It's not procrastination if you don't have work to do

The last two weeks of my first semester were tough, but not nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be. The plan I've been following all year of getting my work done promptly and planning out my schedule works perfectly. I had to turn in 6 papers, plus many revisions and other short papers from earlier in the semester, and assemble them all into 4 portfolios for each of my classes. Though that was time consuming, I still found myself with enough time to eat and sleep, which I was worried I would be missing. I'm glad to be done with two of my classes, but I'll definitely miss two of them as well. Having such small class sizes really helps forge a strong bond between everybody in the class, students and instructors alike. I won't be missing my Latin America class, as educating as it was, since it was unquestionably the toughest course I took (a third-year student told me that it was the toughest class she had taken her entire time there) Friday, the last day, was a bit hectic since I had to turn in all my work, return the (overdue) books to the library, and pack three month's worth of clothing for my trip, which was early the next morning.
My uncle and my cousin were visiting schools near me, and so they picked me up at school and brought me to the airport in Boston. Getting through the airport was much less stressful than I had anticipated, as nearly no one else was there. The flight was short, and before I knew it I was back in Minnesota. I met my family at the airport, and then went to my grandparent's house to eat dinner with the rest of my family. Driving back home, I didn't get the feeling that I had been away for a long time. I suppose when you drive around somewhere 1,000+ times in your life, leaving it for 4 months doesn't really change anything. I was one of the first people back home, and many of my friends are yet to return, but I have spent this week hanging out with all my friends and enjoying the fact that I can sit around and do nothing and not have to call it procrastination.

A Feeling of Relief

What is a girl to do when she has no classes, no finals and no work she can do? Most people would say sleeping, hanging out with friends, and getting ready for Christmas. People who know me however, know that I am going to my favorite place: The doctor's office. I have to go get a two hour test done today. I did see several of my friends last night though. I took my last two finals yesterday. Most of my finals were better than I expected. Of course Spanish made up for all of the other exams. It was seventy-five multiple choice questions and three essays in an hour and fifteen minutes. My theatre exam was fifty multiple choice questions and a three to four page essay and we only had fifty minutes to complete the exam. Needless to say my essay was not long enough. 

Grades do not have to be posted until January 2nd and I have a feeling some of my grades will not be posted until the last minute. 

Now that this semester is over I have been looking to next semester. I changed my schedule again. I am taking macroeconomics instead of biomedical ethics because I need to take it for one of the schools I want to transfer to. Also all of the schools I am going to will only accept 66 credits so I cannot double major. That means I will be done after next fall. Enough about the future though I am going to enjoy my time off. I do not go back until January 21st. I am sure I will have many adventures over break because everyday is an adventure! Happy holidays everyone. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday.  

Coming Down the Home Stretch

This week was full of work, which was pretty much expected. I finish on Wednesday. Between now and then I have four finals and a capstone essay to write. The good news is that only two of those finals are cumulative. My theatre final which I am not worried about because all of the questions come from previous test and my Spanish final. That one is going to be absolutely terrible! I can't even do a test on one chapter I don't know how I am going to do one on three. I guess I better get used to it though because I am taking Spanish again next semester. I have not finalized my schedule yet because I am unsure if I should begin working toward my communications degree this coming semester or next fall. I will have some decisions to make over the break. At least I will have over a month to decide. I can't even feel guilty for not doing work, I don't know what I am going to do with myself.  I am sure I will have some adventures. Speaking of adventures, the fire alarm went off when I was in Spanish on Tuesday and we had to evacuate. Luckily my Spanish class is on the first floor, or it could have been much worse. Thankfully we were able to go back in the building after a short time and the adventure ended there. I was not surprised though because everyday is an adventure! 

Two Weeks of Hibernation

I am sorry that I have not posted in so long. Finals are coming and that means an insane amount of work. I am sure anyone who has been through college can relate. That is why I have decided for the next two weeks I am going into a state of semi-hibernation. I plan on sleeping, studying, showering tutoring in Spanish and writing papers. This week has been so busy in part because I have been tutoring in Spanish at my high school everyday after classes. If I tutor for a minimum of twelve hours I can get up to five points added on my final grade and I will take any points I can get in that class. Also I have two papers to write for my theatre class that are due by the end of the semester, an English department exam that all students in English 101 had to take. I took it today. It was easy ! Unfortunately, my final essay for English, an argumentation essay about who I am does not sound like it will be so easy. The good thing about this essay is that it has sparked debate between my friends and I. We have now decided to pick a topic and debate it weekly. It was one of the most stimulating conversations I have had all semester. That is another difference about college. I feel like I learn more from conversations with my peers than I do from the textbooks. Mr. W they  remind me of our homeroom chats, which I miss very much. My friends and I might cancel our discussion for this coming week due to our workloads.  I have a psychology exam on Monday, but I have missed several classes due to doctor's appointments and tutoring. Thankfully, the professor gets most questions from the book so all I have to do is read the chapter. My friend who is still in high school can not understand why I am always doing work. He says I must procrastinate. Not matter how early I start on assignment I feel like I am always buried in work. This is another major difference between high school and college, one I was not prepared for. In addition to all of the work I have to complete I also have to complete three community service or cultural activities before the end of the semester in order to remain in the honors program. I tried to complete one today. Talk about an adventure. This week was National AIDS week. They were supposed to show the film Angels in America. I went to the room where the film  was supposed to be shown. There was no one there. I talked to a secretary, who set up the movie for me. I watched the beginning of the film by myself. The film was six hours long and difficult to follow. Needless to say I did not watch the whole thing. You have no idea how uncomfortable it is to watch a film by yourself in a huge conference room. What I don't do to fulfill my requirements! That is enough ranting for one entry. I hope everyone had a good week and is enjoying their own adventure because everyday is an adventure. 

Thanksgiving

Sorry about the delay in posts, but I've been away for Thanksgiving break. I was not fortunate enough to go home, but my friend's family was nice enough to let me spend my break with them, and it was great. The drive from Massachusetts to Virginia was long, and we did it very late at night, so we didn't arrive in Virginia until 5 in the morning. I still got plenty of sleep, and my friend and I spent the rest of the day hanging out with his friends, who were all very cool people. Thanksgiving day was great as well, although I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to football and I spent a lot of time trying to get into it, but ended up eating snacks, and getting too full before actual Thanksgiving dinner. My friend isn't huge on football either, but he had relatives to talk to. We spent the next day in the Washington DC area, and went out for lunch at a fairly popular restaurant, not realizing that it was Black Friday, and lines and traffic were horrible. Against all logic we also found ourselves at a mall later that day, which was just as bad as any mall in Minnesota would get. Saturday was my birthday, and the first time I've ever been away from home for that. I wasn't that bothered though really, since it's never been that big of a deal at home, and I still got to talk to my family on the phone and eat a chocolate cake. Being away from home overall wasn't that tough, since I was having fun the whole time, and my friend's family was more than hospitable. The only thing that stunk was knowing that just about everyone else I know from home was hanging out together. What would have been much worse though would be sitting around campus with relatively no one else around, although I probably would have gotten my share of work done, and I really do need to, since I still have about 3 10+page papers left to write before the semester is over, which is in less than two weeks. I've been working all day today, since my regular Monday class was canceled due to my professor's flight delay, and I'm nearly finished with one paper. The only problem is the 3 that are left I've barely got a start on, and I still have classes to go to this week. If I had full days to myself this wouldn't be much of a problem, but either way I'll get this done. I'll just have to work really hard at staying focused.

Even Short Weeks Can Be Long

Three days. How hard can that be? The Spanish paper was due today. This weekend when I was putting  the final touches on it my flash drive decided to act up and my changes got deleted. Then I could not find the bibliography. I was ready to scream. Thankfully, I had time to fix it and was able to hand it in on time.

I have wanted to scream several times already this week. Spending three hours at the doctor can definitely make someone scream. I had to miss two classes yesterday because I had an appointment in Delaware at two o'clock. Three hours and two shots later I was on my way home. Although the day was not very good it does bring me to a good thing about college. Having fewer classes each day. This is a major plus when you are absent because you have fewer notes to catch up on.  In fact I only have to get notes for one of my classes because my English professor was absent. 

Tomorrow is my last day before Thanksgiving break. This brings me to another myth about community college. Students get more time off and attendance is not taken seriously. Many of my friends are already home. Also my school does not have a fall break. Several of my friends from different schools have told me they do not have to go to class. Almost all my teachers take attendance at the beginning of class and if students miss more then four classes, points are deducted from their final grade. Community college a joke? I no longer think so.

That is enough about school. I am just looking forward to spending time with my family and friends. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and I hope it is full of food, family and adventure because everyday is an adventure. 

 

How about this weather?

