Goodbye Freshman, Hello Sophomore

My freshman year finished in a blur. Two finals and one paper later, I can say that I made the most of spring term. I had interesting classes, great professors, and I made some really good friends. I guess I could say that about my whole year. Although it was stressful at some points (finals anyone?) I had one of the best years of my life. Learning, to me, is fun, and despite the work load of the classes, I actually learned new and interesting things. I have some advice for you upcoming freshmen (or anyone who reads this and is not the aforementioned): 1) get involved, 2) ask lots of questions, and 3) enjoy what you're learning.

Getting involved in activities or clubs will not only be a great way to make new friends and meet interesting people, but it is also an effective stress buster, too.

Make sure you ask lots of questions because it is a great way to learn. Also, if you don't understand the assignment or have any confusion, there will be at least one person willing to help you, whether it's your professors, teaching assistants, or peers.

Finally, enjoy what you're learning. You might find it really frustrating when you are in class, but if it pops up in real life, its an exciting feeling to know that YOU know it!

So, that's all for my words of freshman wisdom. It wasn't much, that's for sure, but I had a great year :)

Hopefully next year will be even better!

Anne

Time To Takeover

The year continues to get closer and closer to the end and I am very excited for the summer break coming up. My classes for next year are going to be scheduled soon and I feel that next year should be a great year. I am continuing to do well this quarter and I plan on getting all the help I need to make sure that I know all of the material thats needs to be known for any upcoming tests or most importanly the final exams. My exam schedule is going to be pretty lengthly compared to the first two quarters, but I should be ok if I continue to study hard and ask questions when needed. As far as the soical life goes, I am liking the fact that we have a carnival today in the middle of our campus. I plan on attending because they are supposed to have free food, but besides that it is time to takeover because time is running out fast before the end of the school year is over.

The Mighty Month Of May

It is hard to believe that May is already here and I think that I am ready for finals to be here so that the year can be over with. I am looking forward to the summer and all of the things that do in fact come with that. This quarter has been a true inspiration for me because since my classes have not been too hard it has allowed for me to get good grades helping me to boost my GPA to a even higher level. I feel that this will help me in the long run cause if classes get harder, then my grades now can make up for any slack that I may have later in my college career. My Engish class is currently my strongest subject, but my history class is up there too. Keeping focus on my grades down the stretch will be key to staying on track for finishing strong. The social life contiunes to be a sucess as Ludacris, a rapper came and did a concert this past Saturday. It was fun and I hope somebody good comes again next year to do a show. I am almost there but the mighty month of May still remains in my way for now.

the Final Mid-term Break

Finally, mid-term break has arrived. It's strange that this is the last one of the year--school has gone by so fast. The only unfortunate part of having mid-term break right now is that all of my friends are going on summer break. Yes, finals are coming up for them, and they will be free from all homework in less than a week. It's strange to think that we have almost completed our freshman year of college...
This week has not been as stressful as 5th week last term or fall term. I have two minor midterms coming up next week in history--in which we already have the questions and the answers, it's just the fact that we have to remember it all in the essay--and in Symphonies. I had a paper due today in Symphonies comparing and contrasting two Symphonies, one by Beethoven and one by Schubert. I really like that class--it is so interesting and I like that I am expanding my knowledge of classical music. I think this weekend will be very "chill"--many events planned such as the May Day Parade, a cookout, and possibly some Ultimate Frisbee. Don't worry, I will attend to my studies as necessary, but if the weather's good, I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to play outside!

Halfway Home

The quarter is almost halfway over and I plan on finishing strong. English and Math are my two strongest subjects and I feel that they will be the most helpful for my GPA because of how high the grades are gonna be. My other classes are coming well also and I think this quarter will be my best of the year. Socially, I continue to enjoy myself and plan on doing a lot more things before the end of school. I am halfway home this quarter with my freshman year.

Super Fast Spring Quarter

I cannot believe that the Spring quarter is almost halfway over already. I have not been given a lot of work which is a good thing but I think that is about to change in the next couple of weeks because I have a big research project due for English and it will take a while to do for sure. On a brighter note, the spring football game is this weekend and I do plan on attending. It will be fun to see how our team is after the wonderful season we had last year. I am thinking about working the event by doing things such as helping set up for the event and so forth. In summary, it has been a super fast Spring Quarter.

Wow!

