Back in my high school days, teachers used to be pretty strict about attendance. We couldn’t be late to class, and we could only miss a certain amount of school days before we were made to go to summer school. The least a teacher could do for an absence was give us a detention.
But now that I’m in college, things are a little different. In fact, they’ve changed for the worse. As it turns out, some courses state that if students miss class more than three times, they fail — meaning the entire course. I find this to be quite absurd.
I feel like I’m back in high school. This whole attendance deal is ridiculous. If I have worked hard in a class and have gotten decent grades on my tests, then there is no reason why I should be punished by receiving an F in a course simply because of missing three days of class.
Of course, not all courses implement the same policy of failing a student due to absences in the class. In my French class, for example, the attendance policy has officially been changed on the syllabus. Students who have more than three absences will have points deducted for each additional absence - which I think is a reasonable policy for students.
But for math, the policy is incredibly uptight. According to the syllabus, a student may only be absent five times. Otherwise, he or she absolutely fails the entire course. No excuses.
I always thought teachers would be less strict about classes in college. Why do they care when we are the ones who are paying for classes and it is our problem whether we go to class or not?
Besides, I don’t think a rule like that even needs to be implemented in college. We’re older now, and we should know better to actually be responsible and go to class. We don’t need rules like that. It actually hurts my feelings that the school would think we are that irresponsible when we’re paying for our own classes.
Of course, I know it’s probably a little difficult for teachers to actually believe that a recent high school graduate would be responsible enough to go to class and not skip. A good reason why they would implement such a rule. But hey, we made it to college; we’re not that stupid.
At least I’m happy that this semester is over. I actually feel accomplished that I made it through my first semester in college. I survived it, I’m starting to lose the freshman 15, and I’m not failing math due to attendance.
I still think that someone should say something about the attendance matter, though. Maybe attendance should not be that big of a deal. Teachers could just gradually deduct points from students' grades whenever they are absent more than three times. Or how about if teachers give extra credit for perfect attendance? Maybe we could all feel a little more motivated to go to class.
The point is that grades should be based on how well we do on tests, not on attendance.
Oh, and by the way... have a happy winter break!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Losing my hair because of college finals
It's finals season and, in case you haven’t noticed, the semester is practically over. I almost survived my first semester in college.
Aside from my mini personal victory, I’m freaking out about finals.
To me, finals are a big deal. They are practically our last chance to do well in a class, and if I don’t do well on all of my finals, my GPA is seriously going to go through an extreme amount of pain.
There is a lot of pressure to do well on a final. If you’re like me and you’re leaving everything to the last minute, there’s even more pressure to study massive amounts of information in a matter of a couple of days.I’m such a mess.
Not only that, but every time I bump into my friends at the library when I’m about to study, they compelled to tell me their final schedules and how freaked out they are, which doesn’t help my situation at all.
You see, things were a tad different in high school.
First of all, finals were important for us, but finals didn’t happen until the end of the school year, specifically during the summer.
Second of all, we still had the same classes the semester after winter break, which meant we still had time to raise our grades before the end of the school year, which took off a lot of pressure from the midterms.
In college, when the semester is over, it’s over. There are no more chances to do better in a class except for the final. I’m already an emotional wreck whenever I think about my astronomy final.
On top of that, the material covered in a college course is a lot more than what the teachers covered back in my high school days.
Since it's been a little tough to take a breather because I'm so stressed out, I figured I'd pass along some tips that have been past along to me.
And for your viewing pleasure, watch this:
Good luck with finals!
Aside from my mini personal victory, I’m freaking out about finals.
To me, finals are a big deal. They are practically our last chance to do well in a class, and if I don’t do well on all of my finals, my GPA is seriously going to go through an extreme amount of pain.
There is a lot of pressure to do well on a final. If you’re like me and you’re leaving everything to the last minute, there’s even more pressure to study massive amounts of information in a matter of a couple of days.I’m such a mess.
Not only that, but every time I bump into my friends at the library when I’m about to study, they compelled to tell me their final schedules and how freaked out they are, which doesn’t help my situation at all.
You see, things were a tad different in high school.
First of all, finals were important for us, but finals didn’t happen until the end of the school year, specifically during the summer.
Second of all, we still had the same classes the semester after winter break, which meant we still had time to raise our grades before the end of the school year, which took off a lot of pressure from the midterms.
In college, when the semester is over, it’s over. There are no more chances to do better in a class except for the final. I’m already an emotional wreck whenever I think about my astronomy final.
On top of that, the material covered in a college course is a lot more than what the teachers covered back in my high school days.
Since it's been a little tough to take a breather because I'm so stressed out, I figured I'd pass along some tips that have been past along to me.
- Prioritize your studies according to the order of your finals: This is something I find very helpful whenever I have tried to study for finals. The main thing you have to do is to try to study for the first final you are going to take. For example, the first final I’m taking is math... meaning that right now, I’m cramming up all of those logarithm rules I learned last week. The second final I’m taking is French, which I’ll study for during the weekend.
- Ask your professors all of the last minute questions this week: Don’t wait until the night before your final to send your teacher an e-mail and ask him or her for help. If you have questions and you don’t understand something... by all means, ask away!
- Study groups are the "in" thing to do: Get a group of friends together and hit up your local Barnes & Noble or coffee shop. It is an efficient way of learning the material quickly and you get to bond with your fellow classmates.
- Three words: try to sleep: A common misconception with college students — especially freshmen — is that in order to do well on your finals, you have to stay up all night and cram everything up in one sitting. This is not true. Our bodies need rest, and if we just keep working and studying like maniacs, our brains will be so tired that all the information we retained will be gone by the time we start writing out our names on our tests. Finals are important, but so is our health. Make sure you schedule in some sleep.
- Take a deep breath: What’s the worst thing that could happen if you don’t do that well on your final? Try to relax and take breaks between long study sessions. If you’ve paid attention in class, then you should be OK. If not.. well... there’s always next semester.
