GCC

Meet our newest blogger: Pinn!

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Heyo GCC fellows!

I’m Pinn and I’m an international student from Vietnam. This is my first semester at GCC and I’m majoring in Computer Information Systems at GCC. This is an intro blog so I’ll will throw at you some random intro points about me:

  • Having been at GCC for 6-7 weeks, I’m pleasantly surprised to find so many international Japanese students are enrolling at GCC. I’ve always been fascinated with Japanese culture and I never imagined coming to GCC would offer me an indirect cultural exposure to “The Land of the Rising Sun.”
  • Coming from the tropical and humid equatorial climate of Vietnam, I’m preparing myself (physically and mentally) to fight head on with the intense winter sneakily creeping into Batavia.
  • One thing I crave the most after coming to the US is coconut water, which is much more expensive here compared to my home. But on a brighter note, I have easier access to fresh blueberries, cherries and certified-quality nuts (walnut, pecan, almonds…) which can be considered a luxury in Vietnam.
  • I love K-pop and my favorite group is Epik High. Tablo, a Korean-Canadian leader and producer of the group, studied English Literature at Stanford University so many of his songs are produced in English. I am rarely interested in rap, but many of Epik High’s rap songs are at the top of my playlist because of their poetic nature and clever wordplay. If you have only heard about K-pop for BTS, I recommend you check out one of Tablo’s English raps, “Dear TV” which tackles the modern demon of tech and entertainment shows.
  • I love graphic design and have been tinkering with and learning to use Adobe software since middle school. I used to think I could take on graphic design as a career but I later realized I lack the artsy-ness and patience, so I’m keeping it as my hobby.  

I read almost all the student writing on this blog before arriving at GCC and their blogging provided many helpful tips about being in America and being a student at GCC.

I hope my future blogs will be able to do the same for other students.

Fashion Program Announces 38th Annual Fashion Show – Limitless

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By Aleah Libordi

On November 7th, Kento Takayama and Hannah Donnelley announced the theme of the 38th annual Genesee Community College Fashion Show: Limitless. The boundaries to this show are without end. Focusing on the four seasons, each scene will resemble a different aspect of each season. This theme offers more freedom and diversity than ever before, allowing for creativity and expression to drive the show on May 4th, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Richard C. Call Arena on the Batavia Campus.

Questions can be sent to fashionshow@genesee.edu and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and the FBM (Fashion Business Merchandising) program blog at https://sunygcc.blog/category/academics/fashion/  for continual updates on the show.

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After this announcement, all fashion students took part in the annual color draping event. The practice of color draping was developed by Carol Jackson in her 1984 book, Color Me Beautiful. Each student was draped in different colored fabrics to determine the best suit for their skin tone, hair, and eye color. Personal color falls into 4 categories, cool toned winter or summer to warm toned spring or autumn. This is an admired event because it is personal and allows for students to put knowledge into practice. Students now know the colors that best compliment their unique personal color, and know which colors may help them look their best and feel their best. They will be well prepared in their best colors while at future interviews or when purchasing their power suit.

The color draping and fashion show theme reveal event is a much anticipated day for all students.  This day was paramount for fashion students, it ignited excitement and determination for the work ahead. The theme reveal is the first public announcement and official start to fashion show preparation. In the following weeks, students will be presenting their fashion show scene concepts to secure one of the coveted scene coordinator positions for Limitless.

Follow our fashion show journey on this blog as we announce scene coordinators, scene themes and fashion show updates.

Part-2 How International Students can save money while being at GCC

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Earn money and/or gift cards just by watching videos online and by taking quick surveys:

I wasted thousands of dollars during my Freshman year at college because I knew nothing about coupons or how to rack up points and free gift cards. Sign up for MyPoints accounts. You can earn points just by completing daily activities which includes taking a survey, voting on a poll, watching videos, checking out deals, printing coupons etc. Whenever, I need to shop or sign up for a subscription like Hulu, Sephora and others I usually do it through MyPoints accounts. I always keep MyPoints tab open in my browser and I rack up points all day. It is very easy to rack up thousands of points very quickly by taking advantage of deals from popular stores like Amazon, Kohl’s where you would shop for basic necessities anyway. Other great legitimate sites for taking surveys are I-psos, Inbox Dollars, Survey Junkie, YouGov and I-Polls. College textbooks are very expensive in the USA. Last semester I brought books worth $1000 for free using Amazon gift card balance. You can easily knock off a thousand dollar  bill by using these sites religiously every day. Next time, whenever you are waiting for an appointment try taking a survey or two.

