Following Freshman

Goodbye Freshman, Hello Sophomore

2010-06-08T12:36:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-15T13:40:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-03T22:37:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-30T11:07:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-26T22:21:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-20T19:30:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-04-15T19:22:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-08T18:28:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-03-26T14:47:00.002-05:00

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

2010-03-11T08:15:00.003-06:00

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

2010-03-03T17:32:00.002-06:00

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?

2010-02-25T14:36:00.002-06:00

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

2010-02-22T20:45:00.004-06:00

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

2010-02-16T03:52:00.002-06:00

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!

2010-02-07T11:59:00.002-06:00

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

2010-02-04T01:48:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-25T23:16:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-22T21:48:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-19T00:14:00.002-06:00

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....

2010-01-13T20:39:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-05T10:25:00.004-06:00

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!

Time Is Ticking

2009-11-24T01:51:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is this Thursday and I could not be any happier to go home and see all of my family and friends. UC has been good to me, but I think it is time to reconnect with the city that I know best in Gahanna, Ohio. Finals are approaching rather quickly and actually I am looking forward to getting them done. It might mean that I have to do some extra studying over Thanksgiving, but it all pays off in the end when you get the grades that you deserved for all your hard work. I believe that my English final will be my easiest because of how well I am doing in that class. Don't get me wrong, I am doing well in all my classes its just English stands out the most.

The food down here has not been the best, but it has got the job done so far. The thing I am looking forward to most when I get home is A change in what I eat. Thanksgiving dinner will be a blast I already know, but I am also looking forward to eating some quality fast food. On the brighter side, the University food services do a nice job in the hospitality part of their business. That leads to one aspect in which I like most about UC and that is the spirit of the people. Every worker seems to enjoy what they do making my experience even better then I thought.

This school year has gone by so fast and time is ticking until the end of the quarter, which is not too far away. Can't wait for Winter break!

Almost There, Almost There

2009-11-20T19:25:00.002-06:00

Well, tonight I am blogging because I need a serious study break. I have been working so hard for my finals (which are tomorrow and monday) all day today. I can't believe that the term is over. It all flew by so quickly! I'm looking forward to the 6 week break where I will be able to concentrate on swimming and having fun! No school work, no library job--the thought of that is heavenly! However, I'm close, but not that close. I still have 2 finals blocking my path toward my personal "nirvana". Last week I was sick, and I did not do so well on my two tests in art history and calculus. This weekend will give me a chance to redeem my grades for those classes. The pressure is most definitely on! It's hard to concentrate even though everyone else has finals, too. I keep thinking about winter break and how I'm so close to the finish line, yet I'm still so far. Wish me luck on my tests, and I'll see you in 2010 when school resumes for winter term!

The Test Against Time

2009-11-16T23:11:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is next week and I cannot wait! All I can think about is the food that I am going to eat and how good it is going to taste! But, I do know that staying focused on school has to continue to be my primary goal until break time happens. I took a math test today and felt that I did pretty well. I knew pretty much all of the material allowing me to answer all parts of every question with plenty of confidence. After the test, I was thinking about how college has made me a better student in math and as a whole with all my other subjects. I feel it is because I am using the way I study for math with all of my other classes. getting honor roll is one of my goals for this quarter.

On the social side, I went to the Men's first regular season basketball game tonight and had lots of fun. They almost lost which was a shock to alot of people watching, but they pulled it out in the end. I think that our basketball team needs to have a discussion with our football team and decide to try and go undefeated like our football team has done so far this year. I believe that will boost our university's reputation as being one of the top athletic college organizations in the nation. I am thinking that over the next ten years our school will transform into a athletic nation and be known for recognizing great sports teams. But all in all, I am fine with the university staying the way it is today. I guess you could call it the test against time.

Ok, NOW I'm Freaking Out...

2009-11-11T14:12:00.002-06:00

I just finished another art history and calculus exam and neither went very well. Why are we taking these tests when finals are next week? It just seems so silly to me. School is really stressful at this moment. I mean, I have finals in a week, I have a research paper to write, and I have to get sleep. Apparently it's not healthy to not sleep... Too bad, because I feel there just aren't enough hours in the day to get all my work done. That may be why I am getting sick. Oh yes, I may be coming down with either the H1N1 or a cold. Only time will tell. I hope it's just the latter. Sorry for being so pessimistic. I am only thinking of school right now, though. I mean, I only have 3 more days of class left before I take my finals, and I am feeling unprepared. I think all the other freshmen here feel the same way. School has been so great so far--WHY IS IT SO STRESSFUL NOW? I guess that is why I chose this school--because of its rigorous academic pace. I underestimated how crazy the end of the term was going to be. Now I know for next term...

Thank You Thanksgiving

2009-11-10T16:21:00.002-06:00

With Thanksgiving only about two weeks away, the timing for this break couldn't be any better. I have enjoyed myself down here and feel that I will continue to be successful if I keep thinking straight. I went to the football game again this past Saturday and it was sweet. We almost lost, but I am glad that the Bearcats pulled it off in the last quarter. I also went to the men's basketball game last Thursday and it was pretty good. Our team won and i feel that we can do somethings in the Big East this year. I am looking forward to going to as many games as I can so I can support the Cats. Overall, I have had good experinces with all the events that I have attened throughout the school year so far this year.

My schoolwork is going well and with half of the quarter almost already over, I am starting to study for some of my final exams. In most of my classes I do have an exam and I plan to be well prepared for them because I know they can have a big influence on my grade positively and negatively. I am hoping for the best and feel that if I go over certain topics with my professors for clarification then I will be in good shape. I am plan on scheduling my next quarter classes on Thursday morning and I like the way my schedule looks for the winter. I think i can be very successful and productive in the classes that I will be taking. In the mean time, like I said the timing for Thanksgiving break is perfect, it is going to be nice to be home considering the fact that I have not been there since the day I moved in. Thank you Thanksgiving!

Case Of The Cats

2009-11-02T23:25:00.004-06:00

It is already November and I feel that I have done a lot in the past month in a half that I have been here. The schoolwork is starting to get a little bit harder, but i think that if I keep a positive mindset and fight through all of the work, I will be OK. The Basketball season is about to start and I am excited for the games to get going. The first Boys game is approaching rather quickly and I am thinking about getting my tickets here sometime this week. The air is starting to turn a little bit colder which is not a good thing for me, but that's what you get in Ohio. Luckily, I am in the southern part of the state so it will not be as cold as Columbus.

