7th Week

Another week went by faster than ever. It was fun, but kind of low key. Nights here seem really repetative to me; I come home from class, lay down to take a nap, wake up and work out, eat and then do homework and watch TV until about 11 or 12 when I'm really bored I just decide to go to sleep. They almost seem kind of lonely even though I'm with friends most of the time, hard to explain. I've been hanging out with this girl named Jackie a lot, she lives just down the hall from me. She has some friends that I've been hanging out with a lot, we hung out with them twice this weekend. They're older but I can definitely see them being in my close group of friends, which is comforting to have but that just means that not having a car is harder and harder because they all live in houses just off campus so we have to bum rides from them constantly.
My dad's coming down this next weekend to go to a football game with Chelsie and I. The game is an hour away and I have a friend that goes to the opposing school so that will be fun to see him. It seems like it's getting easier and easier to not talk to my parents every night, not that I don't want to but I just don't think about it as much as I used to. Also my sister and I have been talking a lot more, we didn't get along great in high school but now that we're both gone it's easier to talk and fun to hear what's going on with her.
My friends and I have also been trying to figure out spring break. I might end up going home because I'm not sure if I'll be able to go home another time in the spring, but if I don't I'll probably go see my sister with Chelsie. The kids I was talking about earlier are going to the Bahamas and invited us to go but it's close to a thousand dollars and I'm not thinking I want to spend that money, even though it woul be an amazing trip I'm sure. Saving money is a big thing in college. People always talk about how no one has any money in college and if you don't work, then that kind of becomes true. It's scary to see your bank account keep getting lower and lower but I've tried to come up with a budget of how much I'll spend per month and it seems to be working well. Well this next week and a half should be interesting because I'm sure I'll have a test in just about every class before fall break, so it should be busy!

Dorm Life

College dorms are like no other place on earth. I know this sounds quite dramatic, but it is true. Ten at night is early, twelve considered the beginning of nighttime, and by two in the morning (and later, trust me) the hall is still alive and energetic. Four o’clock brings the stragglers and by five the building is asleep. The next day when the world has been awake for five, six, seven hours, college students are just waking up. If you were to get up at seven on a weekend, the dorm halls would be abnormally silent except for the few athletes taking their morning jog.
Matters of importance and knowledge have also changed. Tonight, the big debate in my hall was whether to watch the premiere for Grey’s Anatomy or The Office. You would have thought that something of great importance had happened in the news by the commotion that it caused. It is common knowledge what streets are the big party ones and I have probably heard more about beer pong than any true sport. The standard of good food has dropped significantly, and going downtown is like entering a whole new world. Yet all this change has not made me more homesick, but less. I have been able to keep myself occupied and keep myself from dwelling too much on my hometown and my parents. This weekend I am looking forward to catching up on my sleep and catching up on my homework.

6th Week at School

Already six weeks into it, I can't believe it. I've already taken five tests, written a paper and had several homework assignments and it seems like the weeks keep going by faster and faster. Probably because Mondays and Tuesdays are normal but by the time Wednesday comes, you're about ready for the week to be over and the next day is Thursday which is basically the beginning of the weekend here, and weekends are the best. This past weekend I felt a little bit like a waste of life because I sat and overall watched around 15 hours of Grey's Anatomy...disgusting, I know. Chelsie, my friend Tiffany and I had planned that we were going to watch all three seasons before the fourth starts this week, and this weekend just seemed like the time to do it. Don't get me wrong, I went out both nights and had fun but during the day, it was straight to her room to watch episodes. We kind of realized it was okay though because it's not like there's a lot going on during the days anyway, especially since hardly any of my friends have cars, and let me tell you that can be very depressing at times. It's not impossible to live without a car, but if your parents let you, I definitely suggest it because there are times where we feel completely stranded, like right now I'm out of milk and therefore don't eat breakfast anymore :(.
I go home in two and a half weeks and cannot wait! It's not so much that I'm homesick, but I just can't wait to go back to my home town, see a couple friends that stayed there to go to school, and just bum around my house. My plan is to stay home the first night, stay with one of my friends the second, hang out at my cousin's house the third and just be with my parents the last day and night. Another reason I'm so anxious to go home is for the FOOD. I'm so incredibly sick of the food here, I can't even explain it. We now are walking 15 to 20 minutes all the way across campus just to eat different food, when we have a cafeteria right next door. And it's almost as if there is no solution to this problem; I'm stuck with this food for another seven months.