And for your viewing pleasure, watch this:
Good luck with finals!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
What a Dorm Life...
As I was recently watching the movie Van Wilder, the story of a college student who is afraid of life after school, I realized how many movies promote the idea that the typical "college experience" involves a curfew-free life of endless partying, a lot of junk food and moving into the dorms. I guess the movies were wrong, because I have yet to experience the on-campus lifestyle — I’m still living at home.
For me, things are a little different. I moved here from Venezuela four years ago, and the cultural differences between my country and this one are very apparent.
For one, the traditional college student in my country lives in his or her parents' house until marriage — not cool. And second of all, if you are allowed to move out, you would typically live in an apartment by yourself without any roommates — simply because having roommates is considered "weirdz" and not a common thing to do. In America, having roommates is the most common way of living for a college student.
The problem is that I’ve grown up in the American culture, and when I graduated high school, I was expecting my parents to just let me go and allow me to live on campus like many other college students.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Because of the culture differences, I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of great dorm experiences.
When I was in high school, going to college and moving into the dorms was a big deal. It didn’t matter if the dorms were smaller than a box or if you were going to have to share the bathroom with five other people. The point is that it is an experience in your freshman year of college that you’ll never forget.
But five months after graduation, I’m still at my parents' house with a curfew of 1 a.m., and I still have to deal with a constant drill of questions regarding where I’m going and who I’m going with... how annoying.
For the record, it’s not like I hate living at my parents' house. After all, I don’t pay for rent, I always have nice food on the table, and I have a pool and a Jacuzzi for me to use whenever I want.
The problem is that a lot of memorable things happen while living in the dorms that are good for any freshman’s social life, like memories of staying up all night with a bunch of friends in somebody’s dorm or even going to local school concerts. I feel like living in the dorms completes what I dreamt would be my college experience as a freshman.
Some of my older friends — who have already lived at the dorms — keep telling me that I have to live in the dorms for at least one semester because of the experience. I don’t even think I would care if I had to sleep in a room that’s 10 times smaller than mine or that I had roommates. At least I would feel like I’m finally in college and not necessarily just going to class.
In a way, I’m kind of happy that I still do live at home, because at least I don’t have as many distractions as I would have if I lived in the dorms. I wouldn't study as much, I'd eat a lot more junk food, and I'd go to a lot more parties.
For me, things are a little different. I moved here from Venezuela four years ago, and the cultural differences between my country and this one are very apparent.
For one, the traditional college student in my country lives in his or her parents' house until marriage — not cool. And second of all, if you are allowed to move out, you would typically live in an apartment by yourself without any roommates — simply because having roommates is considered "weirdz" and not a common thing to do. In America, having roommates is the most common way of living for a college student.
The problem is that I’ve grown up in the American culture, and when I graduated high school, I was expecting my parents to just let me go and allow me to live on campus like many other college students.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Because of the culture differences, I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of great dorm experiences.
When I was in high school, going to college and moving into the dorms was a big deal. It didn’t matter if the dorms were smaller than a box or if you were going to have to share the bathroom with five other people. The point is that it is an experience in your freshman year of college that you’ll never forget.
But five months after graduation, I’m still at my parents' house with a curfew of 1 a.m., and I still have to deal with a constant drill of questions regarding where I’m going and who I’m going with... how annoying.
For the record, it’s not like I hate living at my parents' house. After all, I don’t pay for rent, I always have nice food on the table, and I have a pool and a Jacuzzi for me to use whenever I want.
The problem is that a lot of memorable things happen while living in the dorms that are good for any freshman’s social life, like memories of staying up all night with a bunch of friends in somebody’s dorm or even going to local school concerts. I feel like living in the dorms completes what I dreamt would be my college experience as a freshman.
Some of my older friends — who have already lived at the dorms — keep telling me that I have to live in the dorms for at least one semester because of the experience. I don’t even think I would care if I had to sleep in a room that’s 10 times smaller than mine or that I had roommates. At least I would feel like I’m finally in college and not necessarily just going to class.
In a way, I’m kind of happy that I still do live at home, because at least I don’t have as many distractions as I would have if I lived in the dorms. I wouldn't study as much, I'd eat a lot more junk food, and I'd go to a lot more parties.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Astronomy- The Most Dreaded Class for a Freshman
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are when I start complaining. My stomach gets into knots, I suddenly feel sick and I find all kinds of excuses to try to not go to my most dreaded class: astronomy.
When I was registering for classes this summer, I couldn’t decide between all the cool classes that I wanted to take. I distinctly remember trying to choose between French and German, art history and psychology, and of course, astronomy and chemistry.
I chose astronomy — big mistake.
On the first day of class, I was excited to go to astronomy. I couldn’t wait to learn about the planets and go to the observations to look at the stars. Even my parents kept talking about how much I was going to like that class. Well, as it turns out, they were wrong.
And so was I.
It turns out the material is not as exciting as I originally thought it would be and the class gets so bad that people actually leave in the middle of the lecture — something I later learned was normal in college.
Not even in high school did I ever have a class that would make me feel so sick minutes before it. The class that I disliked the most in high school was trigonometry... and even that wasn’t as bad as astronomy.
My trigonometry teacher at least tried to get us somewhat involved in the lecture. She would come up with geeky anecdotes about her weekend and she'd give us free candy during the holidays.
But I guess not everything is bad about my astronomy class — there's always going to be a class in your schedule that you won't like, and the best thing you can do is get the good out of it.
I learned my lesson with astronomy. And next time I choose classes, I will be more careful about what I take. Obviously, I’m not going to like every class that I’m required to take, but I don’t think anything will ever top my experience with astronomy.
To avoid classes like this in the future, I'm passing along some information that was passed along to me.
1. Before you register for any of your classes, make sure you check out Rate My Professor for a description of what your class will be like and what the teachers are like. I should have definitely done that when I had the time.