As the winter quarter comes to a close here in about the next month, I am already thinking about where i may want to live next year. The dorm halls that are right next to the one that I am living in right now are really nice. I am going to greatly consider staying in one of those next year. One negative to this decision is the expensive price that has to be payed. Also, I may consider living in a off campus house. I have seen some pretty good deals that I may be interested in. Overall, I am not going to stress out on housing because my education is more important right now. I plan to continue supporting the Bearcats, and develop a good case of the cats myself.

3 weeks and counting

2009-10-30T11:12:00.002-05:00

Ah, Fridays--the start of the weekend is finally here! I had a good week this week, and I'm so excited for Halloween! My classes have all been going well--successful drafts/papers, a decent Art History mid-term grade, and swimming has difficult, but I have been able to push through. It's getting a little nerve-wracking, though, because next Monday there will only be 3 weeks left of the term--15 days! Since my school is on a 10-week trimester schedule, things move very quickly here. There are finals exams and papers to think about and what classes to choose for winter term.

However, despite all this crazy school work, this weekend will be great! Tonight I have a blind date. It's this campus-wide event in which your roommate sets you up on a blind date. Both my roommate and I set up each other. I feel kind of bad because I don't know who her date is at all! My friend on the swim team and I were complaining about how neither of us could think of anyone to set our roommates up with, and then we realized we should just set our roommates up together! I hope everything goes well...

Halloween is tomorrow, and unfortunately we have a swim meet in the morning, so I can't sleep in. It will be an invite with some teams from our conference and we will be racing silly relays, not actual regulation swim meet events. This sounds like fun as long as I don't have to swim distance tomorrow!

All in all, we've been working hard here. It's time for a little fun this weekend! Wish me luck on my date :)

BCS Bearcats

2009-10-26T20:26:00.004-05:00

The fact that there was no homecoming dance for the weekend was interesting, but besides that this past homecoming weekend was a big success! I had lots of fun and the Bearcats won the football game. Our national championship hopes are looking better and better. If they keep playing the way that they have been then i think they will atleast make it to a BCS Bowl. The University is filled with plenty of excitement and anticipation as the regular season continues to get closer to the end. I really do hope that all ends well with the football team because I do beliveve that it can only boost the continuously building reputation of the University and that will have a positive effect on the school as a whole.

My school work continues to get better as the weeks progress. I feel that i am becoming a better student. I have to give credit to my parents because all of the advice that they have given me, I have been using in the past couple weeks. My test scores have improved significantly and i think that is because i have been stidying more now than any other time in my life. Math is starting to come very easy to me which has boosted my confidence in become a stronger student overall. It is almost November and it feels like school just started weeks ago. The quarter is going by quick as the half way point has already past. I cant wait for the weekend though, because i get to cheer on Michigan and of course the BCS Bearcats!

I wish break could last longer... so I could finish my homework :(

2009-10-20T12:52:00.004-05:00

Midterm break was this past weekend. I got one day off--Monday. This weekend was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a very long time, especially since there wasn't any swim practice. However, the days leading up to the break were so stressful.

Last Wednesday I had two midterm exams and a paper due. The paper wasn't so bad because I had been working on it all week, and Calculus wasn't too much to worry about because I have already taken a similar class, but Art History was a pain in the neck to study for! There were 55 pieces of art we had to memorize along with their dates, stylistic periods, artists, and region. Thankfully, I was able to cram it all into my brain before the test. Even if you feel like you know the subject well, the first exam is always scary. You never know what to expect for the first test. Well, thankfully, I was wrong about the Art History exam being the most terrifying thing ever, because I thought it went quite well. I guess we'll just have to see when we get the actual results on Wednesday.

Even though I had a really relaxing weekend, I have a TON of homework that I sort of pushed aside. I'm actually nervous about when I'm going to have time to finish it all. Nothing except my math homework is due tomorrow, but I have a paper due on Friday that I should probably continue working on. I have no idea how all this work piled up! It was midterms--no one gave MORE homework--but here I am scrambling to find time to do it all.

I guess the advice I'm going to give here is make sure you look ahead and prepare--for everything. I think I should have seen these assignments coming and saved some time in the weekend to work on them at least a little bit. Hope I learned my lesson...

Because Of The Bearcats

2009-10-20T00:31:00.002-05:00

It has officially been over a month since I've moved in and time is flying by. I did pretty good on my first math test and feel that i am starting to become a better student mathematically with all of the help that i am getting from my support system. Also, all of my other classes are going great and i think i might end up with all A's hopefully. The library has realistically been one of my best friends and it has payed off in every academic way possible. The only thing i don't like about the Library here is that they charge you to print. In high school i used to print away, but with this some responsibility has been developed in my system so i cant complain too much.

On a social positive side, our football team is ranked 5th in the nation and everybody agrees that we have a good chance of making the national championship if we go undefeated. This weekend is the homecoming game against Louisville and i feel that we will win because they are not that good, but who knows, any given day anything can happen in the game of football. I will be there cheering on the Bearcats regardless of the outcome. It's the least i can do for what this school has given me so far in my college career, and that's plenty of good memories to harp on for life. My college life seems pretty complete. I have to say it's all because of the Bearcats.

Settling In Safely And Soundly

2009-10-12T18:19:00.002-05:00

I have been living at The University of Cincinnati for about three weeks now and it continues to get better and better. I lately have been thinking about joining a fraternity, but i am not sure if that is the right choice for me. rush week was this past week and that it when all of the fraternities host activities to get freshman to join and hopefully persuade them to become a memeber of their home. I know that fatrnites can benefit people when it comes to jobs but i do not want this commitment to effect my school work in any way possible. I think that a very safe decision needs to be made if i do pick a frat to join, but i feel that all of the fraternities here have good intentions for their fellow members.

My school work has been really good. i believe that is because of the massive amount of time i have to study and do homework everyday due to the way my schedule has been made for this first quarter. my first collegiant test is this coming Wednesday, and i feel that i will be in perfect condition to succeed. My free time has also allowed me to make more friends each day and I think that has carved out opportunity for me to network. i have always been a sociable person but this university has allowed me to really branch out and meet a lot of diverse people that have enlivened my spirit. I am settling in safely and soundly.