College Classes

As I enter my second week of classes at college, I realize how much more I enjoy my schedule now than I did in high school. Not only do I spend a mere 3 hours in class each day, I have fascinating and entertaining professors, challenging classmates, and a schedule that changes every other day. I remember last year I would wake up and just dread the upcoming day. No, I wasn't depressed, and it wasn't because my classes were absolutely horrible. I was just bored with my schedule. In college though, it is very different. I have different classes on Monday and Wednesday than I do on Tuesday and Thursday, something that helps diversify the week. I also have a three day weekend every weekend, which, needless to say, is wonderful. I am not saying that these classes are fantastically easy though. My communications class has me continually on edge, thinking about my upcoming speeches. In Spanish I am working at understanding what my professor (who speaks almost entirely in Spanish) is saying to the class, and in Math I am trying to remember the PreCalculus I took two years ago. During orientation week the university made a big deal about students studying 25-35 hours each week. At first I laughed at this amount, but once I estimated what I did last week and what I will be studying this week, I realized that I am studying close to 25 hours per week myself. So yes, I am enjoying my college schedule. I love that I don't spend six hours each day sitting in a classroom and that every day is not identical. But at the same time, these classes are more demanding than those I took in high school and are challenging me to be the best student I can be.

Thursdays

It hasn't taken long for me to realize that thursdays at my campus are a sort of celebration. The majority of students do not have classes on fridays, which is reason enough for this rush of excitement. After a long first week of school, I was ready for such a break from college. A definite strain has been over me this week, learning the temperments of my teachers, getting to know what they expect of me, and adjusting to college life. Unlike high school where I spent the majority of my time in class, I am only in a lecture for two to four hours a day. Unfortunately, this just means that more of my school time is done in my dorm room. I have had to learn how to study with the tv on, the radio on, and numerous other distractions. Needless to say, it was quite a relief to end the week. The way that students on my campus celebrate this closing of the week is not just through the usual frat parties and drunken nights. The town surrounding the campus is know as a college town and holds a very busy Farmers' Market every thursday night. So after my last class at 7pm, my friends and I took the bus downtown. It felt wonderful just to be reminded that there is a world outside of my campus. I have had to go through major readjustments this week, from learning how to study for my first quiz to learning how to block out MTV on the screen in front of me. I have had to realize that college is not just for social reasons and that I need to find a balance. Although this week was exhausting, it was also rewarding and memorable.

Dorm Life

What is the weirdest, most enjoyable, and most drastically different event that I have undergone in college so far? Dorm life. And although it is extremely different than life at home, I find that it is one of my favorite parts of college so far. I should preface this by saying 1) I get along with my roommate, which makes a huge difference, and 2) I am only living with one roommate, not two, like so many girls in my dorm. I think that the best thing you can do while living in the dorms is to keep your doors open. This way people will just drop in to say hello or to introduce themselves, especially during your first week at school. I have been blessed with a wonderful floor and have met so many great girls and guys this way. And although dorm life does have its downsides, they are usually less than the good. For example, sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of girls is difficult, but it makes it easy to meet eachother when you are brushing your teath or washing your face. You are sharing a small room with a complete stranger, but that stranger can turn out to be a pretty cool person or have some really great friends. I know that last year I could not imagine living in a dorm, with the lack of privacy and space, but it has been remarkably easy to adjust. So, don't be afraid of living in the dorms. Instead, get excited about it and make sure you get a place in your school's dorm next year!

Seeing my parents

This week went by very very fast. School went well, I found out I got a B on my French test and my Psychology test which I was really happy about! Also it was Chelsie's birthday so me and some girls got her a big gift certificate to Target and also took her out to eat at this Italian restaurant with probably ten girls. My roommate and I are still getting along except for one thing: our room SMELLS. I do my laundry once a week and my clothes smell good,but she never does laundry and her stuff smells so bad but she doesn't understand. There's a roommate contract that we just signed and it said something about hygene on it but I felt bad and didn't want to say anything so I just try to keep the window open as much as possible.
My parents came down for parents weekend like I said. It was great to see them! We saw Superbad on Friday night, which I thought would be very awkward to see with your parents but they ended up loving it so it was fun. Saturday we went to Kansas City because I had never been and we went to the Plaza to go shopping. Another great thing about having them here was the food! I finally got to get away from the dorm food and had steak, ribs and just normal food all weekend. Also staying in the hotel was great, I got to shower without shoes on for the first time in over a month and finally take a bath. Saturday night my dad and I went to the football game. It was a great night for a game, nice and cool and we had a lot of fun. Sunday was basically just eating and doing a Target run before they left. Now that they came, I dont feel homesick except I miss my sister and my younger cousins, it's been really hard not to see them but I will fall break! This week I have a math and french test to look forward to so it should be very busy with studying...once again!