2. Ask your friends if they’ve had any bad experiences with the classes that you are about to take. My friends warned me about astronomy, but I didn’t listen.
3. If it’s humanly impossible to pay attention in class, then make sure you’re getting As on your online quizzes; they really help out when it comes to your grade.
4. Bring your I-clickers — a lot of extra credit for just pushing a button!
When I was registering for classes this summer, I couldn’t decide between all the cool classes that I wanted to take. I distinctly remember trying to choose between French and German, art history and psychology, and of course, astronomy and chemistry.
I chose astronomy — big mistake.
On the first day of class, I was excited to go to astronomy. I couldn’t wait to learn about the planets and go to the observations to look at the stars. Even my parents kept talking about how much I was going to like that class. Well, as it turns out, they were wrong.
And so was I.
It turns out the material is not as exciting as I originally thought it would be and the class gets so bad that people actually leave in the middle of the lecture — something I later learned was normal in college.
Not even in high school did I ever have a class that would make me feel so sick minutes before it. The class that I disliked the most in high school was trigonometry... and even that wasn’t as bad as astronomy.
My trigonometry teacher at least tried to get us somewhat involved in the lecture. She would come up with geeky anecdotes about her weekend and she'd give us free candy during the holidays.
But I guess not everything is bad about my astronomy class — there's always going to be a class in your schedule that you won't like, and the best thing you can do is get the good out of it.
I learned my lesson with astronomy. And next time I choose classes, I will be more careful about what I take. Obviously, I’m not going to like every class that I’m required to take, but I don’t think anything will ever top my experience with astronomy.
To avoid classes like this in the future, I'm passing along some information that was passed along to me.
1. Before you register for any of your classes, make sure you check out Rate My Professor for a description of what your class will be like and what the teachers are like. I should have definitely done that when I had the time.
2. Ask your friends if they’ve had any bad experiences with the classes that you are about to take. My friends warned me about astronomy, but I didn’t listen.
3. If it’s humanly impossible to pay attention in class, then make sure you’re getting As on your online quizzes; they really help out when it comes to your grade.
4. Bring your I-clickers — a lot of extra credit for just pushing a button!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Stressful Life of a Freshman
10:00 a.m. - Wake up. I want to throw that alarm out of the window.
11:45 a.m. - The parking garage is full and I have 15 minutes to get to my French class. Je deteste le Francais!
2:00 p.m. - I haven’t eaten, I have a test in an hour and a deadline at 5 p.m. Goodbye Einstein’s.
3:30 p.m. - I hate my astronomy class.
5:00 p.m. - I’m stuck in traffic, I’m way past deadline and I haven’t thought about my new blog yet. I guess sleep is out the window tonight. Hello doubleshot espresso.
Whether you’re a freshman in college or whether you’re a grown adult with a spouse and kids, you’re more than likely to experience stress at some point of your life.
Lately, I’ve experienced an excessive amount of stress and I’m only 18 years old. I guess I should expect wrinkles and gray hairs, too.
I’ve never been a "calm" person. In high school, I used to stress out about pretty much everything - ranging from a test or a quiz to who I was sitting with in lunch if one of my friends was sick. Now that I’m in college, I seem to be a lot more stressed out than I used to, and I’m not even taking half the classes that I took in high school, nor am I waking up at 7 a.m. to go to class.
As it turns out, I’m not the only freshman — or student, for that matter — who’s leading the same kind of stressful life as I am. According to a recent study at UCLA in 2006, 30.2 percent of freshmen reported feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by all of their new responsibilities.
So what is going on with us students? College is supposed to be the greatest time of our lives. At the rate I’m going and with the stress that I’m dealing with on a daily basis, college feels like it will be the some of the worst years of my life.
There’s a lot more pressure to do everything 10 times better than in high school: to be a better student and to get a diploma that will hopefully get you somewhere with some kind of career. It seems as though some of us are taking it all a little bit too seriously and forgetting about actually enjoying college.
Sometimes I feel like I can’t even breathe without stressing out. When I don’t have a test that I have to study for, then I’m probably doing homework, and even if I don’t have homework, then I’m probably writing an article that is already past deadline.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I like most of my classes and I like learning the material that I’m taught, and I really do enjoy writing, whether it is for the University Press or for personal reasons. Unfortunately, I just don’t know how to manage my time, which leads me to stress out about everything.
That is the biggest problem with us freshmen: we don’t know how to manage time. Therefore, we’re more prone to stress than more than some upperclassmen who have probably already figured out the system of getting things done on time and not stressing out.
Nobody ever taught me how to manage stress. In high school, most students don’t deal with stress because they’re kids and they don’t really have a lot of things to worry about. But for college students, things are a little bit more realistic and we have to start thinking about our futures and careers. It’s not like we can just get a bad grade on a test, hope to do better on the next one and not really care about it.
Luckily for you, I’ve taken the liberty of jotting down some tips on how to deal with stress from Campus Blues — a Web site that focuses on helping students deal with stress or the "blues" from being away from home for the first time.
1. Exercise — There’s nothing better than going for a run around the park to forget about all your problems.
2. Listen to your favorite music — That’s right, submerge yourself in your favorite song and rock out as hard as you can.
3. Go to a ballgame and scream — Not only are you encouraging your favorite team, but you’re also getting some stress out of your system.
4. Play your favorite video game — It’s Wii time!
5. Make chocolate chip cookies (or just eat the dough) — Chocolate usually fixes everything, or at least it makes you feel a little better.
College is supposed to be fun, so don’t stress out about everything and try to balance your time. Otherwise, you’ll be bald by the time you’re 25 years old. I’m sure you don’t want that.
11:45 a.m. - The parking garage is full and I have 15 minutes to get to my French class. Je deteste le Francais!
2:00 p.m. - I haven’t eaten, I have a test in an hour and a deadline at 5 p.m. Goodbye Einstein’s.