4th Week

2009-10-07T15:57:00.002-05:00

This weekend was homecoming! It was quite different than my high school's homecoming though. There is not quite the emphasis on sports here at my academically-rigorous small liberal arts college that there was back home. I had a swim meet that morning, so I missed the first quarter of the game. The game was very exciting, and we almost lost to our biggest rivals, but in the end, we prevailed 17-13!
That night, I there was a dance that started at 9, but truly got hoppin' at 11:30. I found it strange that there were hardly any parties that night! Most college students would want to celebrate all night long, but there were only a few parties that ended before midnight. I thought homecoming was going to be over-the-top wild, but here it is very low key.
Sunday night was a stressful night, as always. I usually try and get some homework done before Sunday night, just so I won't have piles and piles of work to do. Well, much to my dismay, I left everything until the last minute. This was a very stupid idea because I had to wake up at 6 the next morning for swimming practice.
It was tough on Monday morning to drag myself out of bed and bike to the Rec Center. The workout set the coaches had us do were so intense! After morning practice I raced back to my dorm for a quick shower, then breakfast, then class. It's going to be hard to get used to this new schedule.
I now have swimming every day of the week except Sunday. I have morning practices on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. College sports are very intense. I was only planning on swimming for fun, but it is a lot more work than I was prepared for. I hope I can keep up my studies as well as my swimming, because I really like the team and the coaches and all the new friends I've made.
It is now Wednesday, and midterms are coming up next week already! I can't believe I've made it this far! I hope I can figure out how to manage my schedule a littler more efficiently this week so I'll be prepared for all the work school and swimming have to offer.

The Freshman Feeling

2009-10-05T18:02:00.003-05:00

Today is Monday and normally this is a day where I feel like my life is crashing down on me with stress, but college has given Monday a new name for my educational life. It is a day where most of my room and floor mates throughout the dorm go out and get active in some way possible. I really enjoy the fact that we do this because it has allowed me to become closer to a lot of people at the university and most importantly, it has given me the opportunity to meet people who are good students. Now if I need help with anything especially math, I can get it from one of my new friends as opposed to always walking to the tutor center or trying to help myself.
So far, The University of Cincinnati has been good to me. I am enjoying all of my classes and feel that the support from my professors has helped a lot in making my pivotal transition from high school to college a smooth one. The student body is real nice and everybody seems to be having a good time with very little issues. The social aspect has to be my favorite thing about the collegiate life. Outside of hanging with my dorm mates on Mondays, there are plenty of activities to participate in and most of them are free for anyone to join. I think that if I continue to stay positive about my school work and become more and more active as the year goes on, then my freshman year will be successful but who knows what my college future will hold from this day on? Guess I have to wait and just enjoy my freshman feeling for now.

3rd Week

2009-09-28T18:08:00.006-05:00

Today is the Monday of the third week at college. It's always hard to get up on a Monday. I had an 8:30 class (writing seminar), a 9:50 class (intro to art history), and Calculus I (12:30). It's a pretty full day, but at least I don't have any classes tomorrow, just my job in the library! These past few weeks have been a rush!

Just two and a half weeks ago my mom and dad dropped me off at my dorm. I met my roommate, who I absolutely adore! The people on my floor have been really great, too. I have two Resident Advisors (RA's), a guy and a girl, who really look out for us newcomers. My neighbors are nice; I live next to two guys on one side and two girls on the other, both pairs are sophomores. Residential life has been interesting--I'm not used to walking into a bathroom with 8 other girls all trying to get ready in the morning! We get prizes if we leave our doors open, so my roommate and I often have random people from our floor just drop in! It's nice once in a while to have a study break.

I feel like that's all I do here is study. I don't remember the last book I read for fun. Art History is the killer, really, because we have 3 different books we have to read at the same time. Calc is hard, but I took the course in high school, so it's pretty much a review. The writing seminar has been great, and I'm really looking forward to improving my writing. However, I think I have had to write the most papers so far on my floor--3 papers in two weeks.

Although the homework is quite a load, and the academics are challenging, people here really know how to live it up on the weekends. Everyone goes out on Friday and Saturday night whether it is going to a party, attending a play in the little theater, or baking cookies at the Cookie House. There are fun things to do to please everyone. Even though I knew the campus was a "wet campus", the drinking scene is more pronounced than when I visited as a junior and senior in high school. It's pretty gross when someone who doesn't even live on your floor throws up in the hallway at 12:30 am. The college is pretty relaxed on drinking rules. They assume that if you are going to consume alcohol, you will be responsible about it. The RA's, campus security, and Student Wellness Advisors are there to help kids who have had too much to drink, not punish them.

I really love college so far! We'll see how I feel about those words closer to exam days!

Freshman Year: Stick a Fork in it It's Done

2009-05-17T19:06:00.002-05:00

I am finally done. I emailed my last paper to my professor tonight. Four finals in one day was extremely exhausting. That is why I took a maximum of three classes per day next semester. I am taking World Civilization II, Public Speaking, Statistics, Microeconomics and US History II. Although, four finals was exhausting I must have done decent because I have earned two A's so far. Despite doing well I believe i learned even more important things this semester. College is collaborative, a person can't do it alone. College is hard work no matter where you go. Most importantly, I've learned that everyone "figures out how to manage." Everyone gets stressed but everyone survives. Some people realize college is not for them, others change their major and others have the time of their lives. No matter what everyone has adventures. I certainly had my share. This should not surprising because everyday is an adventure!

Finishing Touches

2009-05-10T06:50:00.002-05:00

I can't believe finals are here. As of eight p.m. Tuesday I will finished with finals. I am sure everyone can guess what I have be doing for the past week. Studying, studying and studying some more. I have found that I have needed to work with others in order to have motivation. My friend and I sat together and wrote our ten page papers and I met a classmate in the library to study for my political science exam. This is necessary because most of my other friends are home from college and I feel like I am the only one that still has to do work. I am only really concerned with two exams: Spanish and Economics. They are my only cumlative exams. Also they are my two most difficult courses. My economics teacher did not tell us what chapters were on the exam until there was five minutes left in the class before the exam. Talk about a warning, I am just going to study as much as I can and when all else fails I am going to pick "c." The good thing is that no matter what happens, as of Tuesday night it is over. I am just going to enjoy the adventure as everyday is an adventure!