So sorry that I have not put up a post in such a long time! Everything here is crazy busy, as usual, so I'll give you a quick up date. All my classes are really great, and I'm learning so much. I love my Spanish class--I have a new professor this term who is just as enthusiastic and willing to help as my professor from last term. She's very funny and a little crazy, perhaps, but nevertheless, wonderful. American History is also great. Like I said earlier, the professor for that class is very challenging and intimidating, but I am improving my critical thinking in that class, which has not always come easily for me. We have been analyzing article after article on gender roles, race, sexuality, and class and we are applying what we have learned from those articles to events in American history. Right now I am writing a paper on the Reconstruction Era and I have to describe how class, race, and gender created a new labor system. Symphonies is my favorite class this term because a) we get to listen to more than 6 minutes of good music every day in class and b) my professor is hilarious. He is this scrawny old man who wears a visor due to sensitive eyes. He is just so funny and can find the most interesting little details in music that I would never find myself. So far this term has been going very well.
I just found out today that I was accepted into the Language House next year for my living assignment. I will be living in a triple with my current roommate and our other friend from our floor. Also, another triple in the house will be occupied by 3 friends from my current floor, and my next-door neighbor is my best friend from the swim team. AND, sorry for this list, my Resident Assistant from this year will also be my Resident Assistant next year in the language house!
I guess the theme for this blog today is Wow. Wow, I can't believe I get to live with all these great people next year; wow, I am having a great term compared to winter term; wow, school is flying by so fast... Only 7 more weeks, and then I will be a Sophomore at college. Can you say wow?

Back In Black

The third and final quarter has just got underway and I feel that it will be a nice way to end the stretch run of my freshman year. My spring break was good because I was able to get out of Ohio and head down south to Panama City Beach, Florida. After that vacation, I am well energized for all of my classes and think that my courses that I am taking won't be as bad as my two previous quarters. My professors are all really nice and I am thinking that my health related fitness class will be my strongest class of the quarter. I do plan on going to the writing lab more often his quarter so I can better my English papers to make them as good as possible. The social life on campus is booming now because of the warm weather, and I think it is safe to say that the university is back in black for the spring quarter.

Hello, Spring!

Well, it's been a great spring break, but I think it's time to get back to school. I never thought that I'd say this, but I miss the routine of classes. I just had two weeks of spring break, and they were great. I went to Washington D.C. with the choir the first week. We toured around the capitol, went to some historic sites and museums, got to see the capitol during the heath-care bill debates/passing (so busy and so much protesting, but very interesting!), and even got into the White House, not to mention the three concerts we put on during our week there! I really liked DC and wouldn't mind getting a job out there later in life--something to consider with an American Studies major, perhaps?

After the trip, I have been lounging around at home by myself while my parents work. All my friends are at school due to their earlier spring breaks, and therefore, after a week of doing nothing but...nothing, I guess, I'm ready to go back to school. I am very excited for my music class--Symphonies: from Mozart to Mahler. I think a couple of my swimmer friends are in that class, too. This will be my first music class ever. I have been involved with music and private lessons since I was little, but this will be the first music class that I take with other students! Also, I'm taking voice lessons this term--so excited! I hope my teacher will be good!

My other classes are American History and Spanish--exactly what I had last term. Hopefully they will be good classes. I'm going to go into this term with a little more confidence than last term because I thought last term was really hard, and I ended up doing better than I thought! And those last two classes are the same subject as two classes I took last term, so hopefully this spring will turn out alright...

I'm definitely looking forward to a new 10 weeks of school! Wish me luck!

FINAL FRIDAY

Exams start next week and I am ready to go. I believe that I am well prepared and will do great on all of them. Its hard to believe that it is already the end of Winter quarter. The weather is starting to feel like it which is making my studies go by a lot easier. The thought of spring break keeps popping into my head every time I step outside and feel the warm air. With only two more days until the end of the quarter, I am thinking about intramural sports for the spring. I think it would be good for me to get involved towards the end of the year to help myself finish strong for this year. Our guys basketball team is doing well, and the FINAL FRIDAY before exams is tomorrow. I think I can handle it.

9th Week

This week has been fairly easy so far, but that just scares me for what is to come next week. Finals are next week, and I cannot WAIT to be done with this term! Last night I signed up for classes for the spring. I'm taking Spanish 3, American Social History 2, and Symphonies: from Mozart to Mahler. Plus I'm still doing choir and I've decided to take voice lessons. Spring is going to be very busy, but very fun. I'm really looking forward to all my classes. I just decided that I really do like Spanish, but I have to keep practicing. When you get better at something, you like it more. Luckily, I know many people here at school who are willing to practice with me! I am also looking forward to my Symphonies class. I'm not really sure what to expect. I read the class description and it sounded like analyzing music and comparing it to certain articles we read in class--sounds interesting! I'm terrified out of my boots, though, for American History. A notorious professor is teaching it, and I'm afraid he will rip me to sheds. I hear lots of things about him: funny, scary, offensive, and a wonderful prof. All I know is that I will probably work my hardest in that class than any class I've taken all year. All I have to think about is spring break.