3:30 p.m. - I hate my astronomy class.
5:00 p.m. - I’m stuck in traffic, I’m way past deadline and I haven’t thought about my new blog yet. I guess sleep is out the window tonight. Hello doubleshot espresso.
Whether you’re a freshman in college or whether you’re a grown adult with a spouse and kids, you’re more than likely to experience stress at some point of your life.
Lately, I’ve experienced an excessive amount of stress and I’m only 18 years old. I guess I should expect wrinkles and gray hairs, too.
I’ve never been a "calm" person. In high school, I used to stress out about pretty much everything - ranging from a test or a quiz to who I was sitting with in lunch if one of my friends was sick. Now that I’m in college, I seem to be a lot more stressed out than I used to, and I’m not even taking half the classes that I took in high school, nor am I waking up at 7 a.m. to go to class.
As it turns out, I’m not the only freshman — or student, for that matter — who’s leading the same kind of stressful life as I am. According to a recent study at UCLA in 2006, 30.2 percent of freshmen reported feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by all of their new responsibilities.
So what is going on with us students? College is supposed to be the greatest time of our lives. At the rate I’m going and with the stress that I’m dealing with on a daily basis, college feels like it will be the some of the worst years of my life.
There’s a lot more pressure to do everything 10 times better than in high school: to be a better student and to get a diploma that will hopefully get you somewhere with some kind of career. It seems as though some of us are taking it all a little bit too seriously and forgetting about actually enjoying college.
Sometimes I feel like I can’t even breathe without stressing out. When I don’t have a test that I have to study for, then I’m probably doing homework, and even if I don’t have homework, then I’m probably writing an article that is already past deadline.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I like most of my classes and I like learning the material that I’m taught, and I really do enjoy writing, whether it is for the University Press or for personal reasons. Unfortunately, I just don’t know how to manage my time, which leads me to stress out about everything.
That is the biggest problem with us freshmen: we don’t know how to manage time. Therefore, we’re more prone to stress than more than some upperclassmen who have probably already figured out the system of getting things done on time and not stressing out.
Nobody ever taught me how to manage stress. In high school, most students don’t deal with stress because they’re kids and they don’t really have a lot of things to worry about. But for college students, things are a little bit more realistic and we have to start thinking about our futures and careers. It’s not like we can just get a bad grade on a test, hope to do better on the next one and not really care about it.
Luckily for you, I’ve taken the liberty of jotting down some tips on how to deal with stress from Campus Blues — a Web site that focuses on helping students deal with stress or the "blues" from being away from home for the first time.
1. Exercise — There’s nothing better than going for a run around the park to forget about all your problems.
2. Listen to your favorite music — That’s right, submerge yourself in your favorite song and rock out as hard as you can.
3. Go to a ballgame and scream — Not only are you encouraging your favorite team, but you’re also getting some stress out of your system.
4. Play your favorite video game — It’s Wii time!
5. Make chocolate chip cookies (or just eat the dough) — Chocolate usually fixes everything, or at least it makes you feel a little better.
College is supposed to be fun, so don’t stress out about everything and try to balance your time. Otherwise, you’ll be bald by the time you’re 25 years old. I’m sure you don’t want that.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Partyin' it Up
As a college student, the most fun that we get on a Friday night is going to a party at the nearest college dorm room or apartment. The worst part about Friday night parties, however, is the Saturday morning hangover. This seems to be a common problem that many freshmen encounter: not studying enough and partying too much.
As a freshman, I’ve noticed that I’m slowly becoming what society calls "a party girl." Not only because I’ve been frequenting Friday night parties for the past couple of weeks, but also because, for some reason, I just can’t stop going to them!
In high school, I was never a "party" anything. I went to one high school party, and that was only because my friend was dying to get her hands on some booze and nobody else wanted to drive. Go figure.
But now that I’m in college, I go to parties, clubs and anything that involves a social gathering every weekend. What happened to me in the couple of months that I’ve been here? I’m supposed to be studying... not partying!
In fact, us college kids deal with anything through partying and binge drinking. If you get an A on a test, you go out and party. If your significant other broke up with you, you go out and party. If you’re bored, you party. Whenever we find an excuse, we party. That’s just how some of us roll.
The problem is that partying not only affects your studies and your work, but it also affects your health. (Yes, there are things that are more important than Jell-O shots and playing beer pong.)
According to Healthy Minds, a Web site that specializes on talking about physical and mental health, young people between ages 18 and 25 have the highest percent of binge drinking with a shocking 38.7 percent.
Partying is fun, but how far is too far? It’s not fun waking up the next morning regretting things that you might have done while you were drunk. Or even worse, it’s not fun waking up the next morning without remembering what happened the night before. It's also not fun waking up on a random couch half naked with Sharpie drawings all over your body.
There has to be a balance between partying and school work. But most importantly, there has to be a balance between knowing how much your body can take and how much you drink. Just because you think it’s fun feeling a little dizzy and being completely careless for a couple of hours doesn't mean it's good for your body.
As much as I’m growing to like partying, I’m definitely trying to be careful in the way I carry myself at my social gatherings.
Partying is fun, but death isn’t.
If you’re becoming addicted to the party scene like I am, here are some tips to try to balance your school life with the party life:
1. If you really can’t wait to go that Friday night party, then work your butt off during the week and get your work done before the party! Nobody likes to work while hung over.
2. Try to limit your partying and beer pong play-offs to just one day per week, preferably a Friday or a Saturday night. Don’t pick random days in the week or you won’t be able to stay awake during class.
3. If you party hard, then work hard. Classes and books deserve your attention, too!
As a freshman, I’ve noticed that I’m slowly becoming what society calls "a party girl." Not only because I’ve been frequenting Friday night parties for the past couple of weeks, but also because, for some reason, I just can’t stop going to them!