The End is Near, Of This I'm Certain

2009-05-03T21:05:00.002-05:00

One big assignment down, too many to go. The Spanish oral is done, but it did not go well. The good news is I now just have to sit in the class for the week and listen to other people present. The other good news is that my presentation for Macroeconomics is done so I do not have to do anything but listen in that class either. However I have no idea what is going to be on the final for that class so I have to ask him on Tuesday. We have only done one chapter since our midterm. Don't worry just because I don't have to do work for those two classes does not mean my last full week will not be super busy. I have to read 150 pages for my political science class, take an exam and write a paper by the 18th. What professor makes you hand a paper in after the semester is over? I guess professors can do whatever they want in college. I also have to write two papers for English by the 11th, one of which is a ten page research paper. In addition to all of the work I have to do I meet with a transfer advisor tomorrow. This means I have to make decisions on my future and we all know how good I am with that... not. This week is certainly going to be an adventure. That is not surprising though as everyday is an adventure!

Nothing Left to Do, Except Do It

2009-04-26T20:55:00.004-05:00

Three weeks. How hard or stressful can that be? I have known for a while that this semester was going to be tough in terms of getting the grades I would like. I knew it would come down to the end in almost every class and guess what I was right. As of Thursday 1230 one of my toughest and biggest assignments will be over. It is a ten minute Spanish presentation. I chose to go first. I hope that was a good decision. I actually think it was because I cannot stress over it anymore. I have done that for weeks. Once that is over all I have left is a final for that class. I still have quite a few assignments for my English class and at least one more major assignment in all my classes. Sometimes I wonder how I am going to cram all that information into my head.

Speaking of stressing for weeks, I must register for classes tomorrow. I spoke to an advisor and she recommended I speak with a transfer advisor. She thinks it is in my best interest to transfer after next semester. If I do that then picking my classes is pretty simple as I only have five left until I complete my associates degree. The message of the week is that no matter what happens the sun will always rise tomorrow and worrying will not change that. For this reason there is nothing left for me to do except finish and try and enjoy the adventure because everyday is an adventure.

The End is Nigh

2009-04-26T19:33:00.004-05:00

The end of the school year has come on rather sudden. I'll be done with classes on Thursday, and I've already finished the majority of my final papers, and all that's really left is a few revisions before I'm entirely finished with this semester. Then, after that it's just a matter of figuring out where to store some things and what stuff I need to send home before I pack up and head home for the summer. It'll be nice to finish things up here, and be able to relax for a few months - though I'll definitely have to get a job when I get home.
My friends and I figured out where we'll be living next semester. While many soon-to-be-second-year students try to move out of the dorms and into the campus houses, we decided that process - a tedious, week-long auction inexplicably referred to as a lottery - would warrant more stress than it was worth, especially when the odds of actually ending up in a house are very slim for a group made up entirely of first-years. So, we instead opted to "buy" rooms in the dorm I'm currently living in, where my friend will be the intern (the closest thing this school has to an RA). Though we'll have to put up with another year of the dreaded cafeteria food, staying in the dorms will be nice, especially since they're much closer to the academic buildings than the houses. The strange thing about our arrangement, however, is that in our group of 8, 3 of us may not be returning here next year, and they won't have actually figured out if they were accepted into their transfer schools until mid-May, a few weeks after school is out. So, far all I know, the day I leave could be the last time I see those guys, and from the way they talk about transferring, it sounds pretty likely. I know this school is not for everyone, so it's understandable that they're leaving, but I hope I get to see these guys after this year.

One Problem Many Solutions

2009-04-15T20:25:00.002-05:00

If you ask any college student what his/her biggest problem is with under a month of classes left I guarantee ninety five percent will give you the same answer: STRESS. It is inevitable regardless of the college you go to, the major your in, or what year you are. Over the past week I have observed numerous coping strategies. They include, but are certainly not limited to, yelling at everyone you see, not speaking to anyone, consuming enormous amounts of junk food and coffee, crying, and my personal favorite threatening to drop out. However the good news is that I am still enrolled and that I have figured out what I want to do with my life. I want to be a judge. Anyone who knows me is probably yelling, duh, you have wanted to do that since you were eight years old and it is about time you realized it. In my defense it only took me a year at college to figure it out which is pretty good if I do say so myself. The next question is whether I want to finish at community after next semester or do another full year. I guess I have to figure that out soon since I have to pick my classes at the end of April. Although it thrills me that the semester is ending it also worries me that I only have three weeks left to finish all of my work. I might have to combine all of the coping strategies mentioned above to make it with my sanity or maybe I will just take it day by day and remember that everyday is an adventure!

Figuring it out

2009-04-12T19:17:00.003-05:00

I registered for next fall's classes, and it turned out much better than I thought it was. Though I was initially frustrated that there was hardly any classes that fit what I was planning on doing, I talked with my advisor and he pointed me in the right direction, and showed me a bunch of classes that will complement my planned course of study. As of right now, I'm registered for a class on Writing Childhood, which is a combination of writing and child psychology; Staging America, which is about contemporary American playwriting; Cultural Citizenship, which is about power systems in American media; and Antisemitism, which is about exactly what the class title suggests. All these classes should help me figure out the writing/history angle of what I plan on studying. It was just a matter of knowing where to look to find what I wanted.
I finished one of my finals for this semester already, and when I finished that presentation I realized how near I was to the end of the semester, and moreover, the end of my first year of college. Of course, I've still got two more major papers to put together and some revisons to do as well, but I've got less than three weeks left of this. As much as I love it here, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to getting done here and going home.

Decisions Decisions

2009-04-09T19:12:00.002-05:00

There is a line in one of my favorite songs that goes "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." As I complete my last month of my freshmen year I have found this lyric to be very true. I have to pick my classes for next semester within the next few weeks. Although I have decided to remain at community college until at least next spring I am not any closer to deciding what to major in. In fact I am more confused now then ever before. This is causing issues as I do not know what classes to take next semester. I like so many things, but love nothing. I am also good at many things, but great at none. The good thing is that I know a lot of people who feel this way so at least I am not alone. Every week I want to do something different or double major. One idea ends and the next begins.