Spring break, Anne, two weeks. You can make it.

6 Days left of classes, but who's counting?

Who would have guessed that a term this exhausting would be over so quickly? I know I'm not the only one who hated winter term. The gray sky and the cold air were the two main reasons for this term's blues. School was so much harder than last term! I am pretty sure it was the 4 hour biology labs and Spanish 5 days a week that really got to me. Also, although my American History class was very good, it was sometimes hard to keep up with the students in my class who were juniors or even sophomores.

Now we are picking classes for spring term. I unfortunately get to choose almost LAST out of the freshman class, so hopefully pickings won't be too slim. I am hoping to take Global Change Biology, Spanish, and Economics or Psychology. I really want to get into Psych, but many people I know want to take that class, too, so we will just have to see how it fills up.

Now that swimming is over, I have more time to study. And since I study sooner, I have more time to do other things that are actually fun! Last week, I went to a sketch comedy show on campus. It was so funny! I hope that spring term will be so much better than winter term.

Better get down to business now--my roommate and I are rearranging our room to relieve some mid-week stress!

Fabulous February

The quarter is continuing to go by pretty fast and i feel that I am ready for the stretch run before finals. My grades are good and I think I did pretty well on my Math test. I have an English essay due in about a day and a half but I know that I will do well on it because this class is my favorite one. I enjoy doing English more than any of my other subjects which I know will help me in the future for my targeted major. On a social note, the basketball team did not win on sunday which most likely put us out of the NCAA tourney picture. The NIT should be coming for us but I am not sure after the way we have been playing. They have another game on Wednesday and I hope they do well. Overall, I am having a fabulous February.

Halfway Home

There has been a lot of snow lately which has been causing the university to cancel school for the past two weeks. I have been enjoying my time off and have been taking advantage of the free time that I have to get work done. I was supposed to have a midterm today but the class got canceled allowing me to have more time to study. This is good because I know that going into the midterm whatever day it may be, I will have extra confidence in knowing that I should do well. As far as my other classes go, the workload has been perfect in quantity and I hope that the future holds an even lighter amount of assignments. My confidence is at an all time high allowing me to believe that I will finish this quarter strong. I scheduled my classes for next quarter yesterday and like what I am taking. For this quarter, we are finished next month for spring break and as of right now I am halfway home til the end of the quarter.

Mid Term Break!

Finally, it's here! Mid-term break! These past couple weeks have been so stressful. I have been doing nothing but swimming, studying, and getting very little sleep! But now that is all over because swimming is done! Hooray! The end of swimming is very bittersweet--I love my teammates and swimming, but it did take up a lot of time I could have been studying. Now I can focus on my studies for the rest of the term.

I had one midterm last week on Wednesday in American History. Studying for that exam was a total pain--there were so many dates and figures to remember! But I made it through the exam pretty well, I think. There is so much reading for that class. I think I'm going to have to learn how to be a faster reader.

Now I have a midterm--after midterm break(!?!)--on this coming Wednesday for Biology. I think it will be very hard. I'm still not quite liking the sciences, still. There is just so much tedious work that goes into these labs we have to do for that class. I might take one more science next term (to fill out the science/math requirement) that doesn't have a lab--Global Change Biology.

I am really looking forward to having more time in my day to study. Wish me luck this second half of term!

The February Fight

The month of February is now here and I feel that my grades are only getting better and better. The fact that I am studying a lot more than I was last quarter is significantly showing in my grades. I am shooting for a higher GPA this quarter so that I can continue to challenge myself to get better. My teachers are really helping me out and I think that they have a big part in my success. I hope that they only give me more support as the quarter goes on especially as midterms get closer. Its hard to believe that spring break is next month and that the quarter is about half way over. I plan to stay focused even though the thought of break is nice. My social life only continues to get better and I am meeting new people pretty much everyday. The Men's basketball team is doing well and they have a tough game against Syracuse on Sunday that I plan on attending. Everything is good. I just have to keep enduring the February fight until break gets here.