In high school, I was never a "party" anything. I went to one high school party, and that was only because my friend was dying to get her hands on some booze and nobody else wanted to drive. Go figure.
But now that I’m in college, I go to parties, clubs and anything that involves a social gathering every weekend. What happened to me in the couple of months that I’ve been here? I’m supposed to be studying... not partying!
In fact, us college kids deal with anything through partying and binge drinking. If you get an A on a test, you go out and party. If your significant other broke up with you, you go out and party. If you’re bored, you party. Whenever we find an excuse, we party. That’s just how some of us roll.
The problem is that partying not only affects your studies and your work, but it also affects your health. (Yes, there are things that are more important than Jell-O shots and playing beer pong.)
According to Healthy Minds, a Web site that specializes on talking about physical and mental health, young people between ages 18 and 25 have the highest percent of binge drinking with a shocking 38.7 percent.
Partying is fun, but how far is too far? It’s not fun waking up the next morning regretting things that you might have done while you were drunk. Or even worse, it’s not fun waking up the next morning without remembering what happened the night before. It's also not fun waking up on a random couch half naked with Sharpie drawings all over your body.
There has to be a balance between partying and school work. But most importantly, there has to be a balance between knowing how much your body can take and how much you drink. Just because you think it’s fun feeling a little dizzy and being completely careless for a couple of hours doesn't mean it's good for your body.
As much as I’m growing to like partying, I’m definitely trying to be careful in the way I carry myself at my social gatherings.
Partying is fun, but death isn’t.
If you’re becoming addicted to the party scene like I am, here are some tips to try to balance your school life with the party life:
1. If you really can’t wait to go that Friday night party, then work your butt off during the week and get your work done before the party! Nobody likes to work while hung over.
2. Try to limit your partying and beer pong play-offs to just one day per week, preferably a Friday or a Saturday night. Don’t pick random days in the week or you won’t be able to stay awake during class.
3. If you party hard, then work hard. Classes and books deserve your attention, too!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Choosing a major is a hard thing to do...
Choosing a major before school started was hard enough, but now that I’m already halfway through the year, I feel like the major that I was so completely sure with before is no longer the dream I was once had, and I just don’t understand what exactly happened.
The single most asked question I get is what my major is - the one that now scares me whenever I meet somebody new. I don’t know exactly at what point I started having doubts about what I wanted to be when I "grew up."
In high school, I bragged about my major. Whenever my friends asked me what I was going to study, I would always give them the same cocky attitude: I want to be a journalist, I want to work for Rolling Stone, and I want to move to New York. Now that I’m in college, I no longer have the same dream. In fact, I think I have actually become the dreaded "U" word: undecided.
I had always heard of my older college friends say that they switched majors a few times before they finally stuck to only one. But, I actually never believed them. I thought they were all exaggerating and that I would surely prove them all wrong by sticking to one major. But now, I’m actually dabbling between three other things that I want to be and they’re very different from each other.
Why is that, though? Why is it that so many freshmen like me are struggling to find their dream career in college when there are so many options? Maybe that’s the problem: we don’t exactly know how many options we have.
I remember that even at orientation, the leaders separated us according to majors and colleges. But what about the "undecided" majors? Were they separated with a bunch of "undecided" people and just got a simple tour of campus? What does the school really do when it comes to guiding us freshman who are completely lost into what we really want to be?
The Career Development Center helps students with their career paths and choices for those that haven't found "the right track." They do so by giving out self-assessment tests and information about different kind of careers and majors that help students decide what they really want to study.
But I guess now that I’m in college, I understand what my friends meant when they said that I was probably going to change my major about a couple of times before making up my mind. I guess it’s because as a freshman, we’re all trying to find what we’re really good at, and sometimes the major that we may have chosen may not have been the best one for us. This would probably explain the indecisiveness and the changing around of majors the first couple of years in college.
I still think that the promoting of other majors and careers should still be more advertised around campus. How about having a table on the Breezeway dedicated to a certain major on different days of the week with a person to talk more about it? Or how about workshops for freshman to help us decide what major is best for us and which ones we could actually succeed in, because I definitely need some guidance in this whole deal.
I just wish the process of choosing a major would be a lot easier. For some reason, it is more difficult than I thought. I am still a communications major, but there are just so many other things that I want to explore and study that I feel like I’m caught up in the middle of my own decisions.
I like music, psychology and writing — but that doesn’t mean I’m going to major in each of those.
For now, I will be switching my major to Psychology just because I think it’s the only other thing I like the most — I just hope I’m making the right decision for my future. But hey, it sounds good for the time being.
The single most asked question I get is what my major is - the one that now scares me whenever I meet somebody new. I don’t know exactly at what point I started having doubts about what I wanted to be when I "grew up."
In high school, I bragged about my major. Whenever my friends asked me what I was going to study, I would always give them the same cocky attitude: I want to be a journalist, I want to work for Rolling Stone, and I want to move to New York. Now that I’m in college, I no longer have the same dream. In fact, I think I have actually become the dreaded "U" word: undecided.
I had always heard of my older college friends say that they switched majors a few times before they finally stuck to only one. But, I actually never believed them. I thought they were all exaggerating and that I would surely prove them all wrong by sticking to one major. But now, I’m actually dabbling between three other things that I want to be and they’re very different from each other.
Why is that, though? Why is it that so many freshmen like me are struggling to find their dream career in college when there are so many options? Maybe that’s the problem: we don’t exactly know how many options we have.
I remember that even at orientation, the leaders separated us according to majors and colleges. But what about the "undecided" majors? Were they separated with a bunch of "undecided" people and just got a simple tour of campus? What does the school really do when it comes to guiding us freshman who are completely lost into what we really want to be?
The Career Development Center helps students with their career paths and choices for those that haven't found "the right track." They do so by giving out self-assessment tests and information about different kind of careers and majors that help students decide what they really want to study.