Another aspect in which I am not alone in is being stressed. Everyone I talk to says they have so much work to do in the next few weeks and they have no idea how they are going to get it done. I have five projects and five finals to take. If there is one skill I am going to master by the end of the semester it will be time management. One project or test ends and another begins. Despite the confusion and the stress I feel I have grown tremendously this semester. I am not stuck to a plan. I am exploring options and I am finally starting to realize that once college is over I am in the working world forever so I should take my time and find out what I love. That is what I have decided. I will take each day as it comes and enjoy each adventure as everyday is an adventure.

Next Semester...

2009-04-03T09:45:00.002-05:00

They've posted the course listing for next fall's semester, and while a few classes sound interesting, the things I was planning on studying are fairly underrepresented. My advisor had told me to take certain classes this year with a variety of different professors in the writing department, but its looking like two of them won't be teaching any classes at all next year, another will only be teaching classes for first years and students working on their final project, and another is only teaching one class that I'll be able to take. Since I have the opportunity to be taking courses at other schools in the area though, I've looked into what they have to offer. There are a few courses that sound really interesting, but registering for them won't be as easy, as the other schools put a priority on their own students before they let students from other schools take their classes. The most frustrating thing about this though is that I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted to study for the next two years, and not only are those professors not going to being teaching course I'll be able to take, but there are scarcely any courses anywhere that relate to what I want to study. Since it's going to be by second year and I'll be finished with my first-year requirements, I'll have the opportunity to take just about any class that I think will fit my self-designed path. But it looks like its going to be tough finding enough courses that really fit what I want to do next year without taking a few peripheral classes. I do have the opportunity, however, to do an Independent Study. I'm not quite sure how I go about arranging that, but if I can come up with a reasonable subject to study independently, I may be able to do that.

Just Keep Going

2009-04-03T08:33:00.002-05:00

This week has been pretty ordinary. Lots of work, and lack of sleep. Tests, tutoring and writing papers. There were a few highlights. All but one of the entrances to the main building was closed. That made getting in and out a bit of a challenge. I walked up the winding ramp and it was not until I got all the way to the top that I realized it was closed. Also the email system at my school is down. This usually would not be a problem, except that I am having problem registering for my English department exam. It is an exam that all students in composition 2 must take. I tried calling the number, but that only connected me to the testing center and said nothing about the department exam. Then I decided to email the head of the english department. Then I found out the email didn't work. Thankfully, next week will be better. I do not have any classes on Monday or Wednesday. Monday is supposed to be designated to research. Wednesday is cancelled, but class is meeting on Friday. After next week I will have one month to go and I am so excited. i just keep telling myself that everyday I go is one less that I have to go. Just keep going and enjoy the adventure!

Ready Set Go

2009-03-25T19:40:00.002-05:00

Last week was spring break and boy was it nice! However I do not think that sixteen hours in the car and four sled hockey games in three days is exactly what my body needed to rejuvenate. I am extremely stiff and exhausted so motivating myself to go to class has not been easy. Not only that but I have a feeling these next five weeks are going to be very hectic. I still have ten and a half hours of community service to do for my Spanish class, three research papers to write and final exams. Not to mention the fact I have to decide if I want to transfer next spring or if I will wait till Fall 2010 and the decision has to be made soon.

Despite the fact that the next five weeks will probably be stressful I am looking forward to them. They will certainly be full of adventure and I just keep telling myself that once five weeks is over I am off for almost three months. It has been a long semester but I am coming to the home stretch and I just keep reminding myself of two things. What does not kill me makes me stronger and everyday is an adventure, just hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Spring Break

2009-03-24T14:42:00.003-05:00

Over past week I had my spring break. I wasn't up for two full days of travel, nor was I really up for spending money somewhere else, so I stayed on campus. Campus was mostly empty, as most students are from the east coast and had a way of going home for ten days. Although some people were skeptical that I could make it that long without losing my mind or starving, I actually had a really nice time. I only had a few things assigned over the break, and with those aside, I had a lot of time to myself. That was nice, as the weeks prior to break had been particularly heavy on the workload, and I was in need of some time to relax. The cafeteria was closed, so I had to spend some money at the grocery store, but I was able to survive on peanut butter sandwiches, oranges, and licorice. I caught up on some novels and comics that I hadn't had time to read during the semester, as well as get back to work on personal projects that I hadn't worked on in a long while. I also made another trip to the nearby mountain I had climbed a couple weeks earlier and had a much easier time going up, as the ice had mostly melted and the temperature was still nice. The only major issue was that the buses only ran once in the morning and once in the afternoon, which meant that if I was to miss the bus, I would have been stranded in town. I wasn't up for that, or for spending that much time in town between the two bus rides, so I kept myself entertained on campus, or in the case of the mountain, with things within walking distance of campus.
Over break I also made arrangements for the end of the year with a friend of mine from home who goes to school in Vermont. Originally my parents and I had planned it that I would send all my things home via mail and keep some stuff in storage while I flew home. But my friend, as it turns out, will have a car by May, and he gets out of school only a week after I do. We'll instead be driving home from school, which should be cheaper and easier, and probably a lot better than the tedious process of waiting in airports and bus stations. For a while I felt like when we were making our plans that we were thinking a little to far ahead, but then I realized that I'm only 5 weeks away from the end of the school year, and this actually wasn't so far away. That said, however, these next five weeks will probably the toughest of the semester, as I'll have go through the arduous process of writing long final papers, and giving presentations.

Spring Break Doesn't Mean A Work Break

2009-03-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

Spring break officially starts Monday, but since I don't have class on Friday mine starts early. It could not have come at better time either. This week has been full of professors squeezing in exams before break which translates to all work and no fun. The good thing is that I only had one that was cumulative.

Although, many of professors were going on vacation they still were able to assign work. I have two chapters to read for political science, an oral evaluation that I have to write for Spanish and an English paper due the day I return. That does not even include long term assignments that I have to work on.

Despite this workload I have dedicated this weekend to pleasure reading. My mom bought me the last two books of the Twilight series last week. However she would not give them to me until spring break because she knew that I would be so engrossed in the books that I would not do anything else. She was right. I am also going on vacation to Buffalo next weekend to play sled hockey. This should be exactly what I need to rejuvenate my spirit and be ready for the second half of the semester and all the adventures it will surely bring! That does not surprise me as everyday is an adventure.

