Integrating Areas

There are so many options to having an interdisciplinary degree. The student that got into UCF College of Medicine had art as an area of study with a traditional science area. All of our degree areas seem to have an obvious integration of studies. I think it’s was great pairing on their part. I was afraid we would have a situation where I wouldn’t be able to identify. This works out awesome! A lot of the health fields have pairings like we’ve talked about. Only one pair of us has exactly the same match, but they are all similar. They are integrated by study topic. Also, the health field and I think that the area in biomedical/life sciences is pretty directly related to the health field, but the area of behavioral/social sciences has given me a chance to look at different cultures by taking anthropology and sociology classes and relating that to how different people view hospitals and other medical centers and seeing why different people from different cultural backgrounds prefer different treatments or prefer no treatment. Social services or any public services with have health as a hot topic. We are all finding out that Psychology must be understood to help others, too. I have used my Health area to study what I know I won’t be taught in nursing school. I’m learning about how the system works, the computer systems, the areas of growth and what needs to be improved. Health Insurance is a huge topic in any health field!! Psychology was just a love of mine and the more classes I studied, the more I realized that it is every part as much as a person as their anatomy. The nursing field is so saturated right now that I really wanted to give myself an edge. I think having this Bachelor’s degree in the fields that I’ve chosen will make that happen. I also think it has better prepared me to be a nurse. I think knowing where you are going in your career and what you are looking for helps you focus during your courses. I know what I’m going to use this information for. It’s not like Algebra in high school when you thought, “when will I ever . . ?” We do use Algebra and we will use this information in our different areas. But I think the most important lesson we will have taken away from this experience is the ability to think outside of the box. We will have learned that in the real world, you don’t ever have just one specific task defined by your boss. You need to be well educated and have a holistic education. I’ve never worked at a job where I only did work that was “in the job description.” We have our edge. How will you use yours?

E Portfolio

Hey all! It appears we are a little behind. That doesn't work well in these courses. Our next Blog Topic will be up by the 27th. Okay, eportfolio. This helps demonstrate your being an interdisciplinary artist by showcasing the different work and classes you studied. The audience intended will be your future employers. All themes need to focus on this end result. I envision my ePortfolio looking like a super-fantastic resume. I've worked in the professional world and even hired and managed employees. So, I have a sneak into what they are looking for. Honest, concise and short! But not too short! :) You want items to stand out that you feel make you better suited than another candidate. What do you have that they don't? Your evidence needs to be applicable to what you plan on doing after you graduate. Don't look for topics that are "easy", but that really will show your future employers how seriously you take being interdisciplinary and how uniquely qualified you are for them.

Rhonda and Shellee's Greeting!!

Hello. My name is Rhonda Blair. I am a working mother of three and I commute from Merritt Island to the Orlando campus. I wanted to stay close to home and wanted to take classes at UCF because I started college here out of high school many moons ago! It is very important for me to finish goals and set a good example for my children and have pride in my choice of institutions. I initially enrolled in UCF to earn a B.S. in Nursing. I had already completed my Associate in Arts degree and realized that Nursing at UCF was too competitive and it would not allow me to pursue other study interests. After graduation in December, I begin an R.N. program closer to home. I plan on working as a psychiatric nurse for approximately five years and then return to school to become a nurse practitioner! Goals, goals, goals!!

My IDS areas are Biomedical Sciences and Health with a Psychology minor. I am a Senior here at UCF and will graduate this semester. I have the last courses in my Health area to complete and the Capstone course. I entered the IDS program late and have only had one semester between my "first" IDS semester and my last. I don't recommend this path. It was very difficult for me to first explain what an Interdisciplinary Degree is to others. It seemed ambiguous and a little like a made-up degree. I was so wrong. This is very much a real degree. This degree allows students to pursue multiple areas of study. I tell people I have a minor and two mini-majors. When they ask about some of the "hard" courses they think I missed, I explain that our Cornerstone and Capstone courses provide for the outlet to complete research projects that are specific to our areas. We aren't getting off easily!!!! I have always ended up doing more work for my Cornterstone class (and it is seemingly the same with the Captsone course) than for my other classes. The disadvantage for me is not being tied to a specific college. That limits scholarships and a feeling of unity for me. There aren't many people with my areas of study and minor. However, this degree makes me so much more attractive as an employee by letting them know I can multi-task and have strengths in multiple areas. I have become very proud by the fact that our economy is looking for people like us. People who can adapt and are on the cutting edge of education. What do you think?

Hey all! My name is Shellee King. I was born in New Jersey and moved to Kissimmee, Florida when I was 3 years old. I went to Osceola High School and graduated in 2004. I attended Valencia afterward and graduated with my A.A. degree in the summer of 2005. I started at UCF in the fall of 2005. I've always been very involved in band activities, ever since middle school, and have been very involved in the Marching Knights here at UCF. I even joined Tau Beta Sigma, a national honorary band sorority. I marched here for 4 years and although I am not able to march this year I am still very active in helping out in any way possible.I chose UCF because it was close to home, yet far enough away so that I could be on my own a little bit. It was also really the only place my mom would let me go. At the time I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so that had nothing to do with my decision. After having a few different majors I settled on IDS because I was interested in multiple different things and being an IDS major I had a chance to be more well-rounded than I could be doing any other major. I chose Health Sciences as my minor and Life and Biomedical Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences as my two areas.My short-term plans are to work on my resume and start getting my name out there. I hope to find a job in a hospital or someplace else in the medical field by graduation, this December. I would like to start with some sort of technician position or lab assistant position and work around the field to see if there is something more specific I would like to do. As far as long-term goes I hope to find what I really, truly love to do and stick with it.