WOW Week

After all my excitement and anxiety over college, it has finally come. Now, a week into it I can hardly believe it has only been six days since I moved in. At my university, the first week is called WOW Week, and is an orientation for all incoming students. Every freshman is put into a group of about fifteen kids, and is led by two WOW leaders. I was extremely nervous to see who would be in my group. Would they be people that I would enjoy spending my first week with, or would I not be able to connect with any of them? Thankfully, I have ended up loving my group and the people in it. We have gone hiking, to the beach, to the town’s farmers’ market and even made pancakes one morning at my leaders’ apartment. Every moment that I have away from my group I try to use making new friends. I am not naturally outgoing and so this is quite a task for me, but I have been able to find quite a few freshmen that I get along with and share my desperation for making friends. Over the last few days I have found the true art of meeting new people. I have discovered that the best way is to be painfully blunt and just go up to them and introduce yourself. Although this might be weird is most settings, it has become the norm on my campus. After the first hello, discussion topics include your major, what you plan to do with it, where you are living, and what classes you are taking. When you start to feel more comfortable with your company, it is time to move on to topics such as your roommate and their weird habits and funny stories about the few days you've had on campus. For those of you that don't have any problems making new friends, this info might not seem needed. However, I hope a few of you understand where I am coming from. All in all, this first week has been incredible, but it seems impossible that I will be spending the next nine months here. It almost feels like summer camp, but that will most likely stop with classes on Monday.

Moving In

How do I describe moving in to my dorm? It was so exciting and nerve racking at the same time, not to mention exhausting. When I got to the campus that morning there were already hundreds and thousands of students moving box upon box into their rooms. After going through this a few days ago, I feel that I can give you some advice for your own experience.
1. Find out if your residence hall has elevators. I am on the 3rd story, and my hall does not. My legs are still burning from all the stairs!
2. Don't kick your parents out right away. Let them help you set up and take you out to a meal or two. You will discover that most students are spending some last minute time with their families, which makes making friends move-in weekend a little difficult.
3. Bring storage boxes. The closets in most dorm rooms are not very spacious, and the same goes for the dressers. You will also need little containers to put miscellaneous items in.
4. Once you are moved in, meet the neighbors. My room mate and I went down the hall and introduced ourselves to everyone with their doors open, and it helped a lot. My floor is already starting to feel like a little community.
5. Leave your door open. People will stop in and say hello, which is a nice way to meet people.
6. Bring a fan if you dorm room does not have air conditioning. Mine does not, and my little fan had become a life saver!
7. Most importantly, be friendly. Everyone is going through the same thing as you, so this is a perfect time to make friends.

4th Week at School

Even though this last school week was only four days long, it seemed as though it lasted forever, not necessarily in a bad way but by two o'clock on Friday, I was ready to be done. I had my first French test which I was scared to death about. I still have no idea how I did, but I'm hoping ok because that's another difference between college and high school, you only have a few tests per semester and homework doesn't count for hardly any of your grade so you have to do well on those tests. I have my first Psychology test on Tuesday that I've been studying for, for the past week but on the first day my professor told us that 30% of kids fail his class, which wasn't all that comforting. Chelsie went out of town this weekend on this trip with a fraternity. I was invited to go but decided not to because I didn't know my date and I figured if he was weird, it could turn out to be a really bad weekend. She said it wasn't that bad,but I'm still glad I stayed here. I hung out with my roommate and this other girl on my floor most of the weekend and also met some new, really nice kids. We went over to their house Friday night and Saturday after our football game as well. That was the first game I've been to which could have been a lot of fun except it was about a thousand degrees out so we only stayed for a quarter. I'm really glad I hung out with these new people this weekend because believe it or not, it's still been a little difficult to meet good friends. I hang out with these four girls who I like but most of them are in sororities which takes up a lot of time and one of them kind of bugs me anyways, she makes fun of people a lot and everything always seems to be about her; I kind of feel like these are my temporary friends until I meet some that are like the ones I had back home. At my high school there were six of us that were best friends and it's been super hard not having them here. We're all spread out over the country and I miss them to death. It's weird because I feel like I haven't met anyone remotely like those girls and I'm not looking for replacements, just people that have similar characteristics that I really like and get along with. My homesickness has kind of gone away over the past few days. I'm still very excited to see my parents this next weekend but it's not needed like it was last week. I'll let you know how it goes!