Self-evaluations, round 2

2009-03-08T21:58:00.003-05:00

Over this past weekend, I had to write my self-evaluations, as it is "mid-terms" for everyone who goes to a normal college. They went a lot smoother this time compared to last, mostly because I'm much more comfortable in the classes I'm taking this semester than last. I participate in discussion more often, and the work is also slightly less challenging. I can't quite pinpoint what the differences are - if its me, the class, or the professor - but generally this semester I've participated much more in the classroom. It's always been discussion-based, but this time around I find that I have a lot more to say. I think it's most likely because the topics this semester (journalism, fiction, sex/love) are much more relatable ground for me than last semester's (postcolonialism, Latin American politics, war).
In my fiction writing class I was surprised to see that my story wasn't ripped apart, and actually quite well liked. I think that's just generally how I get with my creative writing, when I'm not entirely satisfied with it I don't expect anyone to like it. But it went quite well, and I got loads of good feedback and ideas to help improve it as well.
My friends and I have been talking about how this semester is moving so much faster than last. We figured it has something to do with the fact that we're much more adjusted to our situation now than we were last time, and because there are actually fewer days this semester anyway. There are less than two months left of the year, and while last semester that felt like forever, this semester that amount of time feels short. It's going by pretty fast.
Due to some strange occurrence in the weather, all the snow around here has melted and its 50 degrees out. Two of my friends and I hiked a nearby mountain, something we had been meaning to do since the fall. While the view was obviously less colorful than it would be in October, it was still really cool to see the entire valley that we live in, as well as our college and the other colleges nearby. It also felt good to get out and off campus after a winter of staying inside and going to movies.

Exactly What I Needed

2009-03-08T09:49:00.002-05:00

This week has been exactly what I needed. We had a snow day on Monday. Although I hate snow it was very nice to have a day off. It allowed me to get some necessary work done. Then on Tuesday I did not have to go to my night class until an hour after it started as the class had to take an exam that I took on Friday. Then I took a mental health day or I guess mental health night as I skipped my stress management class and went to the Phantoms game instead. It was a tough decision, but well worth it. To top it all off my Spanish class was cancelled on Thursday. It does not get any better then that. Not only has this week been great but I only have one more week until spring break!!!

Don't think that just because I had fewer classes, I had fewer adventures. Don't ask me to explain how either of these adventures happened because I don't think I could do them again if I tried. I was riding in the elevator trying to put on my jacket. I finally got the jacket on and was waiting for the elevator to open. The door opened and I began trying to walk out of the elevator. As I tried to walk the collar of my jacket began getting tighter around my neck. it was then I realized that the pocket of my jacket was stuck on my walker handle. After about five minutes I was able to free my jacket and continue on with my day. Another day this week I was walking up the ramp to go outside. There are two mats on the ramp. Unfortunately my feet got tangled in the first mat. I looked like I was about to do a belly flop on the floor. My arms and walker were moving forward and my feet were far behind. The thing about my walker is that it has automatic locks on the wheels so that you cannot go backward. In most cases this is a good thing, but when your feet are stuck behind you the wheels make it almost impossible to regain your balance. Thankfully two gentlemen were walking behind me and helped me. I may be able to avoid classes but I can never avoid adventures because everyday is an advemture

College Should be Cancelled Anytime the Temperature is Above Fifty

2009-02-28T20:08:00.003-06:00

Where does the time go? Probably the same place my motivation went. Out the window. I wish I could go to two classes and dedicate my time and effort to them. They are Political Science and English. All of my other classes seem pointless, especially math. The professor is a great guy, but his voice is so monotone it is a struggle just to stay awake. My friend meets me by the elevator every class and convinces me that I should go. His job is only going to get tougher as the weather gets nicer. There is a park right next to campus and I love taking afternoon naps in the sun. This park plus math plus nice weather equals a disaster waiting to happen in terms of my attendance. This of course is only in my dreams because I would feel so guilty if I cut class, but boy is it tempting. Just a quick story. Last week my stress management teacher told us to clear our desk. I put my books on the ground. This was a bad idea since I would forget my head if it was not attached to my body. I'm sure you can guess what happened. I forgot them. When I went back to class two days later to get them they were gone. When I went to class this Wednesday I asked a student if she had picked them up as she was in the classroom after me. When she said she hadn't I figured the books were gone forever. Fifteen minutes into class a security guard came in the room. I figured he was coming to tell us class was cancelled since the professor still had not shown up. Instead he said "Is anyone in this class missing books?" I guess it was my lucky day since everything was exactly how I left it. For once I avoided an adventure rather then going on a wild goose chase to find the books. This is surprising as everyday is an adventure.

Science hasn't changed

2009-02-23T20:05:00.002-06:00

For the first time all year, I found myself completely zoning out during class, and, of course, it was during my science class. I'm doing all my work in the class and doing my best to pay attention, but a college science class is still a science class, and it's still over my head. I know it could be a lot worse, and I'm glad my professor is very understanding of the fact that not everybody is as passionate about what he's teaching, but whenever he begins speaking in thicker jargon and only a few students in the room really follow what he's doing, I find it really hard to pay attention.
But aside from that part of that class, everything else is going fine. I gave my first presentation of the year (with a partner) and it went smoother than I could have imagined. I was clearly overprepared, and my partner and I were more than ready to talk past our 15 minute time allotment. For my fiction writing class tomorrow, my story is being workshopped, and I'm pretty nervous since I wasn't particularly proud of the story. I've never written in the third-person for fiction before, and I think the story clearly reflects that, so I hope the class goes easy on me.
A thing that has been nice about this semester is that, in the absence of many of my friends who have moved into different buildings, I'm meeting more people. It's nice to know that the friend-making process doesn't simply end after the first few weeks, and people are willing to branch out as the year goes by.

They Told Me I Would Change My Mind

2009-02-19T20:05:00.003-06:00

This week has been full of flashbacks. Surprise quizzes, moving students to the front of the room so they pay attention, me being quiet for two hours in order to prove a point... o wait that has never happened before and my personal favorite the conversations where people told me that I would change my mind about my career, a minimum of three times. I had always thought that people were wrong about the last one, especially since I had wanted to do something with the law since I could remember. It turns out I was wrong. I am taking a math class and the current chapter is logic. My professor is constantly saying how lawyers take numerous logic courses as it is the basis for their career. I hate it. I don't want to use complex, verbose language just to get what I want. I don't want to try to persuade people to agree with my point of view, but rather come together to find solutions to complex global problems in hopes of making other people's lives better. If anyone knows a career that fits these objectives please let me know. It looks like my college career will be full of work and adventure if I change my major. This is not surprising as everyday is an adventure!