But I guess now that I’m in college, I understand what my friends meant when they said that I was probably going to change my major about a couple of times before making up my mind. I guess it’s because as a freshman, we’re all trying to find what we’re really good at, and sometimes the major that we may have chosen may not have been the best one for us. This would probably explain the indecisiveness and the changing around of majors the first couple of years in college.
I still think that the promoting of other majors and careers should still be more advertised around campus. How about having a table on the Breezeway dedicated to a certain major on different days of the week with a person to talk more about it? Or how about workshops for freshman to help us decide what major is best for us and which ones we could actually succeed in, because I definitely need some guidance in this whole deal.
I just wish the process of choosing a major would be a lot easier. For some reason, it is more difficult than I thought. I am still a communications major, but there are just so many other things that I want to explore and study that I feel like I’m caught up in the middle of my own decisions.
I like music, psychology and writing — but that doesn’t mean I’m going to major in each of those.
For now, I will be switching my major to Psychology just because I think it’s the only other thing I like the most — I just hope I’m making the right decision for my future. But hey, it sounds good for the time being.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Religion, Religion, Religion!
Everyone's favorite brother came by this week - Brother Micah, that is.
I had never even heard of Micah Armstrong before, but he was definitely a character. I hadn’t seen somebody so passionate about spreading the word of God before like that, and though it might have been an entertainment for most of us, it was also annoying how people like him constantly try to convert you into something that you’re not interested in.
Back in high school, there were a lot of religious clubs that were promoted by students throughout the school year. The problem was that a lot of the clubs took the promoting a little too seriously and actually tried to convert people into their religions and not respect everybody else’s beliefs.
When I got to college, I thought that whole deal would be over... until I saw Brother Micah "preaching" to students about how we’re not good Christians because we wear jeans that are "too tight" and "engage in premarital sex." Who is he to say such a thing? But more importantly, it is none of his business whether we’re good Christians or not, or whether we follow the Ten Commandments or not. Who is he to decide for us?
That’s the problem with people like him. They go around to college campuses hoping to get all us little freshman into changing our religions just because they’re telling us to do so. What’s up with that?
As a student and as a human being, I’m the one who’s going to decide what kind of religion I want to be apart of. What if I wanted to be an atheist? What if I didn’t believe in all of this "religion" stuff? Why do people like Brother Micah follow you around, trying to make up your mind for you? What ever happened to respecting our decisions?
I also dislike the fact that people like Brother Micah especially try attract attention to a younger crowd as opposed of older people who are NOT in college. For some reason, people like him think that because we are young and "naive" we would actually fall for the things they say.
Brother Micah was definitely a big hit in the entertainment department. I actually enjoyed watching his ridiculous act this past week. However, I also found him very annoying and also somewhat disrespectful to some of the students. Who cares if we’re sinners or not? My definition of "sin" and his definition of "sin" are completely different. Who cares if we wear certain clothes or if we hold hands and make out? That’s our business and neither him nor anybody else has anything to do with it.
Just let us be and stop trying to convert people. We'll do it if we want to.
I had never even heard of Micah Armstrong before, but he was definitely a character. I hadn’t seen somebody so passionate about spreading the word of God before like that, and though it might have been an entertainment for most of us, it was also annoying how people like him constantly try to convert you into something that you’re not interested in.
Back in high school, there were a lot of religious clubs that were promoted by students throughout the school year. The problem was that a lot of the clubs took the promoting a little too seriously and actually tried to convert people into their religions and not respect everybody else’s beliefs.
When I got to college, I thought that whole deal would be over... until I saw Brother Micah "preaching" to students about how we’re not good Christians because we wear jeans that are "too tight" and "engage in premarital sex." Who is he to say such a thing? But more importantly, it is none of his business whether we’re good Christians or not, or whether we follow the Ten Commandments or not. Who is he to decide for us?
That’s the problem with people like him. They go around to college campuses hoping to get all us little freshman into changing our religions just because they’re telling us to do so. What’s up with that?
As a student and as a human being, I’m the one who’s going to decide what kind of religion I want to be apart of. What if I wanted to be an atheist? What if I didn’t believe in all of this "religion" stuff? Why do people like Brother Micah follow you around, trying to make up your mind for you? What ever happened to respecting our decisions?
I also dislike the fact that people like Brother Micah especially try attract attention to a younger crowd as opposed of older people who are NOT in college. For some reason, people like him think that because we are young and "naive" we would actually fall for the things they say.
Brother Micah was definitely a big hit in the entertainment department. I actually enjoyed watching his ridiculous act this past week. However, I also found him very annoying and also somewhat disrespectful to some of the students. Who cares if we’re sinners or not? My definition of "sin" and his definition of "sin" are completely different. Who cares if we wear certain clothes or if we hold hands and make out? That’s our business and neither him nor anybody else has anything to do with it.
Just let us be and stop trying to convert people. We'll do it if we want to.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Homecoming Week is Near!
In high school, I never went to any dances or proms until my senior year. I never participated in much and I tried to stay away from Homecoming football games and packed stores at the mall trying to look for a dress.
This year, I've surprisingly been consumed by the excitement of my first Homecoming week in college. And let me tell you, it is a lot different from what freshman are used to.
First of all, I didn’t even know there was a Homecoming in college. I always thought that it was primarily a "high school thing." It completely caught me off guard when I started seeing posters around school telling us to vote for our Homecoming prince and princess. Even when I saw the posters around campus, I still wasn’t quite sure of what kind of Homecoming in college was all about.
It turns out that Homecoming in college is a BIG deal. Not only is the week full of fun events for everybody to enjoy, but people seem to actually participate in them and genuinely enjoy the spirit of Homecoming. This wasn’t the case back in my high school days.
Way back when, Student Government practically begged students to go to the pep rallies. We lacked serious school spirit and, on top of that, my high school football team took losing to a whole new level. Besides, the fact that we got ridiculed by other schools for having a condom as our mascot didn't really help. (Yes, The Trojans.)