The Count Down

This summer has inched by, the count down from college going from two months to two weeks at a snails pace. It is strange to realize that now I have only one day left before I leave for college, for the day never did seem like it would truly arrive. For so long the fall has seemed like another world away, one that would never actually come. However, tonight I am facing the truth that I only have two more nights in my bed (a fact that I would never mention to my mom). Though I had planned this time to be relaxing and comforting, it has turned out to be no such thing. My list of things to do is growing exponentially, and I am starting to realize how many details I have overlooked. Tomorrow my main goal is packing my clothes, which actually requires a moderate amount of planning. I have to make sure none of my favorite items are stowed away, unable for me to reach in the next few days. My wardrobe must be planned so that I don’t end up digging through all my boxes and bags for that favorite Gap t-shirt!
Over the last few days, I have continually gone over the plan for my move. I will arrive at the dorms in the morning, meet my room mate, unpack my basic things, and then say goodbye to my parents for the day. The rest of the day is a mystery to me. I hope to start making friends and get to know my room mate. The next morning I will show my parents my newly decorated room, have breakfast with them, and then say a tearful goodbye. I wish I could say that I wouldn’t cry, but I know myself well enough to be certain that I will. My only comfort is that my room mate seems close to her parents as well and will hopefully understand and sympathize with my red, swollen eyes. Although I have carefully drawn this plan for move-in weekend, I know that the next few days will fly by in a whirl of sadness, confusion, and excitement.

So Much Work

Now as I'm into my 4th week here, classes seem to keep getting harder and harder. At first I think I was so nervous that I did all of my homework immediately after class and didn't think about it again until the next day. Now as I'm starting to feel really settled in, it seems like there is so much more that I'd like to be doing than homework: SLEEPING, going over to my friends' dorms, watching TV, making a Target run, eating, working out, and the list goes on. So lately I've been putting my homework off until later in the day and it just makes it feel like I have so much more work to do. So one thing that I would advise anyone not to do is procrastinate! My roommate and I are getting along well, she's from a town that's just about a half hour away from mine back home, so we originally we had some mutual friends which was nice to have something in common. It almost seems that when one of us is in the room, the other isn't which makes it fairly easy. I'm starting to get sick of the food here already, which is bad. Apparently the dining hall that we always go to, that's closest to my dorm is the best food on campus. Not going to lie, it's pretty good food and there's a big variety, but after a while it seems like everything is the same. As for the boys we were hoping to meet, there are a few that we hung out with during the week, but no one that I think we'll stay friends with. Oh well, it'll happen eventually. This last weekend I went to visit a friend in a different state at his school, which was a lot of fun. That's one of the nice things about college, if I haven't said it already; the freedom! The last few days have really been the first time that I've felt homesick, which is surprising because I used to get homesick all the time, no matter where I was or who I was with. My parents are coming down in two weeks for Family Weekend though, so it will be great to see them! As I said, homework seems to be taking over my life, but hopefully this next week will be fun and exciting!

Packing

I consider myself a fairly good packer. By that I mean, I know what I need to bring for a camping trip, a night at a friend's house, or a two-week long vacation. But what do I do when I need to pack up everything I want for an entire school year? First there is the clothes. As I start to separate the clothing I will and will not be bringing with me to school, I start to notice that the pile of clothes I am bringing is considerably larger than the one that is staying home. This does not bode well for extra closet space. Then there are the school supplies. Considering I am going to college to go to school, this category is, sadly, necessary. But as I have obviously never been to a college class, I do not have a good idea of what I will want. I can't decide between binders or notebooks, a laptop bag or backpack. Do I bring a scientific calculator, or go and buy a new graphing one? After the school supplies come everything else. And when I say everything, I am not exaggerating much. I need laundry soap and hampers, printers and ink cartridges, toothpaste and shampoo. I am bringing pictures, frames, posters, coffee cups, books, and purses. All the day to day items I always have at home I am relocating to a very small dorm room. I have 6 boxes crammed full of these items, plus one large storage box and a laundry hamper full of bedding. This seems to be too much and not enough, all at once. It will be interesting to see, in 4 days, if all my boxes even fit inside my room!