People on campus are freaking out because the weather has finally gone below freezing. Finally, there's an advantage to being from Minnesota - I'm more than ready for this stuff.
We had an exceptionally rainy weekend, which was okay, because I found myself doing a lot of indoor activities anyway. I caught up with my friend from my hometown who goes to college nearby. I've seen him a few other times this semester, and he's definitely more stressed out than I am. His college is considerably more competitive, and one of the reasons I don't see him that often is that he is constantly busy working or studying. Though that is the case for most college students, I usually find time on weekends to go into town or go to a movie, but he seems to be busy all the time, and on top of his work he signs up for numerous extracurricular activities. We met up and went to the new James Bond movie, which was pretty cool, and hung out at the mall. He's still in a good mood, and he's also going back home for Thanksgiving break, because his school actually gives them a full week off, unlike my school, which gives us Wednesday through Sunday. Although I'm not that upset about it actually. Sure, going home would be nice, but the amount of time it would take to do all that travelling (college to bus station, bus to Boston, Boston to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to home.) would be too tedious and annoying of a process to have to endure twice in one month. I'll be home soon enough, I figure. And I'll get to spend Thanksgiving in the Washington DC area with my friend, which should be fun since I've never been there, even though I don't plan on doing any sight-seeing.

Sometimes I Miss the Old Days

Did you ever wake up on Monday and just know that it was going to be an eventful week? That is what happened to me this week and it seems my feeling was right. It is only Tuesday and there have already been highlights! Yesterday morning my printer didn't work and of course I had a paper due. I saved the paper to my flash drive and went to the library to print it out. All I can say is thank goodness I had an hour. First you have to buy a print card using this big machine. After you get the print card you have to go to a computer in the front and select your computer number and the document you want printed. For a person that is as technological challenged as I am this was quite a task. Boy I miss the days when I would just hit file print and go stand by the printer. 

I realized another thing I miss yesterday. Clubs that were organized. Mr. W I never thought I would say this but I have found an advisor more unorganized than you! I went to a Rotaract meeting which is a volunteer organization that they are trying to begin at my school. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for volunteering and I have a hard time saying no. It should come as no surprise that I am now president of the Rotaract club. The adviser has no idea where to begin and he told me it was now my club. If anyone has any suggestions for fundraising or advice on how to get a club started I would appreciate it.

Just a quick example of how different college is. I watched a film in Spanish today. At one point in the film the professor turned to us and said "You're all eighteen correct?" She was asking because of the content of the previous scene. It just made me laugh and remember when I had to get a consent form signed when they showed movies with curses and how in college age does not matter.  I guess it is just another one of the many differences between high school and college.

There have already been multiple adventures this week and I have a feeling they are far from over. This is not surprising of course because everyday is an adventure! 

TGIF

All I can say is TGIF. This week has been full of projects, papers and test. Unfortunately, it looks like this will be the pattern until the end of the semester. I have been working on a five page paper for my Spanish class for over a month now and I am still not done. I have written the paper in English and am now translating into Spanish. Translation takes me forever! There is also my theatre class where I have to pretend to be a designer meaning I have to design a set and costumes and do the lighting for my own version of Hansel and Gretel. This is a major challenge for non creative people like myself. Finally there is the English paper I have to write for Monday. The topic is what is my definition of the American Identity. Professionals can not even come up with a clear definition for this phrase. How exactly am I supposed to? Especially since I can't even figure out my own individual identity let alone a single identity for the entire country. Whoever said community college was so much easier than a four year institution never went to community college!

Another challenge at community college besides academics is extracurricular activities. I have found difficultly getting back to school for them. One reason is lack of motivation to wait at school for an extra hour just for the meeting to begin. The other reason is difficulty getting a ride back to school to attend the meeting. Community college is certainly not what I expected. I should not be surprised though because no adventure ever is and everyday is an adventure!

Four weeks left

I've only got four weeks or so left of the semester. I feel both excited and stressed at the same time. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Minnesota for a while and getting a good break in without having to worry about work, and my schedule for January Term and Spring Semester sound exciting. I'm taking a screenplay course, as well as a creative writing class and a visual media class, and they all sound really fun. The worst part about it though is that two of these classes are in the Humanities department, and my least favorite class right now, the dreaded Postcolonial turn, is in the humanities department. So not only is that class horribly confusing and impossible to gain anything from, there's now no reason for me to be taking it, since I'll have fulfilled the requirement two more times over once the year is over. And I'm not looking forward to the end of the semester a whole lot. Granted, my school doesn't administer tests, so there won't be any finals, but I totaled it up the other day and I found that I'll have roughly 60 pages of work to turn in at the end of the semester. Some of that work will be easy and I'm not too worried about it, but plenty of it sounds absoultely frustrating, and I'm dreading it. But having it done will be nice, and it should make break, once it comes, all the more rewarding.

Massive Nights

Two of the single wildest nights of my life happened in the past week:

1) Halloween. The College is notorious for its Halloween party, often referred to as 'Trip or Treat" for the supposed widespread consumption of psychedelic drugs. I don't know how many people exactly were tripping, but there was definitely plenty of weed, alcohol, and ecstasy going around, and even without consuming any drugs the night was still pretty surreal. There were three bands playing, two of them outside, so if you stood in the right place there was a mash-up of sounds. In that rough middle area there were people juggling torches, swallowing fire, and doing acrobatic tricks, while overhead a barrage of fireworks exploded constantly. Above all this, nearly everyone is in a costume, and most of them are also on drugs. It was like walking around in a deranged circus. I've been mostly annoyed with the amount of drug use going on on campus, but I wasn't as bothered, maybe because everyone was having a good time regardless, and I wasn't trying to get to sleep. I had a great time dancing to many of the live bands, and was totally exhausted by the next morning.
2) Election Night. I don't know if I'll ever forget this moment. We were all sitting in a lounge watching the election returns, when CNN officially projected that Barack Obama would be the next president of The United States. Suddenly everyone's phones were ringing. The moment we had been waiting for ever since we started caring about politics had finally come. My friend from Vermont gave me a call and we yelled at each other for a good five minutes about how it had finally changed, how the next four years of our lives will be different than the past eight. When I finished talking to him, we all ran outside, where nearly every student was out celebrating. I've never seen such a happy group of people in my life. I can think of my High School graduation, but that was nothing compared to the joy we were all feeling. I felt compelled to shout at the top of my lungs - "IT'S OVER!" I got a hug from somebody I'd never met before. Though this is probably truly pale in comparison, I could only relate this moment to those celebrations that happened after World War II ended. You could almost see a sailor kissing a nurse amongst all the chaos. I saw fireworks exploding over the library lawn. We all ran to the front of the library, and the sight that greeted me made me more excited than I ever was. Along with the fireworks, students had assembled an impromptu band, mostly consisting of percussion and some big horns, and were playing dance music while everyone danced together. But what made it so great was that the combination of these elements made it exactly like the final scene of The Return of The Jedi - one of my all time favorite movies. The only thing it needed was a toppling Bush statue or some funeral pyres and you would swear you had walked on to a movie set in 1983. I have never felt such a sense of unity with such a large group of people in my life, and I doubt I ever will again. And while I'm sure there were plenty of people on drugs in the crowd, we were all undoubtedly high on the feelings of pure joy we felt. People were going wild, and even though many of these people were strangers, we all were there for the same reasons and we all felt totally united.
"It's Finally OVER!" I was yelling.
"No - It's just beginning." whoever I was hugging responded with.
They were right, too. At least I hope they are. This is a new era, and that's where I was when the moment came. I must have hugged at least 50 people, and been hugged by just as many. Everyone was jumping, dancing, hugging and chanting the various chants that have become associated with the Obama campaign. I went to my friend we spontaneously began singing the National Anthem, which eventually everyone caught on and sang. Not only was it cool because I started the whole crowd singing, but I think I may have been in the first time in my life I sang that song by choice, and not just out of routine or tradition. As skeptical as I sometimes as I may be about The College, last night I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

Optional Class? There really is such a thing.

This week has demonstrated the biggest difference between college and high school: Optional classes. We had the option of going to theatre on Monday to have one on one conferences with the professor about our grades and the upcoming midterm. I did not go because I felt I could better prepare myself by taking online quizzes and reviewing the text. What that really means, I got to sleep an extra two hours! One on one conferences are popular in college. I have a conference with my English professor tomorrow. This one is not optional. I am nervous for his assessment of my writing. The good news is that after my conference  I get to go home meaning more time to sleep! On Thursday I don't have to go to my World Civilization class because we are having a unit exam which I will have to take in the test center. I finally got my first A in that class. I now study with a classmate which helps tremendously.

 It seems that everyday I attend college I face new struggles, but I also find new solutions. The easiest way to find solutions is to keep life in perspective. My friends have helped me to begin to realize this, whether it be grieving the loss of a good friend (Rest in Peace RS) or having a friend begin to successfully recover from a long surgery friends have shown me there is more to life then school. Also adventures are much easy to survive when someone is there with you, which is good because everyday is an adventure.  

Halfway There

This week has been a bit slow academically. However, I live near Philadelphia so it has been quite an exciting week for the city especially sport fans like myself. Even though today was the parade classes were not cancelled. I only had theatre today but I had to go because I have a midterm for that class next week. Lucky for me it is my only midterm. I also register for classes for the spring semester next week. At my school enrolled students are able to register for classes online. This is very convenient as I will be able to avoid long lines. There is one thing I can't avoid in college. The cold! Walking across campus is difficult and very uncomfortable. I am not looking forward to the snow. I am hoping that it won't start snowing until I go on winter break which begins on December 17th. I can't believe that I am almost done my first semester of college. There have been both ups and downs and I have had numerous adventures but I am not surprised because everyday is an adventure!  

