.Jovie Rose D.

Dacoycoy February 8, 2013

BS Criminology III

A HIT BEYOND A MISS

An obstacle may be either a stepping stone or a stumbling block.
As a part of our Criminology curriculum, it is a prerequisite to construct a thesis
paper in our Research II. This requirement is an applied academic experience conducted
in a group setting. This aims to provide the students an opportunity to practice their skills
in writing and to apply technical abilities learned in the classroom in actual investigation
situations. It also gives students an access to different resources available that may
provide relevant information for their study and to expose them to the different work
cultures and practices.
My group mates are Michael Joe G. Domingo and Ivan D. Loisaga. They are not
my original group mates. It was Jr Abutar. Unfortunately, Jr and I had some
misunderstanding so I decided to join Ivans group. My original research title was
DETERMINING THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL SECURITY GIVEN TO
STUDENTS OF DIVINE WORD COLLEGE OF CALAPAN. It was way far
different from Ivans study which is <insert their title>but I find it also interesting so it
did not become so hard for me to adapt.
The first thing that I love about the research experience is the research itself.
Making a thesis paper is fun if only the students appreciate the benefits that it will bring.
The best way to get a full experience of doing the research is to actually do something
you are interested in; otherwise a semester or year of research is like torture. It does not
matter if it doesn't sound very interesting or prestigious, as long as it is actually
something that you are interested in.
I find it exciting because we learn from every part of research that has been given
to us as a week task. As individuals, we should learn something new each day. Learning
new things gives us something to look forward to. Also, learning how to take what is
already known and enhance it in a unique way is an incomparable learning experience
that we should not lose.
As my group mates and I have discovered, a research paper is not just achievable
with much caffeine but, requires more time understanding sources, forming an original
question and proving a thesis. Weve found that this process cannot be automated. I had
my first research paper when I was in high school that gave me an advantage but I find
out that it was different from the kind of study that I made before. It is more serious.
(Hahaha)
Kidding aside, it requires a lot of time and dedication. Sometimes, we want to just
give up on it. But at the end of the day, we see ourselves still working. We spend our
weekends doing the thesis. We dont care about the gala, or going out with our friends.
we will stay at Ivans home on a very late Saturday and Sunday night just to draft the
papers. Even were hungry, we dont care because we know we have done the best we
can do.
But all the efforts are worth it. It was just our group that has been able to submit
the Review of Related Literature. Thanks to our professor for he gives us enough time to
accomplish everything.
I also learned that we should utilize our time effectively. We should avoid
procrastinating in order to get things done right away. Time and time again, for whatever
reason, we put things off until the last minute and every time we do, we have that same
nervous feeling come over our body. When we decide not to deal with things and put
them off, all we are doing is making more work for ourselves in the long run. And the
more work we have, the more stressed we will feel because of all the pending works we
still have to do.
Working in a group is also one of the highlights of our thesis experience. It opens
up opportunity for us to develop our skills like leadership, effective communication and
delegation. It also gives us opportunity to get to know one another. Furthermore, group
work gives us the chance to learn from each other. I can say that this kind of approach
can be useful for encouraging social interactions and for developing strong
social/learning networks. As for my experience, I did not feel isolated and alone and,
especially at the beginning, I have support at the 'where do I start' stage of our research.
As a group, also, when one member may be weak, another might be strong so we
just help each other to make the work done. They make up for my weaknesses and I do
the same for them. We have our own strengths and when all of these are used together as
one, we form an unbeatable being. We do not see group commitments such as meetings
and agreeing deadlines, etc. as an added burden on top of having to complete the task
itself, thats why we are always productive and we are able to submit every requirement
on time.
Moreover, none of us is overly dominant, or who contribute too little or who fail
to participate effectively. We see to it that all of the tasks are equally divided out to each
one of us to promote shared responsibility. We also believe that any task or project is
much easier to complete if shared amongst members, than if it had to be carried out by
one person.
The three of us are friends since our high school days. We know each others
qualities, talents and abilities so assigning tasks are trouble-free. Doing this research is
not so stressful when your group mates are also your friends. It is just like spending more
quality time with each other. Its doing something, learning, and at the same time,
enjoying. Working with your buddies alleviates the pressure, and makes work fun and
faster to finish. Each of us feel that our ideas are appreciated that makes us become more
enthusiastic and contributes more.
Even though, it appeared bad at first that I did not get along well with Jr, luckily,
it turned very well at the end. It is really a HIT BEYOND A MISS.