Strong Student

I am well into the second quarter now and the workload that I am getting is not as much as I thought it would be by now. I continue to remain focused and it has payed off in the long run because I am getting all my work done at a reasonable time basis and turning it in on time. I have a English paper due at the end of the week and plan on getting it done ahead of time so I can continue to enjoy as much free time as possible while being a college student. One thing that I have noticed about this quarter is that a lot of people do not want to go to class. They often oversleep which causes them to develop lazy habits, but i have not missed a class yet this school year and I am confidant that it will continue to benefit me. I am determined to not slip under the belt and be like other people. I have always been a strong student and will continue to be that way.

Week 3

I can't believe that the third week is almost at an end! My roommate just had a calculus midterm this morning--seems a little early to me. I'm so tired from doing homework and swimming, but midterm break isn't for another two weeks, and I have a paper to write, and tedious labs to do, and pages and pages to read for all my classes. On the brighter side, school is not as hard to get into now that it is third week. It was difficult to come back from a six week break and just start intense classes again. I guess the best part of my week would be that I kind of figured out what I want to major in: American Studies with an emphasis on music--POSSIBLY. Trust me, this is the thing I'm only leaning toward; it doesn't mean I'll actually do it. But American Studies takes a lot of my favorite things--history, political science, and english--and combines it into one major about America! How cool is that? Also, if I have an emphasis on music, I could give a recital for my senior project. NICE!!!!! Well, unfortunately, nothing else has really happened this week, so I'm just going to leave it at that. Hopefully next week will be more eventful!

Well Prepared With No Worries

So far, this quarter has gone by very smooth. I am enjoying all of my classes and I feel that if I keep a clear head and stay focused from any distraction then I will be successful this quarter. My English class I would have to say is my favorite class so far because of the stuff that we are currently studying. It is really interesting and I am finding a lot out about what I didn't know about the Middle East. My Math class is going good to because of the current material that we are studying. I am understanding it because I enjoy learning what is being taught. As for the rest of my classes they are going pretty good. I continue to enjoy the soical life more and more as colleges continues to go on. The basketball game I went to on Saturday was fun because we beat the school that took our football coach, Notre Dame. It was also interesting to see some of the fan reactions throughout the arena, but for the most part, everything was pretty much civilized. the Bearcats won which was good and I hope they continue on their road for the NCAA tournament. I would have to say that this quarter I am well prepared with no worries as of now.

Ugh. It's only second week....

and the amount homework I have is insane! This term I am taking Biology: Genes and Evolution, American Social History from 1607 to 1865, and Spanish 102 (which is like Level 2 Spanish). My schedule is so crazy: all three classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; Bio Lab from 8 to noon on Tuesdays; and Spanish TA sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 2. Oh, did I mention I still have swimming after class, and Choir every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights? It's amazing that I still have time for homework! Currently, I'm not worried because I've been managing my academic schedule and my activities schedule pretty well, but as I said, it's only the second week, and it's only going to get harder.

The only class I don't like at all is Biology, which really disappoints me because I liked it so much in high school. In college, the things we learned before are explored more in depth, and with the pace we are going, it is sort of hard to keep up. Also, the labs are so much work. We have pre-lab work and post-lab work, and all of it so far has involved math--yuck.

So far I have been disappointed with the classes I thought I would like, such as Bio this term and Calculus the last. Well, finally this term I found a class I really like--my American History class! It's really interesting, and I don't actually mind all the reading we have to do. Perhaps this could lead to a history major or an American studies major? I really like that idea. Also, I have been looking a little more into the music department--a music major is something I've decided to reconsider. I was very active in all things musical in high school, and I'm pretty sure many people thought I would be a music major--something I swore I would never become. Now, I don't have to choose a major until my sophomore year, but it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately, and I thought to myself, "What's one thing I love to do more than anything else?" and singing was the only thing that I could think of. And the more I have pondered it this week, the more I want to major in vocal performance. So, we'll see how that turns out this term.

I hope that I haven't weighed myself down with too many activities this term, but I know I can pull through. Wish me luck with the new term!

Bring On The New Beginning

I had A successful first quarter and A good break. I like the way my classes look for the Winter quarter and I plan to work just as hard as I did in the fall. It's hard to believe that January is already here. The first quarter went by really fast and I'm thinking that this quarter will do the same. I plan to get more involved with on campus activities during my Winter term and become more active with some events involving my major. I feel that these things will only better me as A person and help me develop A future that I am trying to mold for myself. So in that case, bring on the new beginning for the Winter!