impossible to really participate actively.

In all fairness, it's not that the school isn't working out, but that I'm just feeling out of my element and the uncertainty of this new phase in my life is somewhat affecting me. This of course an irrational fear that I know shall pass as I adapt to the new setting and exercise the proper study habits. I know for a fact I will enjoy it here at Reynolds and I know the benefits to community college; it is not only cheaper but it means I can transfer to the college of my choice, and put my feet in the water so I know what it feels like to be a college level student. I would most definitely recommend JSRCC to anyone else in my position.

JSRCC by Christian Schmude (draft)

I think it is worth saying that my time at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College has been very uncertain. It is my first year and I'm still thrown off by the schedule, but the teachers are very nice and classes aren't impossibly hard but still feel like a nice challenge. I really like it here but I'm not sure if it's perfect, but since I haven't even finished a semester one could say I have no ability let alone right to judge this school as a whole. Thankfully I'm not going to do that, just talk about my experience so far.

College is a curious new time and place for me and I'm still not completely sure if I'm big enough to try swimming in the deep end of the pool. I knew from the start that the work would be a lot more challenging, or the workload would be more than I'm used to, but I still underestimated how much so. I'm actually not sure whether the work is too hard or that there is too much; I'm starting to think that it's that I'm having trouble doing it all on my own. I always had a personal aide to take notes and help me manage a lot throughout my school life so this is the first year I'm all by myself, and although we went I went out of my way to learn independent and I am doing fine in classes, I'm still not as organized as I should be. I am not in any way saying that Reynolds is being unkind to me. I find everything very neat, and I have asked for help when I truly need it and the teachers are very understanding of my accommodations. The teachers are very qualified and they come off as both strict and fair, which is very difficult but very admirable.

Another personal appeal is that the Parham Road Campus is very convenient for me because I live in Cloverlea Ct. and since I'm new at driving I'm much more comfortable with this distance. In fact, the school is right along the way to the church that my family has been going to all my life. I also don't mind the food in the Parham Rd. building area; it isn't the best but I've certainly seen worse and it is quite cheap. On top of everything, I recently attended a movie being shown by the Anime Club, and I was very impressed. I'm a pretty big lover of animation of all different kinds, so I know for a fact I would fit right in with this club and can meet lots of people that share similar interests as me. The problem is that so far the club meetings have been roughly around the same time as my classes, which has made it impossible to really participate actively.

In all fairness, it's not that the school isn't working out, but that I'm just feeling out of my element and the uncertainty of this new phase in my life is somewhat affecting me. This of course an irrational fear that I know shall pass as I adapt to the new setting and exercise the proper study habits. I know for a fact I will enjoy it here at Reynolds and I know the benefits to community college; it is not only cheaper but it means I can transfer to the college of my choice, and put my feet in the water so I know what it feels like to be a college level student. I would most definitely recommend JSRCC to anyone else in my position.

Final draft

The religions of Hebrew and Hinduism are two of the world’s oldest faiths, having been around since the ancient Egyptian society was at its peak. To this day they are among the most researched by historians; they continue to be taught today and will still be here for generations to come. It is not difficult to see both the similarities and differences in the religions, obvious and not so obvious.

Hinduism was very different from most world religions because it was so internationally diverse; it actually wasn't even a single faith, but actually a collection of religions that changed and developed with time. It had no real founders, nor did it have any real "breakthrough" idea to unite its people, that pretty much contrast most religions in general, but especially the Hebrews. They were descendants of Abraham and believed in the Lord God. First Abraham had his son Isaac, whose son Jacob had 12 sons, each being the direct decedents of the 12 tribes of Israel. However, God's struggle with Lucifer for mankind is somewhat parallel to the Indian mythology, which has gods, called Devas, who are in constant battle with Asuras, which means demons in English. They both also took great value in there own religious customs like the animal sacrifice.