Same as it ever was

2009-02-15T13:38:00.003-06:00

At this point, I've resumed the same routine I had last semester, except perhaps with a little less writing. Looking back on my portfolios from last semester, I can't help but notice how heavy they are with paper, and when I look over my syllabuses for this semester it doesn't look like I'll match last semester's weight. When I compared the work I did last semester to what my friends were doing, both here and at other colleges, I also found that it was considerably more writing based than most, which I suppose might have been because I took 2 writing classes and two analysis-heavy classes. Though I may be getting small break from heavy writing, however, that doesn't mean that this semester will be a breeze. What I will have to do, that I've done little of previously, is give presentations. I don't have a lot of experience in giving presentations, so I'll probably pick up on that skill, or at least I hope I do.
The only other major change of this semester is adjusting to how often I see my friends. I had quite a few friends that were a year ahead of me, and when the new semester started, many of them moved into different housing that is both removed from the main area of campus and off the meal plan. Not that it is a major hassle, necessarily, since we all have phones and know where each other live, but spontaneously planned events have significantly decreased, mostly due to the fact that I don't see these people daily like I used to.

I Should Have Said No

2009-02-11T19:54:00.005-06:00

Is it May 15th yet? It certainly feels like it should be. This week has been full of school work, meetings and tutoring. I think the the most beneficial skill I could learn in college is how to say no. I have not been in college long enough, however because I could not say no to anything this week. I went in early to tutor someone in economics, attempted to help someone in Spanish and even tried to help my friend in physics. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE physics and that it was the worst class I took prior to college Spanish. Those two are tied for my least favorite classes ever. I also told agreed to make a Black History Month pamphlet for the club I am president of. If Stress Management can work for me, it can work for anyone. I guess without the stress though life would be boring. That would not be good because everyday is an adventure!

Where Have the Last Two Weeks Gone?

2009-02-03T21:22:00.002-06:00

Sorry I have not written in so long. I have no idea where the time went. My sister warned me that Spring semester was more difficult than Fall semester. She was right. I feel like all I do is work and yet I am always behind. The sad part is that it is only two weeks into the semester. I do not know what I am going to do during midterms and finals. I have decided that I am going to live just for today and take it one day at a time. I heard this philosophy when I went to an NA meeting last night. Don't worry college has not driven me to drugs, I had to go for my stress management class. It was one of the most educational and emotional experiences of my life. I am so glad I went. It gave me a reality check. It was funny because I was nervous that people would be angry that I "intruded" on the meeting. I could not have been more wrong. It was the least judgmental environment I have ever been in. Everyone was so welcoming.

Speaking of environments, that is probably the biggest adjustment I've had to deal with both in terms of the weather and social environment. It has been snowing frequently here and I've had to walk across campus with snow on the ground several times. As you can imagine snow and walkers do not mix especially for someone who is as clumsy as I am. My social environment has also changed. For most of my classes I have a new professor and new classmates and my classes are in different buildings. I feel like it is my first day of kindergarden again. If only the work were as easy as it was back then. With all these changes I will have to take it one day at a time and be ready for adventure, because everyday is an adventure!

New Semester

2009-02-03T17:18:00.003-06:00

New classes started on Thursday, and I've already dropped one class and registered for another. It was a class on Visual Culture, which was supposed to be kind of a prerequisite for film classes, but I knew from the instructor's introduction and reading the syllabus that there was no way I was going to enjoy it. I saw phrases like "representation in media" and the dreaded "postcolonialism," so I decided that it would be in my best interest to not endure the same nonsense as my Postcolonialism class last semester. I immediately dropped that class and registered for The History of Love and Dating in the US, which sounded much more interesting. I've only taken one class of it so far, and all we did was watch Woody Allen's "Annie Hall", which is one of my favorite movies. I glanced over the syllabus, and it seems like a far better class than the Visual Culture. I'm also in Journalism in Crisis, Writing Fiction About Families, and Local Food Systems. The first two are two topics I'm very interested in and I've already really enjoyed taking. The last one is simply a requirement fulfillment, but the professor seems great and the topic is more approachable science subject than, say, Human Gene Cloning. I'm liking how, compared to my last semester's beginning, this has been much less hectic. Starting last semester was tough because I was not only taking new classes, but adjusting to a new way of living entirely. Now that all I really have to worry about is new classes and buying books, I'm finding the transition much simpler. I also have a feeling that this semester will be considerably easier than the last one, in terms of the reading and writing I'll have to do. The jury's still out on Local Food Systems though - I've never been one for science, so I hope it won't be too complicated.

Did I earn this break?

2009-01-25T19:28:00.002-06:00

January Term has ended, and the second semester has officially begun. My classes don't begin until Wednesday, but I turned in all my final work for my J-term class. I really enjoyed J-term - most of my friends were here, I got to take a class about movies, and I had tons of free time. The work I had to do for my class was pretty easy, and mostly enjoyable, so it hardly has even felt like school - which is why I hardly feel like this 5-day break I'm currently 3 days into was deserved. I'll take it, of course, and it's nice to have a little space between terms. And as nice as J-term was, it is also nice to have more of my friends arriving back on campus. This place is starting to feel like I did when I left, whereas J-term felt like some kind of condensed version of it. All my websites for my new classes are up, so I was able to check out the class lists and see who was taking the class with me, and quite a few of my friends will be taking some courses with me, which makes me even more excited about my new schedule, which is already looking more interesting than last semester, though I really enjoyed most of last semester. I'll have taken all of them by the end of the week, so I should have a good idea by then.