Earn Amazon gift cards just by walking:

Just think how many flights of stairs do you use every day? How many miles do you walk every day when you are rushing from one classroom to another in huge college campuses?  GCC has a pretty huge campus with a college dorm. I keep Steps Cash apps always activated on my I-Phone and I rack up points for Amazon gift cards just by walking to and from one class to another and from one campus building to another building. This is a great app to make sure you exercise by walking every day and you also earn Amazon gifts just by walking. Stay fit and happy walking!

Download FreeBird to get discount Uber rides and to earn cashbacks:

You will probably have to use a lot of Uber rides if you are an International student without a car. Uber rides are very expensive. FreeBird  gives discounts and cashback for Uber rides and restaurants.

Get a secured credit card:

You better start building up your credit history if you are going to live in the USA for the next five or more years to earn a US degree. Credit score is used to analyze everything in the US. You cannot even rent your desired apartment unless you have a good credit score. I knew nothing about credit history when I came to the US.  I wasted one and a half year without building my credit history even though I was paying all my bills on time. I remember asking a bank employee how to get a credit card. The bank employee smirked at me and told me that I cannot get a credit card because I am not a US citizen. The bank employee did not even bother to suggest me to apply for a secured credit card. You do not have to be a US citizen to apply for a secured credit card. You only need a social security number or tax identification number (TIN). So, apply for a secured credit card as soon as you land in the US. Start looking for on-campus jobs as well as soon as you start your semester. It takes several months to get a social security number. You cannot work on campus without a social security number. It is extremely difficult to apply for online credit/debit card with higher cashback value without a social security number.

When I first came to the USA I did not have access to these survival tips. I hope these tips will help you to make the most of your time and money in the US.

 

 

 

 

 

Part-1 How International Students can save money while being at GCC by Zerin Firoze

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I was born and raised in a developing country, Bangladesh, and it was my dream from a very young age to study in the US. A lot of youths like me from developing countries also aspire to study in the US. It is extra challenging for poor students from developing countries to be able to afford to study in the US. Students from developing countries cannot remit money to a foreign country. The US government is also notorious for imposing sanctions in certain countries. Exchange rates plus foreign transaction fees by banks also add up. For example, 1 US dollar is 84 takas in my country Bangladesh. There is no legal way to remit money and corrupt middlemen charge high fees. I am a student from a developing country and here are the following things I have learned after coming in the US. I hope these tips will help you to save both time and money.

Choosing the right college

I would encourage all students to start at a community college first. You can literally save thousands of dollars and still get the same degree and classes at a cheaper price. Many community colleges like GCC do not even charge admission fees. It is completely free to apply for admission. You just need to apply online. So, apply to as many colleges as you want.

Learn to drive in your home country

Many cheaper colleges in the US are located in rural areas with little to no public transportation. You can save a lot of money by choosing a rural location. The cost of living in large cities is extremely expensive. It is not possible for students to pay out of state tuition fees and still afford thousands of dollars per month for rent, food, and other basic necessities. According to American Infrastructure Report Card, the US infrastructure is crumbling and has a rating of D+. Driving schools in America are very expensive. Private one-hour driving lessons are also very expensive and are not available in all rural US counties. So, try to get some driving time before coming to the US. Ask your family members or relatives in your home country to teach you driving for free.

Try to learn about car maintenance and repair before you come to the US. Then, attend a defensive driving course and Driver’s Education course in the US to get your license. You will be very busy being a full-time student once you come to the US. So, try to learn basic life skills while waiting for your acceptance letter from US colleges or for your visa interview.

Learn how to cook and preserve food before coming in the US

I lost thousands of dollars in wasted food. I had no idea how to preserve food. I had no experience in estimating the shelf life of certain food items. I cried when I had to throw away tons of fruits, frozen meat, and cartons of milk. I have been in the US for two and a half years now and I still did not find the time to read all the articles or watch all the videos that I always wanted to watch about food preservation. You can save a lot of money by learning to preserve food. Cooking skills are also important. Next time, hit the grocery store with your mom and learn about basic spices and ingredients if you are not a cooking pro.