One basic principle of the early Hebrews is the belief that God constantly watches us, and good actions will have its rewards; this is practically identical to karma. One's karma is always a matter of cause and effect. Your actions will add either good or bad karma and will ultimately affect where you are in your next life. Hebrews never believed in reincarnation, but it’s worth mentioning that in their early history the covenant stressed fulfillment in this world, not the next (summarized from Hebrew Society, History, Religion and Text. See bibliography.).  Never the less it is still an uncanny similarity, and they certainly believed in some kind of afterlife. However, it should be necessary to elaborate on the Hindu side because it's a little more complex than the Hebrews. Indian society was in the form of a caste system, or varna, and they valued it so greatly they connected it to their religious beliefs. They believed that when one was born in a caste, it would increase your good karma to live in that caste obediently and in your next life you will reincarnate into a higher caste. However, to do otherwise would obviously have the opposite effect, and will be demoted into a lower caste in the next life. The universe was seen as a system of complete justice, in fact karma means “as you sow, so shall you reap,” so everyone in the end would get exactly what they deserved (summarized pg. 93).
 

Another major characteristic of the ancient peoples were how much religion influenced the government. Genesis tells that God created the universe in six days and then rested on the seventh day, blessing it as a holy day when mankind does not work but prays and be thankful. To the Hebrews, religion was history and society was directly based off religious laws. The Ten Commandants, brought by Moses, and the Covenant, which had been around for as long as the Hebrews themselves. Now one of the creation stories of ancient India was called the Rig Veda and it tells of a being named Purusha, who the gods sacrificed his body to create the universe. "His mouth became the brahman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shudra was born (Kevin Reilly, pg. 92)." This quote alone demonstrates the people’s belief that the varnas were critical to their way of life, because the gods actually created it by from the body of Purusha. You could also see the significance in the choices made in the sacrifice: his mouth became the brahman, the priesthood and the highest in the caste system, signifying their duty in withholding the laws of the gods. Now the obvious difference between the two creation stories is that Hebrews are monotheistic and Hindus are polytheistic, but let’s not take for granted the interesting parallel between this Purusha and the Lord God as both being the source of all creation. Another difference between the two stories, outside the obvious, is that creation in Genesis took place in the course of seven days, while the Rig Veda gave no indication of time, which to me suggests the sacrifice and creation happened all at once, or at least during the period of a day. Another interesting point to recall is that at some point, the Hindus develop the idea that there is a single transcendent god and the other gods are essentially incarnations and avatars of that god; the one they felt was most likely the supreme god was Vishnu.

As the facts have shown, the Hebrew faith and Hinduism are just as much alike as they are different, and historians have made the study of both to answer the mysteries of mankind and how we have arrived at this modern age. It is interesting to consider that different peoples' perspective on how mankind should live has evolved with time. Polytheism was the norm in ancient societies, yet today the Hebrew belief in one god has replaced that in our present day for most religions. Yet it was once considered radical and dangerous. As we continue to live there will always be different values between people of faith, but that devotion to those values remains the same, so we are not so different.

Essay Cont.

The religions of Hebrew and Hinduism are two of the world’s oldest faiths, having been around since the ancient Egyptian society was at its peak. To this day they are among the most researched by historians; they continue to be taught today and will still be here for generations to come. It is not difficult to see both the similarities and differences in the religions, obvious and not so obvious.

Hinduism was very different from most world religions because it was so internationally diverse; it actually wasn't even a single faith, but actually a collection of religions that changed and developed with time. It had no real founders, nor did it have any real "breakthrough" idea to unite its people, that pretty much contrast most religions in general, but especially the Hebrews. They were descendants of Abraham and believed in the Lord God. First Abraham had his son Isaac, whose son Jacob had 12 sons, each being the direct decedents of the 12 tribes of Israel. However, God's struggle with Lucifer for mankind is somewhat parallel to the Indian mythology, which has gods, called Devas, who are in constant battle with Asuras, which means demons in English.

One basic principle of the early Hebrews is the belief that God constantly watches us, and good actions will have its rewards; this is practically identical to karma. One's karma is always a matter of cause and effect. Your actions will add either good or bad karma and will ultimately affect where you are in your next life. Hebrews never believed in reincarnation, but it’s worth mentioning that in their early history the covenant stressed fulfillment in this world, not the next (summarized from Hebrew Society, History, Religion and Text. See bibliography.).  Never the less it is still an uncanny similarity, and they certainly believed in some kind of afterlife. However, it should be necessary to elaborate on the Hindu side because it's a little more complex than the Hebrews. Indian society was in the form of a caste system, or varna, and they valued it so greatly they connected it to their religious beliefs. They believed that when one was born in a caste, it would increase your good karma to live in that caste obediently and in your next life you will reincarnate into a higher caste. However, to do otherwise would obviously have the opposite effect, and will be demoted into a lower caste in the next life. The universe was seen as a system of complete justice, in fact karma means “as you sow, so shall you reap,” so everyone in the end would get exactly what they deserved (summarized pg. 93).
 