2nd Semester... Let the Adventures Continue

2009-01-24T20:03:00.005-06:00

I think the motto for this semester is just keep walking! I have only gone to class two days and I am already exhausted. On Wednesday I went to English and Stress Management. English was great. It is an honors class so I have the same professor as last semester and many of the same classmates. This made the atmosphere very relaxed and I was actually looking forward to the semester. Unfortunately, this feeling did not last long. That night I had Stress Management. That was my first mistake, taking a night class in a building I had never been to. I do not like walking on grass when I can see let alone at night when it is dark. Thankfully I made it to class on time without any major mishaps. It was once I got to class that the fun really began not! The professor was extremely nosey and he could not understand why my classmates or I had stress. Then he made us sit in a circle and introduce ourselves. He was firing personal questions to everyone, but when he got to me the questions just kept coming. Why did I use a walker? What is CP? How did I feel about it? My personal favorite was when he said that I just needed to accept the disability. Let me just say that I think talking with a person who has a disability about his or her condition is a good thing. It is only through knowledge that we can learn acceptance. However do not ever tell a person how they should handle it, especially if you do not have a disability. To say I was angry is an understatement I think he plans on making me the class project. Thank goodness that class is only one day a week! Thursday came and although it was much more physically demanding it was less aggravating. I had to walk across campus twice and I only had fifteen minutes between classes. I had three classes in a row and my legs were very glad when I finally got home. I was quite proud of myself as I made it to all of my classes on time. I can tell that Tuesdays and Thursdays are not only going to be physically demanding, but also mentally. I have Macroeconomics and Spanish. As you already know from last semester Spanish is not my best subject. Economics seems challenging, but I hope to learn some things I can do to help reduce the current crisis.

Although these times are filled with crisis we did earn a victory in terms of one of our oldest conflicts: racism with the swearing in of Obama. On Friday the college had an assemble to honor Martin Luther King Jr. The speaker also knew Obama. The speaker spoke about both MLK's life and Obama's determination to be president. He mentioned how young both of these extraordinary men when they began their journeys. This gave me hope that I also can make a difference. This is why I am determined to just keep walking, working and pursuing adventure because everyday is an adventure.

Under a Week to Go

2009-01-15T10:43:00.003-06:00

I must say that even though this break was the longest break I have ever been given it is the first time I am not ready to go back. I feel like I am starting all over again. This is the worst part about community college. You don't have the same social opportunities to maintain friendships and you do not get as close to people because they are not just down the hall or across campus. The only good thing is that I have two of the same professors as last semester, meaning two less teaching styles I have to get accustomed to. I added another class to my schedule. I am now taking Stress Management on Wednesday nights. It has the potential to be the most beneficial class I ever take. This also means I take a different number of classes everyday. I have one on Monday, four on Tuesday, two on Wednesday, three on Thursday and, I am off on Friday. This will provide variation which should help me stay focused. This variation still seems very strange to me as I am still used to the high school schedule where I go to the same classes everyday. I guess it is just another difference I will continue to adjust to. Variation also provides many opportunities for adventures which I should be accustomed to by now, as everyday is an adventure.

January Term

2009-01-14T20:03:00.003-06:00

I left Minnesota satisfied with break. I got to hang out with all my friends and see all my family, which was great. I was really looking forward to getting back to school, which was a feeling I wasn't expecting to have. What I wasn't looking forward to, however, was the day of travel ahead of me. My flight from Minneapolis to Boston was delayed 2 hours, which then put me on a later bus to school, so I ended up not arriving at campus until very late at night. As much as I hate that kind of travel, everything besides the delays worked out very smoothly, and I shouldn't really be complaining since I knew I would be getting involved in extensive travel days when I chose to go to school on the East coast. In the end though, it was just nice to be back on campus.
My January term course on Screenplay Analysis has been great. It meets every day for about 3-4 hours, and half of that time is spent watching movies. The other half we discuss the movie we viewed the previous class. It's great, because I watch and discuss movies anyway, and now I get credit for it.
Campus in January is a bit strange, since maybe half of the students take a January term class, so things are very laid back, and it is definitely much quieter. The fact that my class doesn't start until 1 p.m. is great as well, because it leaves me with more than enough free time to hang out with friends, read comics, watch more movies, and go into town. My only major complaint is that the bus system runs on a less frequent schedule during January, so getting into town is never a short thing - which can be a drag since it is getting cold here.

A New Year a New Me?

2009-01-03T07:02:00.002-06:00

Happy holidays everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying their well deserved break. I know I am! This is the first time ever that I have gone on break and have not been able to do any school work, it is amazing! For those of you who are worried that I might take the entire month to relax, I assure you that my overachieving personality is still fully intact. I have been looking for places to transfer to and reading other people's opinions on my professors for next semester. Also, I have looked into summer courses. Some things do not change regardless of the year.

I have found some time to relax. I have been doing lots of pleasure reading and have seen numerous friends from high school. Most of my friends have had a great college experience so far. I find several things interesting when comparing their college experience to mine. We have all established that finals week is by far one of the worst weeks of the year. Also we have learned that we would do anything to go back to the high school workload and finally that we do not know how we had gotten up by six-thirty during our younger days. The only major difference I have found between myself and those people who went away is our definition of home. All of my friends have been saying they cannot wait to go home as in back to school. They miss their independence and the people they have seen everyday for the past couple of months. I never thought that this transformation would happen so quickly. I guess we have all become used to our new lives and the adventures they hold. This should not be surprising though, because everyday is an adventure

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

2008-12-18T15:54:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-18T10:22:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-12T21:35:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-05T20:02:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-01T18:17:00.004-06:00

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

2008-11-25T15:19:00.003-06:00

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?

2008-11-19T22:20:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-18T11:59:00.004-06:00

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

2008-11-14T04:02:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-12T14:17:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-05T18:32:00.003-06:00

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.

2008-11-04T12:43:00.004-06:00

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

2008-10-31T15:37:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-30T14:51:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-22T20:41:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-21T18:53:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-17T08:20:00.005-05:00

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'

2008-10-13T17:37:00.003-05:00

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.

2008-10-06T19:12:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-10-06T15:02:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-03T11:20:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-02T15:14:00.004-05:00

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"

2008-09-25T03:57:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-09-24T13:31:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-19T18:40:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-18T17:59:00.018-05:00

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

2008-09-18T17:59:00.017-05:00

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

2008-09-18T17:59:00.016-05:00

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

2008-09-18T17:59:00.015-05:00

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

2008-09-18T17:59:00.009-05:00

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?

2008-09-17T17:13:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-12T11:48:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-05T15:21:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-02T10:17:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-29T12:02:00.001-05:00

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

2008-06-15T15:37:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-11T15:29:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-09T12:17:00.004-05:00

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... :)