Getting Feedback

As my college does not administer grades to its students, I at times have trouble gauging exactly how well I'm doing in a class. I feel comfortable with all the work I've turned in, but that doesn't necessarily mean that my professors feel the same way. The responses to my past few papers in my Latin American studies class have been critical, but constructive nonetheless. But finally yesterday I got a good response to a paper. I wasn't sure how well my prof liked me, as she is known for being a tough grader and has high expectations for her students, and I don't usually have as much to offer during class discussion as other students do. Previously excerpts from my work, as well as that of other students, had been used in a lesson on what not to do in an argument paper. So I was surprised on Wednesday when she used my last paper as an example of a strongly argued paper with a good thesis statement. Moreover, I was shocked to see how little criticism the paper had on it, as it was mostly covered in (approving) check-marks. It was good to finally get some good feedback in a class I was previously a little worried about. As well, in my Literary Journalism class on Tuesday, I had to read my 8-page memoir aloud to the class. I was freaking out about that leading up to it, as previous papers had been really well written, and I was afraid it would get torn to shreds by my class, especially by one student who always sits in the corner, rubbing his goatee. Rather, my professor had little criticism, and even called it a good example of "describing but not prescribing" (that's typically how she talks) and people seemed to actually enjoy it. And the dude who is always nitpicking other people's work said he thought it was "f**king great" and only had minor problems with it (which is good, because the memoir is far from perfect.) Getting this kind of feedback has been nice, since up to this point I was feeling unsure about how strong my work actually was.

Late Night work sessions are not a myth

The past few days have finally brought me what is apparently common in college, and that is staying up late working. I've managed my time pretty well, and while I've had tons of work, rarely has it gone later than 9-10. That was not the case with last night. I spent the weekend in Cambridge, staying at a friend of a friend's house at Tufts University. It was a really fun time, to be sure. I got to see somewhere around 8 hardcore bands. I've been in moshpits before, but the intensity of these shows has no match as far as I am concerned. I stayed on the sidelines at both the events I went to, taking notes for an article I'm writing for my journalism class. So throughout the weekend, while I was attending concerts, I was deluding myself into thinking that I was doing homework. The only thing I had due on Monday anyway was 45 pages of reading, which is easy, especially since it is from a novel and not a textbook. I completely neglected, however, the massive amounts of work due on Wednesday - 200 odd pages of reading, a five page essay, and a reading response. I would have definitely benefited from taking some weekend time to work on this stuff, but it all ended up happening on Tuesday. Luckily I only have one Tuesday class so I had time to get it done, but I am only human and therefore often fall victim to procrastination. I typically study in my room, but my computer was being too much of a distraction, so I went out in the cold night to go to the library. It's dead quiet on the top floor there, so without any distractions I managed to sit down, focus, and finish my Latin America book - which was also horribly depressing. I still had a five-page paper left to do, which wasn't really that hard - it was about Wartime cartoons, so as a fan of animation I didn't really get too stressed - but I was up until midnight doing it. I'd like to say I've learned my lesson, and I think I have, but sometimes homework still hits me pretty hard. Say, for example, right now. I'm reading the biography of George Bush, and it is almost 10. But a few hours ago the girl down the hall and I were playing bachi ball, both of us admittingly putting off homework. I suppose it's good to relax and take part in a little recreation though, but I can't stand staying up this late working.

Period of Adjustment

It is only Tuesday and I am already counting down the days until Friday. Today I had to walk down three flights of stairs because the elevator wasn't going to floor one. It wasn't until after my downstairs class that I realized if I had rode down to the second floor I could have taken another elevator and arrived at my desired destination. Another brilliant move by me Not! I feel like the only thing I have learned since I have begun college is that I am always wrong! This is a very difficult concept to grasp for a perfectionist like myself. I still have not gotten an A on anything in World Civilization, My spanish professor told me I did terrible on my oral evaluation and I did not know any of answers to the first six questions on my psychology exam. The worst part of these grade troubles is I feel so crunched for time. You only have fifteen weeks to get an A in a college course where as in high school you have an entire year to adjust. I guess my best bet is to do the best I can and focus on next semester. I met with my honors advisor and tentatively picked my classes today for next semester and I am actually looking forward to it. I will probably be taking a political science course, biomedical ethics, english, 102, world civilization, spanish 202 and a math course. It will definitely be an adventure with six classes but at least they will be classes I enjoy. I may have to post again this week if I have another adventure like today. In my case I will most likely be writing again soon because everyday is an adventure!

I Wish I Was a Mind Reader

This week has been ridiculous. I wrote a ten page play for my theatre class. The professor hated it because she said it was to long. My problem: she said it had to be approxamately ten pages. She also said it should only be ten minutes. I don't know about all of you but I have never written a play. I hate watching and reading plays for that matter so I did not know how to write one and she gave no instruction whatsoever. That is one of my biggest pet peeves of college. Most professors expect students to be mind readers and to know what to do and how to do it without any explanation I had a similar experience in english. The professor has not followed the course outline for about three weeks and we are behind by an entire paper. He got angry at the class because no one read a selection for Monday's class that was on the course outline but he made no mention of it in the previous class. Classes would be much less confusing if professors would just stick to the course outline. Psychology is very similar. The professor never covers all the material he wants to so we are always behind. Monday he gave us a packet and told us to bring it class complete on Wednesday. He also told us we would need our books for Wednesday. I lugged my textbook around for four hours and he didn't even get to the material. The best part is that we have a test Monday and some of the questions come straight from the packet. That is enough complaining for now though. For the funny story of the week. PS mom if you are reading you might not think it is funny. I had to go back to school today to take a World Civilization exam. My friend who was at school was taking me home. Now usually when I go to school I take my walker but that only fits in vans so I took my crutches. My friend's class was done at three. I got done my test around two-thirty so I decided to walk to the building where her class was. I know what you are thinking I got lost right? No, I am actually getting pretty good with the layout of the campus. I got to the building which happened to be the school of nursing and.... I fell. There was a lip on the step and my crutch got caught and down I went! I guess I picked the best place on campus to fall because there was about ten people there to help me within seconds. The campus police had to come and file an accident report it was not my best moment. I guess I should not be surprised though because in my life everyday is an adventure!

Breakin'

The past few days have felt like a scene out of a vampire movie. Campus is more or less dead, with the withering leaves of the trees falling to the ground and bicycles laying abandoned against trees like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Nearly everyone has gone home for Fall Break, since the majority of people live on the east coast that go here, including most of the people I've made friends with. It's been okay though, I've gotten a chance to explore the area and get a lot of work done, but seeing campus like this is just a reminder of how far away from home I am. Over the weekend I went to two movies, which were both good but not great, and the travel experience on the bus system, which I believe I've already gone into, is never to great. Friday and Saturday nights, the bus between the mall and the University campus is packed, probably beyond maximum capacity, with plenty of people who you don't want to be on a crowded bus with. I wasn't given a ton of homework to do over break, and that hasn't been hard to get done, so I've found myself at times trying to find something to do, but there's no one here. But I really shouldn't be complaining - I'm on break, which means I don't have class and more homework. It would be nice to have some friends around though. I suppose I could go do my laundry...

Look deep inside and Self-Evaluate...take your time.

One of the positives of my school, at least one of the reasons I chose to come here, is that there are no grades, tests, or specific requirements. However, that isn't to say that there is nothing in place of that. On Wednesday we have to turn in a "Midterm Self-Evaluation" for each class. These are one-to-two paragraphs essays detailing how we feel we've progressed as students in each of our classes. It doesn't seem to bad, it's not like I have to look any further than myself to find the answers. What it is though, is a forerunner to the End-of-Term Evaluation, which is filed at the end of the semester about the overall experience. It's an odd thing, how this semi-bureaucratic system is what is in place of grading. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the no grades thing they have going here, but around campus you hear people talking about how they just finished filing their division 1 or 2 projects - even though it is the beginning of the year. This leads me to believe this whole divisional evaluation system may be more of a challenge than I thought, as originally I understood that the divisions directly correlated to the academic year. Apparently not. People end up studying here for more than four years quite often, and that scares me. The money for my tuition won't stretch that far. So it's just another motivator to work hard and not put things off. People get through here in four years if they do that.

If College was Like this all the Time I Would Not Mind Going!

Where to begin? I know this blog is supposed to simply be for my college experience but there are many things that influence my experience. One is the amount of sleep I get. I am a worry wart and do most of my worrying at night. This week has already been full of worry. One of my best friends got surgery today, (love you) another just got cleared by the doctor to return to physical activity(hooray team mom is back) and another has to go back in the hospital for cancer treatment(you are an inspiration).  I just wanted to let you all know I was thinking about you and I ask everyone to put these three people in your prayers. 

Now for the actual day. I got to do one of the coolest assignments of my educational career today. I have to write a ten minute play for my theater class. In order to get possible scenarios the professor told us to go anywhere on campus and observe others. Then we had to use our own experiences and creativity to make inferences in their lives. It made me feel a connection to people I did not even know. Then I went to english and I found out that according to college or at least my professor's standards no one in my class knew how to write a good opening.  I do have to give kudos to my Jr. AP Language& Composition teacher because I was the only one who knew what he was talking about when he discussed rhetoric and the different types of writing.