Another major characteristic of the ancient peoples were how much religion influenced the government. Genesis tells that God created the universe in six days and then rested on the seventh day, blessing it as a holy day when mankind does not work but prays and be thankful. To the Hebrews, religion was history and society was directly based off religious laws. The Ten Commandants, brought by Moses, and the Covenant, which had been around for as long as the Hebrews themselves. Now one of the creation stories of ancient India was called the Rig Veda and it tells of a being named Purusha, who the gods sacrificed his body to create the universe. "His mouth became the brahman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shudra was born (Kevin Reilly, pg. 92)." This quote alone demonstrates the people’s belief that the varnas were critical to their way of life, because the gods actually created it by from the body of Purusha. You could also see the significance in the choices made in the sacrifice: his mouth became the brahman, the priesthood and the highest in the caste system, signifying their duty in withholding the laws of the gods. Now the obvious difference between the two creation stories is that Hebrews are monotheistic and Hindus are polytheistic, but let’s not take for granted the interesting parallel between this Purusha and the Lord God as both being the source of all creation. Another difference between the two stories, outside the obvious, is that creation in Genesis took place in the course of seven days, while the Rig Veda gave no indication of time, which to me suggests the sacrifice and creation happened all at once, or at least during the period of a day.

As the facts have shown, the Hebrew faith and Hinduism are just as much alike as they are different, and historians have made the study of both to answer the mysteries of mankind and how we have arrived at this modern age. It is interesting to consider that different peoples' perspective on how mankind should live has evolved with time. Polytheism was the norm in ancient societies, yet today the Hebrew belief in one god has replaced that in our present day for most religions. Yet it was once considered radical and dangerous. As we continue to live there will always be different values between people of faith, but that devotion to those values remains the same, so we are not so different.

Website advice

•   The Home Page - Though it is important to have information and motivational writing that encourages people to trust you, I feel reluctant to read it, because the page is filled with it despite being relatively small. I don’t want sit through this and it doesn’t help that the page is so plain. Most websites have a page titled Our Mission, where a lot of this text can go. The best solution would definitely be to include images.
• Map - The map on the home page is highly unnecessary because there is a page titled Contact/Directions. Move the map and information surrounding it under there and instead use the home page for the greetings. However I have established that the home page is rather bland, so once you move the map decorate the page.
• Testimonials - There aren't real testimonials, just a single commercial. The commercial is very weak, and looks like a high school assignment then an actual ad. I see that they are going for a welcoming and sympathetic approach,  but it feels so forced that it becomes insensitive, which brings me to my final point.
• Insensitive - pretty much the whole site looks like a bland ad, and the welcoming help that it is trying to achieve feels lost, expessaly with the more informative business, and the emphasis on the payment plans feels insensitive. One way to fix this is to have a link of staff members and their bios, giving people a chance to look at who they're coming to. If they make commercial it must be done with more professionalism.

History essay

The religions of Hebrew and Hinduism are two of the world’s oldest faiths, having been around since the ancient Egyptian society was at its peak. To this day they are among the most researched by historians; they continue to be taught today and will still be here for generations to come. It is not difficult to see both the similarities and differences in the religions, obvious and not so obvious.

Hinduism was very different from most world religions because it was so internationally diverse; it actually wasn't even a single faith, but actually a collection of religions that changed and developed with time. It had no real founders, nor did it have any real "breakthrough" idea to unite its people which especially contrast the Hebrews, who were descendants of Abraham and believed in the Lord God. First Abraham had his son Isaac, whose son Jacob had 12 sons, each being the direct decedents of the 12 tribes of Israel. However, God's struggle with Lucifer for mankind is somewhat parallel to the Indian mythology, which has gods, called Devas, who are in constant battle with Asuras, which means demons in English.