Learn how to use coupons and rebate apps

I remember how overwhelmed I was when I first landed at JFK airport and very quickly I became busy with campus life. I had no time to read blogs about saving money in the US as a full-time student. I had no leisure reading time outside college textbooks. Hence, do yourself a favor. Read blogs and website articles about saving money in the US while you are waiting for a decision from US colleges or for your visa interview.

Coupons and rebate apps are not used in my country at all. I became familiar with coupons and rebate apps after coming in the US. It took me two years to learn to use coupons and rebate apps. Now, I am the ultimate coupon queen. I received $54 cashback from Ebates and $55 from Ibotta just for buying groceries and other necessary items. Groupon is also a great website to save money. Learn to use coupons and rebate apps before you even come in the US. Read articles about rebate apps and coupons on the Internet.

I will share more secrets and life hack in part-2 of the same article next week!

 

 

 

 

Read this before you register for a class!

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I have taken a lot of classes at GCC and I have learned a thing or two from my mistakes. I wish there are things I would have done before registering for a class, costing hundreds of dollars. Instead of, leaving important decisions and consequences of signing up for a class to fate!  Spring Registration begins October 1st.

  • Speak with your Academic Advisor and Success Coach

You might think it is a hassle and a waste of time to schedule an appointment to meet with your advisor and success coach but trust me it is important to meet with both the academic advisor and success coach. This is, especially true, for International students. You will be wasting a lot more time and banging your head in frustration when your advisor messages you that you did not sign up for the right class. Meet with your advisor even if you know your degree requirements because you can find a lot more information about your future classes, instructors who would be offering your classes and other academic activities. Your advisor and success coach also have a wealth of other resources that can help you. Message your advisors if you have any questions or if you are too busy to schedule an appointment to meet in person.

  • Meet with the Instructors in person before you sign up for a class

It is extremely important to meet with the instructors in person before you sign up for a class unless you want to be miserable for the rest of the semester and waste hundreds of dollars and your valuable time. You will get an idea how your instructor is when you meet with them in person to discuss their class requirements and expectations. A lot of students are excited to sign up for a new major or class. However, they are quickly disappointed and surprised when they do not like their instructors after they start a class and are half-way between the semester and it is too late to drop the class. Hence, they are stuck with an instructor and a study style they do not like. There are several instructors offering the same classes. Pick the instructor with whom you best get along. Ask your instructor how and why certain students perform poorly in their class. Your instructors can give you valuable advice to ensure your success.

  • Read the description of classes online before you sign up for a class

Carefully read the description of each class before you register for these classes. Check how much time you need to spend on each class before you sign up for additional classes. International students with no financial aid must purchase their books ahead of time during winter and summer break. Double-check what other additional materials you will need for a certain class. Try to use Schedule Planner to organize your time and classes.

  • Speak with students who have already taken those classes with a certain instructor

Students who have already taken classes that you are about to take are a bundle of resources that you must utilize. However, do not be persuaded by the opinion of just one student. Speak with multiple students, including students who have dropped the class. Learn from the mistakes other students have made.

  • Check if you accidentally qualify for another certificate

A lot of classes and degree requirements are very similar. For example, both the Nursing Program and Respiratory Care program have similar prerequisites. Health studies certificate and child care certificate have similar classes. You may have to take one or more additional classes to earn another certificate. Hence, carefully select your classes. Additional certificates can boost your resume.

May the force be with you!  Happy Spring Registration!

 

GCC Cougar Weekend!

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I am excited to announce that GCC Cougar weekend will take place Friday and Saturday, September 21-22, 2018. Everyone is welcome. GCC is pleased to invite the entire community to join Cougar Crawl in Downtown Batavia on Friday, the 21st September, 2018 at 5pm. The Cougar crawl will begin at Ken’s Charcoal Pits at 5pm and features stop at The YNGodness (73 East Main Street), Valle Jewelers (21 Jackson Street), Pollyanna and Dot (202 East Main Street), Eli Fish Brewing Company (109 Main Street) and T-Shirts Etc. (37 Center Street).