Sometimes it is good to be the only one. For example I was the only one to get an A on my psychology test. It is the test that I wrote about in my last update with the paragraph for each question and my first college exam. It was pretty exciting.

I must say that another myth about community college is that it is always bad being close to home. I found out this week it is nice being close to family for comfort and being able to be there physically for friends. This week has just begun and I am looking forward to the adventures ahead because everyday is in adventure!

P.S. Title contributed by my sister. 

The Work Swamp

Wow.  I thought previous weeks were tough, but this week redefined that entirely.  I thought last weekend seemed too light, and I realize now, in retrospect, that it was just the calm before the storm.  I had to read over 300 pages and come up analysis in response, watch two films, and begin research on a topic relating to Latin America.  On top of that I found out that I should already  be well into one of my long-term writing assignments.  Granted, I have a bunch of it handwritten in a notebook, but I haven't typed a word of it yet.  It isn't as bad as I'm making it out to be though.  Nearly all of the work is interesting stuff, and my Postcolonial class is starting to become more understandable, and I've been able to contribute to class discussion.  

I had a pretty good time last weekend, though.  Last Friday I had my radio show without my co-host there with me, but it still went well.  I'm pretty sure only my parents listened to it though. Campus was wild on Friday, as somebody had held a party in one of the dorms, in which the alcohol was consumed within a matter of minutes.  I walked in not long after seeing numerous people staggering out of the building, and after avoiding numerous drunk people, found that the entire building reeked of alcohol.  I found my friends inside (they happen to live the floor below) and we went to a concert happening on campus.  It was pretty cool music, and the crowd's vibe was great, even though most of them were inebriated.  

I went and watched the presidential debate in the main lecture hall on Friday as well.  Both the debates have been great to watch in the halls.  Not only are there students playing drinking games in there (take a shot every time Palin says "Alaska") who provide some interesting commentary, but everyone is cheering, laughing, and booing at the big-screen projection.  I thought this was a common thing on college campuses, but I found out that my college is the only college in the area that has big public screenings of the debates and election coverage.  So there's another positive - drunk though many of them may be, the students here do care a lot about what's going on in their country.

Testing the Limits

I have made it through an entire month of college. This is the first time since prior to high school I have not been counting down the days. I took my first major exam this week in psychology. It contained four chapters worth of information and had sixty questions. Each question was several sentences long. It did not seem that hard but I have not gotten it back yet so I do not know how I did. I have two exams next week. One is in world civilization. Although the professor gave us the essay questions in advance and did an extensive review I am worried because he is a stickler for details and my work has not been up to his standards. I have an IEP that states I get extra time on exams because it takes me longer to write. When I was in high school I would just finish the test after school. In college my professor will have to schedule a time for me to take the test at the test center in the library. That means  I do not even have to go to class on Tuesday. I have another exam on Tuesday in Spanish that I am not looking forward to. In order to improve my spanish and earn some extra points I am trying to find a volunteer job where I have to speak spanish. If any teachers are reading this I would love to come and tutor students in spanish. 

I did not have any major adventures this week just a few mishaps. For example when my walker wheel got stuck in the elevator and my walker almost flipped or when the bathroom door got stuck. Other then that this week was pretty uneventful.

Hope everyone had a good week. Also I just wanted to say Good Luck Bucky. I love you!  Just try and look at this as an adventure because everyday is an adventure. 

"Real College"

It is five o'clock in the morning so forgive me if I rant. Remember how much I loved college? Well that must have been  "fake" college where there were not many papers and there were not test covering a minimum of three chapters or quizzes every other day! College was a place to have discussions about "real" issues for the sake of learning not for just grades. That idea has officially ended and so does my stress free experience. I find myself getting more nervous taking college test than I ever did taking high school test. I find that my hands literally shake and my words are unclear for oral presentations. Nervousness just makes my cp worse as my body will tense up and my muscles will not work. If anyone has any suggestions on how to overcome this nervousness they would be appreciated. Enough about the bad parts of the college experience. There are many events outside the classroom that are intellectual stimulating. For example I went to a political discussion on campus with the guest speaker being a professor from Georgetown. Also the campus is hosting a lecture series or Christianity, Islam and Judaism that I plan to attend. This brings me to my next myth about community colleges. They do not have courses for extremely "gifted" students. This is a fallacy. My school has an honors program. Not only do students in this program have to take a minimum of four honors classes during their two years and maintain a 3.5 gpa: students must also complete a minimum of twelve hours of community service/cultural events per semester.  

Now for the infamies handicapped tirade of the week. Let us talk about an issue everyone has. Having to use the restroom. Yes even handicapped people have to use the restroom. You are probably thinking there are handicapped stalls what is the big deal. The stalls are great but they are much less effective if a person can not get into the bathroom. The doors are too heavy. Restrooms with handicapped stalls need to automatic doors to get both in and out of the restroom. One more thing if you are an abled bodied person and there are regular stalls available please do not use the handicapped stalls. Apparatus such as wheelchairs and walkers do not fit in regular stalls thus making it difficult or impossible for disabled people to use them. Ok that is enough complaining for one entry,

One more thing not but it is not a complaint. Not only has this week been different in the work load but it has also been different in the fact that there have been no major adventures at school. Of course it is only Thursday morning and adventures can happen at anytime because everyday is an adventure.

This whole clever post titling is getting harder each time...

I've been hit with a lot of work lately, but none if it has really been a drag. Except for the Postcolonial reading, which is still a bunch of intellectual nonsense as far as I'm concerned, all the work has been both challenging and interesting. For my World War 2 class I've been looking through old newspaper archives online, and reading about American sentiment leading up to the draft, and I've got to write a long paper about it, but it's still a fascinating subject. The same has been going for my Latin America class, which is definitely a more challenging class in terms of analysis and discussion, but being able to discuss topics like the ones we discuss in class is a great experience, something I never got to do in High School. I also had my advisor meeting, where my advisor (who is also my WWII teacher) talked to me about how things were going so far. I told him more or less the same things I've been posting in this blog. He also had a chance to read my first essay for his class, and while he had some constructive criticisms for me, he also said that I was a great writer, which is always good to hear.
This weekend a good number of people are heading home or to the city, and the same goes for the week after next, which is Yom Kippur/October break. A lot of people aren't as far away from home as I am, and I'm going to have to get used to being alone for good periods of time. It's not all bad though, plenty of people should still be around and there is always something to do. It's just that seeing that people are within a day's drive from the comforts of home really kind of sucks when I'm 25 hours away from home.
My friend, who was supposed to stay around for the semester left this morning for good. So much for that. Whatever, I'm having a good time.

Cancellations Don't Mean Canceling Adventures

There is one thing everyone needs to know about me. I am persistent. With that in mind it should be no surprise that I went back to the building next to the registrar to try and join the club that I had tried to join Friday. This time I had a plan. I would call the woman I was supposed to meet and have her meet me outside the building. When I called her she told me there was a ramp and that I could just come right in. Despite getting directions as to where the ramp was located I was unable to find it and had to get someone who worked in the building to show me where it was. Once I saw ramp I realized there was another problem. The ramp was one of the steepest I had ever seen. It was not going up that concerned but rather coming down. I did not think the brakes would provide enough traction to stop me before I hit the railing. I was able to join the club successfully but now for the challenge of getting down. I decided to hold the rail and walk backwards down the ramp while facing the walker and and pulling it down after me. It took me several minutes but my plan of getting down safely was very successful! 

Another wonderful aspect of college is that if a professor is sick or has an emergency and cancels class students get to go home. This is exactly what happened on Wednesday. Both my theatre and english classes were cancelled. Even when theatre is cancelled it still throws in some excitement. I saw a friend of mine who is in that class with me. Her and I decided to walk to class together. She took me in a different way than my normal route. I need to just stop taking shortcuts. I guess my friend did not realize I had trouble using stairs as you had to walk up steps to take her route. She looked perplexed when we reached them. I quickly grabbed the rail and walked up the steps, Unfortunately my friend had to carry the walker. It is heavy and awkward but she managed. It was not until we got up the steps and walked all the way to the classroom that there was a sign saying class was cancelled. This just proves that I do not need to have class to have an adventure because everyday is an adventure!

A Whole New World

Please note that I wrote these first few blogs weeks ago when I first learned that I would be doing this. I was very excited and couldn't wait to start. I have officially finished my first week of college and I loved it. For anyone who knows me this probably comes as a shock. There are so many advantages that I didn't even think of when I was in high school. Once professors are done teaching students are allowed to leave regardless of the time. Professors provide you with a syllabus for the entire semester the first day. This is great for someone like me who is pretty active as it allows me to complete the work when it is convenient for me. The most significant difference between college and high school is that I can go home between classes- provided of course that I have a ride. This makes my everyday pain much less severe.

The next myth that I want to disprove about attending community college is that it is grade 13 and you will know everyone. I was the girl that knew everyone in high school I knew every member of the class of 2008. I walked into my first college class and knew one person out of about twenty-five. I have about six people I went to school with in all of my classes combined. So don't think you won't have the opportunity to meet new people and create a new you.