In college, Homecoming week is actually fun. One of the big activities during Homecoming week is the comedy show, which will be held at the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium in the Student Union. To me, the comedy show sounds like a great idea to have a couple of laughs with real comedians for once.
There will also be a parade and a bonfire. A parade? Seriously? I don’t think anyone in high school even thought of that... let alone a bonfire.
Of course, how can we forget the football game — the single most important part of Homecoming week?
This year, our OWLS will be fighting Louisiana-Monroe at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 27. The football game is THE BEST way to get involved in school. You get a little bit of school spirit, have fun watching some football with friends, and of course, you get to lose your voice while cheering on our Owls. I definitely recommend going to it.
I’m kind of disappointed that we’re not having a dance this year at FAU. But I think all the activities coming up during Homecoming week make up for it.
Homecoming week will be great to mingle with fellow students and go out there and have some fun and forget about homework and papers for a couple of days. Check out all the activities planned during the week of Oct. 21-28 by clicking here.
GO OWLS!
This year, I've surprisingly been consumed by the excitement of my first Homecoming week in college. And let me tell you, it is a lot different from what freshman are used to.
First of all, I didn’t even know there was a Homecoming in college. I always thought that it was primarily a "high school thing." It completely caught me off guard when I started seeing posters around school telling us to vote for our Homecoming prince and princess. Even when I saw the posters around campus, I still wasn’t quite sure of what kind of Homecoming in college was all about.
It turns out that Homecoming in college is a BIG deal. Not only is the week full of fun events for everybody to enjoy, but people seem to actually participate in them and genuinely enjoy the spirit of Homecoming. This wasn’t the case back in my high school days.
Way back when, Student Government practically begged students to go to the pep rallies. We lacked serious school spirit and, on top of that, my high school football team took losing to a whole new level. Besides, the fact that we got ridiculed by other schools for having a condom as our mascot didn't really help. (Yes, The Trojans.)
In college, Homecoming week is actually fun. One of the big activities during Homecoming week is the comedy show, which will be held at the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium in the Student Union. To me, the comedy show sounds like a great idea to have a couple of laughs with real comedians for once.
There will also be a parade and a bonfire. A parade? Seriously? I don’t think anyone in high school even thought of that... let alone a bonfire.
Of course, how can we forget the football game — the single most important part of Homecoming week?
This year, our OWLS will be fighting Louisiana-Monroe at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 27. The football game is THE BEST way to get involved in school. You get a little bit of school spirit, have fun watching some football with friends, and of course, you get to lose your voice while cheering on our Owls. I definitely recommend going to it.
I’m kind of disappointed that we’re not having a dance this year at FAU. But I think all the activities coming up during Homecoming week make up for it.
Homecoming week will be great to mingle with fellow students and go out there and have some fun and forget about homework and papers for a couple of days. Check out all the activities planned during the week of Oct. 21-28 by clicking here.
GO OWLS!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Collegitis
During my senior year of High School, I got what is normally called “Senioritis” — the typical procrastination of a high school student toward the end of senior year. But don't think it escaped me so quickly. Now I'm in college and I seem to be suffering from Collegitis, its evil, older sibling!
When the summer of my senior year finally came, I was thrilled to not have to worry about Senioritis any longer. I could procrastinate all I wanted during the summer because I had nothing to do. I didn’t have any homework to turn in or any exams to study for. All I had to worry about was whether the pool was warm enough.
Right before classes began, I had this sudden motivation to study. I was eager to learn and I couldn’t stop looking at all the cool, new and shiny looking books I had gotten for all of my college classes. I felt so grown up.
Six weeks later, I can’t even stand going to class. Not only are they not what I expected, but it is just so incredibly difficult to even make myself go to them... let alone do any of the homework.
The first week of school, I kept checking Blackboard — the Web site where most of my teachers keep up with assignments — to see if there was any homework I could get done right away. I was on time to all of my classes and paying attention to what the professors were saying.
Now, I forget to check Blackboard and I don’t always get to class early (especially Astronomy — a class which highly recommend NOT to take). As much as I try to pay attention, all I end up doing is either socializing with the person sitting next to me or wondering what I’m going to do during the weekend.
Not only that, but sitting at home and trying to study is almost impossible for me these days. All I do is surf around on Facebook to see if I have any new comments or friends requests, check MySpace (another one of the deadly sins of a freshman) and download music. It seems I do everything BUT homework.
I’ve come to the conclusion that my procrastination is killing me. Not only is it hurting my grades and my studies, but I’m wasting money and time. We all pay for the classes that we take and if I keep this up, then what am I doing in college?
I think most freshmen feel like this and have the same problem. It may be because we tend to confuse college with high school — but with more freedom and no detentions. I'm used to the FCAT education that I was given in high school and not exactly used to “real” studies that will actually be useful in life rather than to pass a required test.
College is not high school. Teachers are not going to guide us through every single step of our college careers. But I’m used to that, which is why I keep putting things off to the last minute — because I’m expecting my teachers to tell me what I need to do to pass. Their job is to teach us, not to spoon feed us everything.
I have noticed that it is also difficult to even like my classes because they do remind me a lot of my high school days. The core curriculum is the worst. The classes are basically the same as in high school; the only difference is that teachers teach faster and there's more homework.
Frankly, I’m sick of seeing and learning the same material that I’ve been learning for the last four years, and I cannot wait until my classes get a little bit more in depth toward my degree. I want to learn something else other than algebra and English. Why not add some more interesting classes to the core curriculum? How about adding some classes that weren’t part of the AP curriculum in high school?
Procrastination is one of the worst qualities to have. I have definitely gotten in a lot of trouble because of it. It is not a good thing to do, and it is always better to get things done ahead of time. If you’re struggling like I am, here are a couple of tips from suite101.com — a Web site that touches subjects from college to the newest Britney rumor going around — on how to get rid of this horrible “disease.”