One basic principle of the early Hebrews is the belief that God constantly watches us, and good actions will have its rewards; this is practically identical to karma. One's karma is always a matter of cause and effect. Your actions will add either good or bad karma and will ultimately affect where you are in your next life. Hebrews never believed in reincarnation, but it’s worth mentioning that in their early history the covenant stressed fulfillment in this world, not the next (summarized from Hebrew Society, History, Religion and Text. See Bibliography.).  Never the less it is still an uncanny similarity, and they certainly believed in some kind of afterlife. However, it should be necessary to elaborate on the Hindu side because it's a little more complex than the Hebrews. Indian society was in the form of a caste system, or varna, and they valued it so greatly they connected it to their religious beliefs. They believed that when one was born in a caste, it would increase your good karma to live in that caste obediently and in your next life you will reincarnate into a higher caste. However, to do otherwise would obviously have the opposite effect, and will be demoted into a lower caste in the next life.

Another major characteristic of the ancient peoples were how much religion influenced the government. Genesis tells that God created the universe in six days and then rested on the seventh day, blessing it as a holy day when mankind does not work but prays and be thankful. To the Hebrews, religion was history and society was directly based off religious laws. The Ten Commandants, brought by Moses, and the Covenant, which had been around for as long as the Hebrews themselves. Now one of the creation stories of ancient India was called the Rig Veda and it tells of a being named Purusha, who the gods sacrificed his body to create the universe. "His mouth became the brahman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shudra was born (Kevin Reilly, pg. 92)." This quote alone demonstrates the people’s belief that the varnas were critical to their way of life, because the gods actually created it by from the body of Purusha. You could also see the significance in the choices made in the sacrifice: his mouth became the brahman, the priesthood and the highest in the caste system, signifying their duty in withholding the laws of the gods. Now the obvious difference between the two creation stories is that Hebrews are monotheistic and Hindus are polytheistic, but let’s not take for granted the interesting parallel between this Purusha and the Lord God as both being the source of all creation. Another difference between the two stories, outside the obvious, is that creation in Genesis took place in the course of seven days, while the Rig Veda gave no indication of time, which to me suggests the sacrifice and creation happened all at once, or at least during the period of a day.

As the facts have shown, the Hebrew faith and Hinduism are just as much alike as they are different, and historians have made the study of both to answer the mysteries of mankind and how we have arrived at this modern age. It is interesting to consider that different peoples' perspective on how mankind should live has evolved with time. Polytheism was the norm in ancient societies, yet today the Hebrew belief in one god has replaced that in our present day for most religions. Yet it was once considered radical and dangerous. As we continue to live there will always be different values between people of faith, but that devotion to those values remains the same, so we are not so different.

History Essay first draft

 

Christian Schmude

History 111

The religions of Hebrew and Hinduism are two of the world’s oldest faiths, having been around since the ancient Egyptian society was at its peak. To this day they are not only still among the most researched by historians but are still in effect; they continue to be taught today and will still be here for generations to come. It is not difficult to see both the similarities and differences in both religions, both obvious and not so obvious.

Hinduism was very different from most world religions because it was so internationally diverse; it actually wasn't even a single faith, but actually a collection of religions so it changed and developed with time. It had no real founders, nor did it have any real "breakthrough" idea to unite its people which especially contrast the Hebrews, who were descendants of Abraham and believed in the Lord God. However, God's struggle with Lucifer for mankind is somewhat parallel to the Indian mythology, which has gods, called Devas, who are in constant battle with Asuras, which means demons in English.

One basic principle of the early Hebrews is the belief that God constantly watches us good actions in will have its rewards; this is practically identical to karma. One's karma is always a matter of cause and effect. Your actions will add either good or bad karma and will ultimately affect will your next life. Hebrews never believed in reincarnation, nor do I believe that in their early nomadic years, was there as much an emphasis on Heaven and Hell, but it was more a matter of good things happen to a people who make live to God's best interest and bad things happen to people as punishment for their sins. Never the less it is still an uncanny similarity, and they certainly believed in some kind of afterlife. However, it should be necessary to elaborate on the Hindu side because it's a little more complex than the Hebrews. Much of India's society was run in a caste system, and it was greatly valued as the ideal form of society. The one born into their caste have no choice but to live their life ideally, and if they do well it will increase good karma and in their next life, they will ascend to a higher class in the caste, but to increase bad karma will obviously have the opposite effect.