I don't have any major adventure this week but I did have a few close calls. For example, I thought the elevator was broken and my class was on the third floor or when I walked into my theatre class and all the chairs were on risers. I also got lost and called my sister for directions. Despite these minor mishaps I managed to be on time for every class. Quite an accomplishment if I do say so myself. Now I have to go do some work remember everyday is an adventure.

So it Begins

So It Begins

When I was first asked to write a blog I was nervous. Why would anyone want to hear from me, a young handicapped woman who will be attending a community college? Then I realized this blog could be a good thing. For one thing I can use it to share some of the additional obstacles physically challenged students face when going off to college. Classes have not even started yet and already I have discovered my first myth and faced my first challenge. Myth number 1 it is easy to get to and from college. I live less then five minutes from the college and my sister is also a student there yet I am still having transportation difficulties. My sister and I have completely different schedules, both my parents are usually busy in the morning and I don't have a license. Boy we are certainly not in high school anymore where everyone started the same time and there were buses. I guess I will have to make friends fast.

Another reason I am going to need friends is because I am terrible on directions In fact, I have already been to the campus bookstore to ask for directions. When I went to orientation everyone met on the second floor. When we had to get our student id's we had to go to a different building. We were supposed to simply follow the advisors. there was one small problem...stairs.  I had to use the elevator which took me to a different location then the rest of the group. Of course this caused me to be lost and that is why I ended up in the bookstore asking for directions long before classes began.

If you follow my blog you will learn that these kinds of mishaps occur quite frequently in my life. In fact when I was away on my own for the first time for a month I created a shirt that said "everyday is an adventure." that is my motto for the coming year I hope you come along and enjoy the ride. 

Lost Continued Week of 9-12

I should have known when I signed up for theatre that I would have adventures. I did not realize I would have so many this early in the semester! I was late for my next theatre class because my ride hit construction on the way to my house. By the time I got on campus I was able to meet my sister and she agreed to walk me to class. She has the same class but she has it on Tuesday and Thursday. She told me she would take me in a side entrance that would get me there faster. Unfortunately, she did not know where we were. I can always count on my sister to add some excitement to my day! Got to love her! We spent several minutes going up and down ramps because the first door we tried was locked. Eventually we found my class and I was able to enjoy the film the class was watching.

Finally it was Friday. I only have one class so the day can not be too full of adventure right? WRONG! I decided to go searching for a building after class in order to sign up for a club I want to join. I did not know where the building was. Is anyone surprised by that? I figured it was early and I did not have anywhere to be so I decided to go on my own little campus tour. This brings me to my next myth about community colleges. They are much smaller than four year schools. I probably put two miles on my walker that day! Finally I saw a classmate of mine who had a map. He told me that the building I was looking for was right next to the registrar building. This frustrated me because I had been to the registrar building several times and I actually knew how to get there.  Then came the icing on the cake. When I arrived at the building the only entrance I saw was preceded by numerous steps.

This brings me to my handicapped tirade of the week. Like actors/actresses architects are clearly not handicapped. Let me give future architects advice on how to make buildings truly handicapped accessible. Make sure you make the ramp visible. Also if you put in handicapped parking spots make sure you put a ramp nearby! That brings me to the definition of accessible as it relates to ramps. The wheels get caught on every crack in the sidewalk and every lip on ramps. Even if it is just a small lip people in wheelchairs might need help getting across it. If something is "accessible" that should mean people with disabilities can complete the task independently ! That is enough venting for one week. I hope everyone had a good week and I will post another adventure soon because everyday is an adventure.

Lost.. the First of Many

I have to break this week up into two updates as I have had several adventures. Adventure #1. Trying to get on and off the stage for my theatre class. Apparently there are no real handicapped actors/actresses they must just be played by able bodied individuals but that is besides the point. I had gotten on the stage using a side entrance. The professor wanted my group to get off the stage and watch the other group perform. She told me there was another entrance that would allow me to get to the chairs without having to take the stairs. What she forgot to mention is that I had to go outside and around the building. Thank goodness that someone who is a theatre major came with me or I would probably still be looking for the entrance. 

Apparently, one adventure did not fill my adventure quota for that day thus we have adventure #2. I had to go to the financial aid office to straighten out a few issues. I have only been to the office  once before. When I came out of the office I was lost and only had a few minutes to get to my english class. Thankfully, my professor was walking across the street and I was able to catch up to him and he showed me where to go. Unfortunately, we had to go all the way to the other side of the building to use the elevator. I was exhausted by the end of that day. That day was certainly an adventure! Until the next one....

Truths about me

 Truths About Me

I have already discussed what I hope to accomplish with this blog. Now let me tell you what I know. I know I am: a perfectionist, overachiever, handicapped (sometimes I forget that tiny detail) independent, thus making is hard for me to ask for help, class president of my high school class (three years running) and last but not least valedictorian of my high school class. 

I also know that some of these qualities have helped me to already have earned 21 college credits. With this amount of credits it is possible for me to complete my two years at community college by next fall if I take a few winter and summer courses. that is my goal but let me not get too far ahead of myself. For my first semester I will be taking basic physiology, intermediate spanish, introduction to theatre,a world civics course, as my major is political science/government and an honors english course. I am not too concerned with any of  my classes because I don't have to take a math or science my two hardest subjects. I am more fearful of being in a new place where I don't know many of the students or teachers and they don't know me.  I do have class Monday through Friday though so I hope to get acclimated quickly. This schedule will also help keep my motto accurate. Everyday can and probably will be an adventure.

"Closure in representation naturalizes the meaning of an image." ...wait- what?

On Monday I got a nice little break when my Postcolonialism class was cancelled for the day.  It's definitely my least favorite class, but then again that's not saying a whole lot since I love my other 3 classes.  Today was complicated, since the book we were supposed to have read was not available at any of the local bookstores, and our professor had not put it on reserve anywhere.  So I found myself reading an online version of the book, which, as I found out today, was not even the right book.  So only three of the twelve students had read the book, and the discussion was far, far over my head, and somehow some of the students who hadn't read the book were also able to engage in the discussion very aptly.  At the end of class I talked to one of my classmates, who also finds the class very challenging.  It was nice to know that I'm not the only one in there who's frustrated at the abstract concepts and disorganization.

Last night, a friend of mine went to the local movie theater and saw "Burn After Reading", which I recommend.  Getting there was a little bit of a hassle, as I have found the bus system to be.  As accustomed as I am to the small-town, middle-of-nowhere life, it's very different being at the mercy of a public transportation system that doesn't make many stops at my school, since it's further removed from the other colleges and stops in the area.

My friend who planned on dropping out has planned on staying at least until the end of the semester, as that would be an easier way to transfer credits and apply to another school with less hassle.  We'll see how he does until then.  

Everything Else

At this point I'm more or less settled into the college lifestyle. I've gotten into the swing of all my classes, and I've adapted to my schedule. My schedule is pretty accommodating to the workload. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, I don't have any work before 1pm, so if I manage to get up early enough I can get a lot of work done. That said, the workload can be pretty intense. I've already written two papers and read hundreds of pages of text. My advice right now would be to treat all your homework like a job, and get it all done as soon as possible. I've managed it all pretty well and I've still found myself with plenty of time to hang out with my friends.
It has also opened the door for all sorts of cool extracurricular activities. A few nights ago all the student groups set up tables in the cafeteria with information and sign-up sheets. I signed up to have a radio show, joined the comics collective, and even put myself on a list for potential elementary school tutors. We'll see how that goes, I'd like to do it but I'm not sure about transportation or how it will fall in with the rest of my schedule.
Along with that, A friend of mine came up with the idea for a Shakespeare and Pie Club, which is a group that gets together, eats pie, and reads and discusses Shakespeare. I've always had mixed feelings about Shakespeare, but adding pie into the mix makes joining that group a definite "yes".
As well as I've settled in, however, a friend of mine here has already made the decision to drop out. He doesn't feel like this is the right school for him, and I believe he is homesick as well as generally unprepared for college. He's going to go back home and get a full time job, and then maybe enter a community college next semester, and hopes to apply to different schools for next fall. I think that it was probably the right decision on his part, but its really put things in perspective here, in that I'm loving this school, and someone just as easily can't stand it.

Classes

I've now had at least one session in each of my classes. I'm really excited about two of them, excited to a lesser degree about another, and still undecided about the other. My World War II writing class and my Literary Journalism class are the classes I'm most excited about. They should, from what the syllabus and the professors have said, help me grow as a writer. I'll have the opportunity to write about World War II, which is my favorite period in US History, and 3 articles on the topic of my choice for my Jouralism class. My Life Stories from Latin America class sounds pretty fascinating, and it deals with a lot of the tumultuous government business that was going on during the Cold war, which I find very interesting. My fourth class, about Postcolonialism, I'm a little skeptical about. We'll be ready a lot of cool books and watching some great movies (The Battle of Algiers and Trainspotting), but right now it seems really disorganized and I still don't really know what Postcolonialisim is. Overall though, I'm looking forward to this semester.