The crawl ends at T.F. Brown’s Restaurant (214 Main Street) for the Cougar Crawl Bash including live DJ till 10pm, a buffet and prizes included. Cougar Crawl tickets are only $10 and can be purchased online or by contacting Jennifer Wakefield, GCC assistant director of Alumni Affairs, at 585-343-0055 ext. 6265 or by email at jgwakefield@genesee.edu

Cougar weekend event on Saturday, the 22nd September, 2018 will be held at GCC’s Batavia campus. GCC’s Batavia campus will host a full day activities, exhibits and more! It begins at 10am when the craft and vendor market opens in Richard C. Call Arena. You can also register for Annual Bike and Car Cruise. A chicken BBQ will be available for only $10. You can also view exhibits “Portraits in Trash” by Dion Hitchings in the Roz Steiner Art Gallery from 12 noon through 3pm and “Landscape Interaction/Intervention” photography exhibit on the display in the Stuart Steiner Theatre Lobby.

Five new inductees will be welcomed in the Athletic Hall of Fame at 5pm in the Richard C. Call Arena. Alumni co-ed soccer game starts at 7pm on the campus Turf Field.

Finally, the Alumni bonfire will take place at GCC dorm “College Village” at 8pm. I hope you will join us to have fun!

Student Blogger Intro – Zerin Firoze

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I am a sophomore International student at GCC from Bangladesh. I am a scientifically literate individual and I am very passionate about science and secular activism. I love to advocate for science and secularism during my free time. I love the United States of America because of its advancement in science and technology, gender equality, secularism, democracy, freedom of speech, LGBTQ rights and diversity. I hope to be a US citizen someday.

I am an introvert. I have always loved reading and writing. So, the position of being a blogger and news assistant at MarCom is perfect for me. I am honored to be a GCC blogger.

I’m really passionate about the science clubs, but also plan to explore all kinds of campus activities closely so that I can make great and accurate blog posts.

My Time Working For Marcom

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By: Mike Adamczak

For the past couple of weeks, I have had the privilege of being able to work with the wonderful people at the Marketing Communications (MarCom) Department of Genesee Community College, thanks to the Upward Bound Program. In these past few weeks I’ve learned some useful skills that could be used in a future career such as how to create the most professional portrait picture possible, create and collect data from a survey, as well as my most favorite of all, how to fly and take video with a drone. Check out this Awesome Video of the drone following me up the spine at GCC!

The drone was most valuable to me because it allowed me time to talk with Tim Lawton, Online Communications Specialist for GCC and Upward Bound Alumni. While assisting him as the Visual Observer, as well as helping teach three classes on how useful a drone is in advertising; we discussed the importance of why going to GCC would be a great choice to start off when going for a bachelor’s degree and what to look for the most when figuring out which college is the best fit for you.
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As well as assisting in drone flying, I was also given the task of performing a survey of my fellow Upward Bounders. Along with my work study partner Fermina Sanchez, we worked to present original questions on what social platforms are most used today by high school students and which would be best for GCC to advertise on. Our findings are blow!

As part of our work study duties, the Marketing Communications Department at Genesee Community College had us survey 51 of our fellow peers in the TRIO Upward Bound program. The purpose of this survey was to determine which social media platform would be most beneficial for marketing advertisements.

  • The average age demographic of our data set was 15 year olds, with a majority of the answers coming from female students (n=35) as opposed to the male students (n=16). When asked what social media platform was most often used for social interaction, we found the majority of students preferred snapchat (n=32).
  • We found that when browsing the internet, most people do not notice or pay attention to the online ads (n=20).
  • The data showed that the SUNY Website and College Board website were most commonly used for college research (n=19/19).
  • Something interesting that we noticed about the data would be that although a majority of students found themselves spending most of their time on snapchat, colleges would have the most success catering to students personally through emails (n=14).
  • Most students found that the cost of tuition is information that they would most want to be made readily available on a college’s social media profile (n=13).
  • When asked their opinion on whether or not there was a general stigma that community colleges are less rigorous and professional than four year colleges, most students said they agreed or strongly agreed (n=26) or remained neutral (n=22).
  • As expected, most students found that the greatest influence in their life when considering colleges would be their family (n=21), but to our surprise there was also a large amount of students who felt that they had no outside influence and they formed their opinions independently (n=20).
  • Finally, when asked what students found most important to have at a college when making their final decision, the majority said that the college would need a wide variety of academic programs (n=14) and that they would need to have quality instructors and professors (n=14).