(Dis)Orientation

Thursday through Monday was Freshman orientation, which was accurately described to me as "summer camp with homework in the distance". It's been exhausting in that we had events planned for us for the whole day, mostly varied forms of "mixer" games and speeches about drugs, sex, and community at school. The school's notorious drug culture has already shown its face, with incoming students bonding over conversations about pot. Every night howls and screams are heard in the distance, and you'd be hard-pressed to walk through the quad without walking through a cloud of smoke of various smells. I've managed to make friends with people without it being based on our enthusiasm for drug use, or our staunch opposition to it. We usually find ourselves wandering around campus, wondering aloud about where everyone else is, and then hearing stomping feet and tambourines coming towards us. While wandering around last night, we witnessed something that seemed to sum up The College pretty well: On the lawn near us, two people were practicing the violin together, playing beautiful music under the dim lights, while across from us in the quad a resounding holler went up that either meant someone had just chugged a ton of alcohol or taken the biggest hit of their life. (I'm assuming the latter) I'm already under the impression that a lot of these people are honestly spending $40,000+ a year just to do drugs. And plenty are here just to argue with drug users. I think this will settle down a bit now that returning students have arrived, and they aren't as excited by the no-parents-no-authority-let's do drugs concept as first year students are. The serious people are here now, and everyone who took this place to lightly has probably disappeared since last year.

Getting Started

My family and I left Minnesota for Massachusetts sometime around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. I had spent the previous two days packing everything that was necessary (clothes, printer, movie posters, 100+ DVDs). Along with that I had to figure out how to open up two different bank accounts since ATMs on the east coast don't have any affiliation with midwestern banks. Taking care of this is something I recommend doing sooner than two days before leaving. As much as I would like to say that it was sad staying in my bed for the last night for months, I can't say I felt that bad about leaving my house. The hardest thing about this whole process has been saying goodbye to people with the farewell "See you around Christmas.", which has knocked me into the reality of this experience more than anything else. That's a long time to go to a place where you don't know anybody.
Intent on arriving at our hotel as soon as possible, we drove for 25 consecutive hours, each of us taking shifts at the wheel. It was nice to get there as soon as possible, but sleeping in a packed car with four other people is no easy task. We arrived in Massachusetts at night, and I went to bed as soon as possible. The plan has been to get a few days of vacation in before I am dropped off at school, so we've been staying in Cape Cod for the past 2 days, and tomorrow I start school. I've been looking forward to it, or at least not dreading it, in spite of what I believe are my family's attempts to get me to admit some form of sadness ("It's your last night sleeping at home"..."Well...this is the last family car trip you'll take all year."..."Your last days before you begin college - nervous?"..."It's your last day before school starts, what would you like to do?"). What I'd like to do is start school now so I don't have to deal with people asking me how I feel about something I know nothing about.

Scotty (8/27/2008)�

The End of the Year

Finally, its summer. I have been home for two days now and am starting to settle into a summer routine. I still have about 20 boxes of unpacked stuff from my dorms in the garage that I am trying my best to ignore. Although I am thrilled to be done with freshman year, it is a really weird feeling. Leaving my dorm room was pretty sad, but I'm almost certain I'm the only one who thought so. Its just strange to think that that was my little home for a whole year and in three months a new freshmen will be moving in. Being away from school for three months will be so odd. Not seeing my friends constantly, eating home-cooked food every night, washing my clothes whenever I feel like it. It will definitely be different, but I'm ready. Knowing that this is my last blog, I was thinking back to the first one that I wrote. I was still packing up everything for school, with one or two weeks left before move-in. I was nervous and excited and scared. Now, I am just so thankful for the year I've had and how wonderful it has all been. I've met some great friends and really found a niche where I belong. As cliche as it sounds, I really couldn't have asked for a better year.

Last thoughts

It is so weird to think that this is my last blog of freshman year. I have so much to do before I leave though! Thankfully I only have one more final, but my roommate and I still need to clean (which is saying a lot considering how little of that we have done this year), put our furniture back to where it started, and somehow bring our very heavy refrigerator to the drop off center. If I succeed in doing the last without seriously harming myself I will be surprised.
It is hard to believe that this year is really over. It seems so long ago that I first came into this room and met my roommate. We were both so nervous! And then there are my friends. In the beginning of the year I was sure I knew who my closest friends were going to be, and I was wrong with almost all of them. I am so thankful for the group of friends I have now! I am so ready for vacation to come that I haven't really thought about leaving that much. I just really realized last night that I won't see my friends here for almost three months. Thankfully I have wonderful friends at home as well, so I won't get lonely.
I have enjoyed writing this blog so much. It has enabled me to take a step back and see what is going on in my life. Freshman year has been a whirlwind of experiences, and I can say honestly say that I have enjoyed it (which would have been such a relief to hear at this time last year!). If you have been following along, thanks for listening. I hope you got a glimpse at what it is like to be a freshman at college!

My Last Weekend

This weekend was the last weekend before summer, which is weird but wonderful. It was also my birthday, so my parents came down and they took my sister and I and our friends to a beach house about 20 minutes away. It was a great way to spend our last weekend. It was cool because this was the same place we stayed the night before we moved into the dorms, so it was a great way to leave school as well. I remember sitting at the beach, trying to focus on my book that I was reading, scared to death about the next day. Would I make friends? Would my roommate and I get along? I loved coming back with my new friends and a year of college under my belt. It just made me extremely grateful for the awesome year I have had. Anyway, the beach house was wonderful. We had numerous walks on the beach, made our birthday cake from scratch (and miraculously, it was a success!!) and I even learned how to dig for sand crabs. On Sunday my parents helped my sister and I pack up everything in our dorm rooms that we could live without for a week and took it home with them. Its extremely weird. My room is mostly bare, and it just reminds me that I only have 5 days of my freshman year left. Two of my finals are today and one is Friday, which means I should probably get some last minute studying done... :)

I started out my blog with a list of advice for moving into the dorms. As this is one of my last posts of freshman year, I would like to include another list for surviving, and enjoying, your freshman year of college.
1. Try to enjoy your classes. No, this is not going to be possible with every course (take Pre Calculus for example...) but it will help a lot. Some of my professors have been really interesting and smart people and have unique things to say.
2. Always be open to meeting more people. In the fall I thought I had my group of friends cut out, but it turned out that I hadn't even met some of the girls that I'm closest to now.
3. See the silver lining around campus dining. Although it is not the most appetizing thing in the world, you do have to live with it for an entire school year.
4. Try to stay in contact with your friends from home. I am so thankful that I have done this with some people, and so sorry I didn't with others.
5. Write down a list of the funny things that happen to you and your friends. A girl suggested this to me in the fall and I didn't do it, and now I really wish I did.
6. Take time alone. You don't get much privacy living in the dorms, especially the first few weeks. It helped so much when I just read alone or listened to my ipod outside.
7. Keep an eye on your leftovers. My roommate and I found out the hard way that eventually they start to smell, which spreads really quickly in a dorm room.
8. Balance your weekends at home and at school well. If you go home too often you won't get involved and connected at school. At the same time, if you are really home sick, take the time to drive home, even if it is only for a few days. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.
9. Get a goldfish. They will keep you company for awhile, but won't live long enough to become a problem. I bought a beta fish, which live longer, and even though I'm over the fish-phase it is still here.
10. Join a bible study, club, music group, or anything else to get connected. It helps so much and gives you an interest in your school.

Next Fall

As the school year is winding down, I am already getting excited for next year. Don't get me wrong; I can't wait for summer. Three months of relaxing with my family and friends sounds glorious. But its such a different feeling than previous times. Before, I would only let myself think of the summer, dreading the time when school would start up again. Now though, I look forward to it. For one thing, I will be living in an apartment with three great friends. Also though, there are a number of things that I want to get involved in, like choir and my church's college leadership team. Its a great feeling that when summer is over, I have an awesome year to look forward to. No longer will I be focusing on finding my place at college, but I will be able to get further involved in the areas that I have an interest in. Until then though, I will thoroughly enjoy my summer.

Last weekend was my old high school's graduation, which was pretty weird. Even though I wasn't there because I am still in school, I saw pictures and heard about it from friends. It is weird because it doesn't feel like it has been an entire year since I graduated. That was such a fun, but excrutiating, time. I had no idea what my next year was going to be like, and here I am, almost entirely through it. Like I said, weird.
The pace of school is starting to pick up again. This time it is much more bearable, considering my motivation is three months off. This weekend I have a lab report and a formal "logical" essay to write, not to mention reading "The Prince" by tomorrow at 9. Even though vacation is only 2 1/2 weeks away, it still seems like I will never be done. My friend visited me this weekend and it was like a teaser of what summer is going to be like. I love my friends here so much, but I also miss the ones I see at home. So now I really can't wait!
So wish me luck with finishing up my schoolwork and staying focused (as well as staying patient)!

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend my friend is coming down to visit. I am sooo excited! I can't wait to show her around and have her finally see what I have been doing this last year. I have made numerous plans for the days she is here, including watching a movie in the drive-in theater, going to the beach, and getting dessert at the most ideal little coffee shop. Realistically, we won't end up doing half the stuff I have thought of, but thats fine. The best part will just be getting to catch up and talk. Plus, its perfect timing for her visit. My roommate is going to be gone this weekend, so she doesn't have to sleep on the floor. Over the last month, my roommate has been in total moving-out mode. She isn't exactly the biggest fan of our college and is transferring next year. So, she has been slowly emptying her room every time she goes home, which is quite frequently. Only the bare essentials are left on her side of the room, even though there are still three weeks of school left. It works for me though. It will be nice to have my room all to my self for when my friend comes.

Sailing

For quite a while my friends and I have been talking about visiting each others' houses, and this weekend we finally put all the planning into action. We were able to visit two homes, and ended down by San Diego. While there, my friend's dad took the four of us out sailing. I have to say, it was quite an experience. I always had the idea that sailing was very peaceful; very calm and mellow. So when my friend's dad kept apologizing for the lack of wind and how boring it was, I was slightly confused. That is, until the wind picked up. Lets just say I wasn't really prepared for the excitement. When there is a strong enough wind, one side of the boat can tilt really far into the air, and can even tip over. The first time the wind picked up, I was on the downside of the boat, so when the boat tilted, all I could see was a huge sail heading straight for me. So I jumped/fell off into the water. Honestly, I was amazed the boat hadn't tipped over. Anyway, after that I learned to hold on and to stay on the right side of the boat. I had definitely learned my lesson. The rest of the trip was great; especially getting to see where my friends lived and finally meeting their families. I have to say though, sailing was definitely the highlight.

End of Freshmen Year

The time has already come, to go home. Like I said before, I can't believe it's already that time of year. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a junior I told him how fast this year went by and he said it only seems to go by faster every year. Overall I had an awesome year. I met a lot of great people, had good professors and enjoyed a lot of my classes. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I honestly think I'll miss dorm life too; just being able to walk down the hall and being able to see 20 people you know. Also not having to clean your own bathroom, cooking your own food etc. I'm very excited to get an apartment next year but it's definitely going to be a huge change. This week has been so crazy with finals, compared to last semester. I'm not sure why but I feel way more overwhelmed now. I probably won't sleep for the next two nights because I still have 3 finals and a revision paper due before I leave on Friday and I haven't STARTED packing. Thinking about leaving here is really a bittersweet thought. I obviously can't wait to go home and see my family and be free for the summer, but it's going to be really hard to leave my friends and my life here. I don't think there's anything I would change about the last nine months; I've learned so much.

Relief at Last

This week, like most, is flying by. I am finally done with my midterms and papers (for a week or so, at least), hence the title of this blog. I think I did fairly well on all of them, which is nice. It is always a horrible feeling to end a test and feel sure that you didn't do well.
This weekend I am going home with a friend, which is exciting. I love meeting my friends parents and seeing how similar they are. It will be interesting to see her home and town considering I've only known her here at school. When we are down there she is going to take me sailing, which should be fun. I'm a little afraid that going to her house will make me want to go home, so I am glad that the school year is almost over.
It is weird to think that in a few weeks I will be leaving school (and with it all my wonderful friends here!) for several months. Still, I am getting ready for a long break. I am also getting very excited because summer means the Renaissance National Conference (I had to put that in there) which is always exciting!

Almost the End

With only five weeks left in the quarter, it has really hit me that this year in the dorms is really going to end. Yes, I am excited. Living with three great girls in an apartment next year is going to be great. At the same time, it will be really weird leaving the dorms. Packing up my room will be so sad. It has been such a big part of this year and my overall experience. Plus, next year my roommate won't be coming back. Instead, she is going to a college closer to her home. Its not like we hang out all the time, but I can't imagine never seeing her again. We have spent this whole year together, getting to know all the weird quirks that we have. It just seems odd that there is a good possibility I will never see her again. After reading this, it probably seems like I am depressed for the end of the year. Trust me though, I'm not. Sure, there will be sad parts, but summer sounds wonderful. And afterwards, I will be a sophomore. I have loved my freshman year, but honestly am so glad that I don't have to do it again. I love that I have a place here now, with friends and traditions.

Midterms

These last two weeks have been extremely busy. The one bad thing about the quarter system is that midterms come very quickly. I feel like I have just started these classes, but I am already half way through. I have had 5 major tests and 1 essay due in the span of only two weeks, which is slightly stressful. Thankfully, I have already done 4 of the tests, so things are starting to slow down a little and I am beginning to live normally again (meaning my desk is no longer one pile of lecture notes and I have stopped dividing my time into "study time" and "study break". I have noticed that even when I do divide my time in only these two categories, my study breaks seem to take up a majority of my time. This was also the first quarter that I felt the need to see my professors in office hours. Although all of my teachers have offered them, I was never desperate enough to put myself into that potentially awkward situation. That changed this quarter. Luckily, it was not nearly as awkward as I imagined it to be and I actually enjoyed it. Due to my visit to my history professor's office, I actually understood the topic I had to write an essay on.

Michael Bublé

So, this weekend was wonderful. My birthday is in about a month, so for an early birthday present my mom and aunt took my sister and I to see a Michael Bublé concert. It was absolutely wonderful. The Friday before, my sister and I decided to go up early and spend the night with a good friend of ours that lives about two hours from the concert. It was nice to see her and just get to talk. Its weird how each school is so different, and even though we are both at college, we are having such different experiences. She is living in an apartment pretty close to campus with a friend. The first time I saw it I was surprised out how small it was, but after searching for a house/condo for a few months I have come to appreciate it. I just hope that our apartment next year will be that roomy. Anyway, back to the concert. Saturday afternoon we headed to the the city where the concert was. We met up with our aunt and mom and got to spend the afternoon with them. It made me realize that, although it will be sad leaving my friends and this great town for the summer, I am definitely getting ready. It will be nice to have quality time with my family and high school friends. So, to wrap it up, the concert was great. It was everything I was expecting and more. Lets just say, I will definitely be listening to his CD nonstop for the next few weeks. :)

Coming to an End

I can not believe that the year is almost over. I'm basically a forth of the way done with my college career. This year has gone by so fast it's unbelieveable. It honestly feels like halloween was last week. However, I've learned a lot this year. I've learned about being on my own (obviously) and having to make good choices without your parents' help, I've learned about social scenes in college and how if you feel uncomfortable being somewhere or with someone you should get out of the situation because there are a lot of sketchy people around. I've also learned about how hard it is to get good grades. First semester it was insane how often I went to the library and how much effort I put into my school assignments, and second semester people kind of learn how you can still get by without putting all of that work in which can be a good or bad thing. I've learned that it's ok to switch your major, but it is a good idea to have SOME direction otherwise it can be stressful. Probably most importantly I've learned how important family is. I knew that before, I mean I've always had great relationships with my parents and extended family but when you're away and something happens, whether its a cousin getting really sick or my step family moving into my house, you realize that those are really important things in your life and should not take your family for granted.

Kayaking

So, for lots of my friends, midterms are coming up. Thankfully, mine are all still a few long weeks away. I am extremely talented at pushing those sort of dates out of my mind until it is absolutely necessary that I start remembering them. So instead of studying, I have been able to enjoy a relaxing weekend. This Saturday my friends and I decided to do something a little more productive with our time than sleeping in until 11. Instead, we woke up early and went kayaking in a bay about 15 minutes from campus. Sometimes it is just so nice to get off campus and remember that there is another world out there that is not focused on midterms and essays. While out, I successfully stayed dry, took multiple pictures without dropping the camera in the ocean, and even saw an otter! Very exciting. The rest of the weekend has been pretty relaxed though. I have watch way too many online episodes of Lost and Standoff to mention without embarrassing myself and have spent a nice chunk of time on facebook. Sadly though, the weekend is about to end, which means that I should start thinking about doing my laundry and finishing the rest of my homework.

New Distractions

I am starting to get very excited that it is Spring Quarter. Not only does this mean that I can start making summer plans, but it also means that my time here at school is starting to get more enjoyable. Last weekend I was able to go down to the beach, and this weekend I think some friends and I are going to go kayaking. Next on the agenda might even be roasting hot dogs on the beach. Now I am remembering why everyone says my school is in such a great location! I love walking to class and seeing people walking to their cars with surfboards, or in bathing suits heading to the beach. It reminds me that it is only minutes away, and that I can go if I want to (and have the time). There is one downside to all of this. Because it is so nice outside, it is even harder to stay in and try to get some work done. I have tried reading on the beach (not very productive) and on the grass (a little more so), but it is unsurprisingly easy to get distracted while doing so. Despite the fact that this season is a distraction, I think I will enjoy it immensely.

Open House

This weekend is open house, which has ended up being a blast. One of my friends from home has decided to come to the same school as me, so she came down to visit this weekend. I had a lot of fun showing her around and having her stay in my dorm. It is weird to think about the difference between where I was last year at this time and where I am now. I remember coming to open house and being so overwhelmed as I followed my mom through all the activities. I was so worried about making friends and getting plugged in, but now I realize I had nothing to worry about. Today I worked at booth for Campus Crusade and it made me realize how far I've come since this time last year. Even though I am still meeting new people and trying out new things, it is a great feeling to know that I have an awesome group of friends and that college feels like a second home to me. Today I was able to talk with new freshmen about joining Campus Crusade and I realized how much I love being here. I definitely made the right decision and I'm so glad.