For their participation in our survey, each participate was put into a raffle for a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble. During free time, we pulled a winner. Congratulations Karley Greenman and thank you everyone for helping us with our market research!

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Pull Out The Plaid & Support Your Vendors and GCC Students!

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Turkey Day and Black Friday are just around the corner, and I’m sure you’re looking forward to it just as much as I am! However this year instead of Black Friday, why not try out Plaid Friday! This is an alternative to your typical Friday after Thanksgiving, a day in which consumers could and should support small local businesses, instead of the big box stores.

You may be wondering how Plaid Friday was born, and the answer is in Oakland, California in 2009 with gallery owner Kerri Johnson. She got fed up with the holiday shopping focus always being on big businesses, and she wanted to create a way for local and small businesses to “weave together” and create their own event and economic opportunity! This idea has since grown and is now known across the nation.

You can join this great event, and support the cause by wearing plaid and shopping the best sales on November 24th! No need to wake up at the crack of dawn! Sleep in! The deals will be there all day. Some of the participating local merchants in our community include:

  • Batavia Bootery: $10 off any shoe purchase
  • Batavia Marine: 5% off browning camo t-shirt
  • Batavia Stage Florist: 20% off one item
  • Charles Men’s Shop: $20 off $100 merchandise or gift certificate purchase
  • Hearth and Soul: 25% off select items
  • Lambert’s Design Jewelers: 5% off red ribbon clearance sale
  • Pudgie’s Lawn & Garden Center: 10% off gift cards, 50% off pottery, 30% off massarelli statuaries, 25% off wind chimes and more
  • R+D Outlet: 50% any item in the store
  • Steve’s Styles: $5 gift certificate for every purchase of a $20 gift certificate
  • Walking in The Woods Gifts: 20% off entire purchase
  • Welch & Craine Trading Post: 20% off one item
  • Wortzman Furniture: $100 off any purchase over $999.99
  • McKay’s Antiques & Curiosity Shoppe: see specials in stores
  • Ms. B-Haven Alpacas: bring in the ad and get 10% off
  • Country Cottage: receive a free candle if wearing plaid
  • Lake Street Florist & Gift Shoppe: 10% off Star Vine Gift Line
  • The Divine Tree: 20% off one item
  • Vintage & Vogue Shop: 20% off one item
  • Nor-Web Leasing, Inc.: 15% off excluding appliances

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Always ahead of the curve, Genesee Community College’s Fashion Design program created a plaid/tartan design several years ago. GCC’s plaid is registered with the Scottish Register of Tartan, National Archives of Scotland. The College’s official plaid is used by faculty, staff, clubs, and students at various events, particularly the College’s recent 50th Anniversary celebration where it helped to build the collegiate spirit.

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Genesee Community College is one of the very few community colleges in the nation that has our own plaid design, especially one registered in Scotland, designed by alumni with various  related projects managed by students! The plaid design has been used on men’s neck and bow ties, women’s silk scarves, as well vests, kilts, t-shirts (short and long sleeve), socks and stationary. New GCC plaid products will continue to provide students with merchandising opportunities.

If you are interested in purchasing GCC plaid products and supporting the Fashion Business program during this holiday season, visit www.gccfashion.live!

Our College Experience

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Hello readers of the GCC Blog,

Our names are Zarina and Sabina, we are two international students from Kazakhstan studying Digital Art at GCC.   We are not good in writing stories about ourselves. Thus we decided to write about GCC and Digital art major.

About GCC. We found this college on Internet while searching colleges with appropriate tuition, fees and location. In GCC we love that we can learn new things that we can apply in the future job. This college gives many opportunities to international students. There are many international events and many clubs that you can join.

About Digital Art. We like going to Digital Art classes, because we love creating new projects that we have never tried to do before. We can express our ideas and share them with other students. There are not many students who study Digital Art major here in GCC. The students help each other. We can practice and develop our skills while attending digital art classes.

About MarCom. We decided to work here because we would like to get new experience. I hope MarCom will give us good experience. We want to know the many sides of Marketing, how it works and decide in what field of future work we would love to work.

We are supposed to graduate in fall 2018. After graduation we hope that we will get a good job.