So, not much new has happened this week. I am learning that I get more done when I have a lot to do than when I have a lot of free time. My biology class was canceled this week, and since it is 4 hours (3 in lecture, 1 in lab) on Mondays and Wednesdays, that freed up my schedule considerably. I had so many big plans for this week, but it is so hard to get stuff done when you have so much time to do it!
Besides my huge amount of free time, I experienced my first truly stressful assignment in college. Besides my speeches, that is. I had to write and in-class essay for my "Argument and Logic" class, which turned out to be pretty difficult. I am starting to think that logic just isn't my thing, which is kind of depressing.
I am also very excited for this weekend. One of my friend's from home is planning to come here in the fall, so she and her mom are coming this weekend for Preview Day. My mom decided to come with them, and I am so excited to see her! So if I can just get through one more day, I am headed for a wonderful weekend.

Housing

So the whole housing ordeal is finally behind me. Today I turned in the paperwork that guarantees me a spot in the new apartments on campus. It has been quite a process, starting in February. The four of us girls that are living together first decided that we wanted to live in the new on-campus apartments that are opening this coming fall. After getting ourselves all excited though, we ended up not getting in. Because there were so many people that applied for the apartments, a lottery process was made to see who would get in. Sadly, are names were not picked. So after mourning our bad luck for about two weeks, we started searching for off-campus condos and houses. We found one that was really nice, but also quite pricey. Plus, there was still a chance that we could get in the campus apartments because we were wait-listed. We finally decided to risk it and just see if we could get in from the wait-list. The whole things was pretty stressful. Off-campus housing goes really fast, so we didn't want to get to the point where we couldn't find anywhere decent to live. About two weeks ago though, the four of us all got in to the apartments and we turned in our contracts today. Finally, the process of finding a place is over. It was weird though. Except for advice from parents, this was something that we all had to do independently. It wasn't like our parents could drive the four hours to see the potential places and decide for us. So this is just one more step to becoming the "independent person" that I am supposed to be in college. I wonder if its working... :)

"Learn By Doing"

My school's motto is "Learn By Doing", which became very real yesterday. I am taking a plant Biology class, and twice a week we have a three hour lab. So yesterday, instead of sitting in the lab, we went out on a field trip and hiked around the hills near our campus. It was so beautiful, and really fun to get outdoors. The only downside was, as our teacher put it, feeling the "bio burn" as we climbed up and down hills for several hours. It was just so neat to be able to learn in such a hands-on kind of way. My teacher, who is a graduate student, would stop us every few minutes and explain a plant and the community it was living in. Much more interesting than looking at them through microscopes. This just reminds me of how much I love college. The classes are challenging, but so much more interesting than most of the courses I took in high school.

Sports

Most seniors know where they're going to school at this point in the year, but if you're not sure yet and you're interested in sports, a school with D1 athletics can be a lot of fun. As I said in the fall, our football team did way better than expected and now our basketball team is in the championship game! This last week has been so exciting around campus. Everyone, including professors, are so into the games that we've ended up talking about them for the first part of class every hour! After we won our final four game last weekend, there was an estimated 12,000 people in our downtown area running all over the streets, chanting, singing school songs, holding signs, it was unreal.
I've heard a couple people say that they think having good sports teams at a school can take away from the "school/freshmen experience" because people get so tied up in the games that school work gets put off occasionally. Personally I think that statement is completely false; I think that having tons of school spirit is part of what college is all about. People are so passionate about our teams that it really makes you feel like you belong somewhere, since you're part of it.
(Cheer for us tonight in the championship game!)

Spring Quarter

So, I have a very good feeling about this quarter. That is partly because I am only taking three classes, and none of them are spanish and math. However, it is more than that. With the extra time that I have without a fourth class, I have decided to do a few things I normally wouldn't have the time to do.
1. Cello lessons- I have been planning to learn the cello since January, and I have finally started. I have only had one lesson so far, but my teacher seems nice and pretty patient. I don't know if I will ever be skilled enough to play in the school's orchestra or anything, but thats beside the point.
2. Growth Group- A growth group is like a bible study for college students at the church that I have started going to. Its a pretty big church, so I am hoping this will help me get to know more of the people.
3. "Big Buddies"- This is a Christian version of Big Brother Big Sister. I just signed up for it but I'm really excited. The program will pair me off with a child/young teenager that is living with a single parent and could use a good influence and friend in their lives.
4. Flameworking- At the college craft center they offer classes each quarter and I have wanted to take one all year. In this class I will be making glass things, mostly simple little pieces I am guessing. I am doing this all by myself, so I hope there are some people in the class that are both nice and haven't done this before. I would hate to be the only beginner.
So, anyway, as you can see, I will be kind of busy this quarter. But they are all things I am excited to do and I can't wait to get started on them.

It is amazing how fast school becomes normal after being gone. I've only been back a few days, but it feels like a few weeks. It was a lot of fun to see everyone when I got back. To celebrate some friends and I went out to a movie and dinner (I highly recommend the movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"). Also, I like most of my new classes so far, but that might be because we've only met once or twice so far. Unlike my first two quarters, I still need to enroll in one more class. This means that I am "crashing" classes this week, seeing if they have any room. This isn't too bad, but it is getting a little discouraging. I am trying to get into either a philosophy class or another history class. I am just hoping I get into one of them so that I have 16 units.
This quarter I have made some resolutions (kind of like on New Years, just a few months late). I really want to make it to the beach more, considering we are so close. Secondly, I want to try to get As in all my classes. I know this will be hard, but I am going to try to do this. And lastly, I want to be more vocal in some of my classes. Most teachers reward you for participating, and considering my second goal, I think this would be a good idea. Not only that, but I think I will do better in my classes because of it.
So that is my recap of my first few days back at school. I think I am going to like this quarter, so I will keep you posted!

Mid-Terms

First semester I didn't have any real mid-terms, instead they were just normal tests, but this semester I had 3 and a paper. My Understanding America test wasn't too bad, I got a low B on it. Accounting was really difficult. I even went to the help room for the three days before the test and I still got a C, but since it's a tough class, I'm satisfied with that. I also had an Abnormal Psychology test that wasn't actually cummulative, but it was worth a little bit more than our previous tests and I got an A on it! (my first A in that class) For spring break I went to Mexico with my mom and sister. It was a really nice, relaxing trip. It's strange because at college, people rarely go on a trip for spring break, unless it's with their friends but since most college kids are broke, there weren't a lot of people I know that went out of town. It was really nice to get back to school though, I really missed my friends which made me realize that this summer is probably going to be really hard to be away!

Home

Its funny. Whenever I am at college, I love it and am not moping around missing home. I am absolutely in love with my school. At the same time though, I love to be home. With only a few days before heading back to school, I have no urgent desire to return yet. I am totally enjoying myself doing nothing. However, as soon as I go back, I know I will be glad to be there with my friends. Its a great feeling, knowing that I love my school. Last year there was always that fear that maybe I would make the wrong choice and go to a school that I would hate. That I would dread returning to school after breaks and vacations. Thankfully, it is not that way at all. Although I might not want to go back yet, I know that as soon as I reach the campus, I will be happy to be at college and with my friends. Plus, I am positive that this quarter is going to be better academically. I am taking two history classes, which, history being my major, should be fine. I am waitlisted for an easy math class (much better than last quarter's precalc) and am taking a philosophy class again. Compared to last quarter, it should be relatively easy.

Spring Break

I am now done with finals and in the middle of my Spring Break. Yay! It is such a wonderful feeling knowing that that last test is over and you get to go home without any classes to worry about. It has been so nice to catch up with my friends and family while I'm at home. Also, the weather is so much nicer since the last time I left. Some exciting news I got is that one of my friends is going to go to my school next year. I'm so excited! Not only can I give her advice, but I can have her and some friends over for dinner, like some older girls did for me earlier this year. Like at Christmas vacation, I am once again enjoying being able to completely relax. The dorms are great, but there is not much time to yourself. Also, it has been wonderful to catch up on laundry (especially since the machine is right down the hall, not down two flights of stairs). But, despite this advantage, I am still looking forward to Spring Quarter, my new classes, and seeing my friends again.

This Coming Week

So finals are almost here. I absolutely can't wait. I made the mistake of taking all general ed classes this quarter. It seemed like a good idea at the time; just getting a bunch of bad classes out of the way. Wrong. It has just made this quarter much more stressful. It was an amazing feeling when I walked out of my math class for the last time. Except for the final of course. As much as I know I need to study for the coming week, I am having a hard time getting myself to. I have three friends coming up this weekend, which is just going to make it harder. Luckily, most of my finals are later in the week. And after that, spring break. It might only be ten days, but I am so excited. I just can't wait for a break from classes and stress. So yesterday, to start my early weekend, I went to farmer's market and then took part in a bridge-making contest. It was interesting to say the least. My friend is an RA in the engineering dorm, so she put on the bridge event for her residents. Three of us friends decided to join in, and made a marshmallow bridge. Needless to say, it was pretty sad compared to the engineering students' bridges. Tonight, I'm going to go see one of my friends perform in a concert, go get cake at an ideal coffee shop downtown, and then come back and watch a few hours of Friends.