1. Balance the time that you spend with your friends “hanging out” and the time you spend hitting the books. Education should always come first.
2. Hanging out with your buddies is cool, but give your books some love. Save time aside each day, with few distractions, to get school work done and catch up on studies. It will not only save your GPA but also your sanity!
3. Pulling all-nighters seems like a great idea, until you end up pulling three in a row and end up falling asleep during your chemistry lab. Balance your time between studying and sleeping. You always have to get your beauty sleep.
4. If you’re struggling with the distractions at home, there is a 24-hour study lounge on campus, located adjacent to the library. You should definitely check it out if you keep checking Facebook like me and not actually studying.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Next time, I’ll be the one at the library studying rather than on Facebook adding people.
When the summer of my senior year finally came, I was thrilled to not have to worry about Senioritis any longer. I could procrastinate all I wanted during the summer because I had nothing to do. I didn’t have any homework to turn in or any exams to study for. All I had to worry about was whether the pool was warm enough.
Right before classes began, I had this sudden motivation to study. I was eager to learn and I couldn’t stop looking at all the cool, new and shiny looking books I had gotten for all of my college classes. I felt so grown up.
Six weeks later, I can’t even stand going to class. Not only are they not what I expected, but it is just so incredibly difficult to even make myself go to them... let alone do any of the homework.
The first week of school, I kept checking Blackboard — the Web site where most of my teachers keep up with assignments — to see if there was any homework I could get done right away. I was on time to all of my classes and paying attention to what the professors were saying.
Now, I forget to check Blackboard and I don’t always get to class early (especially Astronomy — a class which highly recommend NOT to take). As much as I try to pay attention, all I end up doing is either socializing with the person sitting next to me or wondering what I’m going to do during the weekend.
Not only that, but sitting at home and trying to study is almost impossible for me these days. All I do is surf around on Facebook to see if I have any new comments or friends requests, check MySpace (another one of the deadly sins of a freshman) and download music. It seems I do everything BUT homework.
I’ve come to the conclusion that my procrastination is killing me. Not only is it hurting my grades and my studies, but I’m wasting money and time. We all pay for the classes that we take and if I keep this up, then what am I doing in college?
I think most freshmen feel like this and have the same problem. It may be because we tend to confuse college with high school — but with more freedom and no detentions. I'm used to the FCAT education that I was given in high school and not exactly used to “real” studies that will actually be useful in life rather than to pass a required test.
College is not high school. Teachers are not going to guide us through every single step of our college careers. But I’m used to that, which is why I keep putting things off to the last minute — because I’m expecting my teachers to tell me what I need to do to pass. Their job is to teach us, not to spoon feed us everything.
I have noticed that it is also difficult to even like my classes because they do remind me a lot of my high school days. The core curriculum is the worst. The classes are basically the same as in high school; the only difference is that teachers teach faster and there's more homework.
Frankly, I’m sick of seeing and learning the same material that I’ve been learning for the last four years, and I cannot wait until my classes get a little bit more in depth toward my degree. I want to learn something else other than algebra and English. Why not add some more interesting classes to the core curriculum? How about adding some classes that weren’t part of the AP curriculum in high school?
Procrastination is one of the worst qualities to have. I have definitely gotten in a lot of trouble because of it. It is not a good thing to do, and it is always better to get things done ahead of time. If you’re struggling like I am, here are a couple of tips from suite101.com — a Web site that touches subjects from college to the newest Britney rumor going around — on how to get rid of this horrible “disease.”
1. Balance the time that you spend with your friends “hanging out” and the time you spend hitting the books. Education should always come first.
2. Hanging out with your buddies is cool, but give your books some love. Save time aside each day, with few distractions, to get school work done and catch up on studies. It will not only save your GPA but also your sanity!
3. Pulling all-nighters seems like a great idea, until you end up pulling three in a row and end up falling asleep during your chemistry lab. Balance your time between studying and sleeping. You always have to get your beauty sleep.
4. If you’re struggling with the distractions at home, there is a 24-hour study lounge on campus, located adjacent to the library. You should definitely check it out if you keep checking Facebook like me and not actually studying.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Next time, I’ll be the one at the library studying rather than on Facebook adding people.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Money, Money, Money
Back at orientation, I complained about the hours I had to sit through for the “Money Matters” portion. I guess I shouldn't have taken it for granted because it's only six weeks into school and I’m dead broke.
Money has always been an issue with me. If I have money, I spend it. If I don’t have money, I ask for it and then I spend that. Sadly, that’s just how I've always been. In college I’ve come to notice that lately, I spend a lot more money than I used to... and that’s just not cool.
In high school, I would survive for the whole week with an average of $12. I would buy lunch everyday, some candy and a couple of extra inexpensive supplies. On a regular day in college, I go to Einstein’s for breakfast, eat lunch at the food court, drink coffee at least twice a day and buy a magazine once in while. That all adds up to $20.00 or more a day. That means I’m spending more than $100.00 per week!
The funny part is that I actually try to save my money on a regular basis. I have an account with Bank Atlantic where I’m supposed to put my money and save it... the thing is my money never makes it that far. I usually spend it before I even get close to the bank to make a deposit.
I’ve noticed that I’m not the only freshman — or student, for that matter — that has trouble saving their money. A lot of students — especially freshmen — have trouble saving money because it is the first time that we are having a chance at monetary freedom. It feels great at first but for some, the consequences can be upsetting.
Toward the end of my high school career, my parents decided that I was “old” enough to get a debit card. I was stoked about the idea at first. I could not believe I finally had my name on a card... with money in it! When I went to the mall with the card for the first time, I attempted to control myself in the things I bought, but it was so hard to stop shopping. It was like suddenly, everything was a complete “must-have” and I could not resist buying them. When I went online and looked at my balance, I almost had a heart attack. I had spent more money than I actually had.
The problem is that as a freshman, I don’t know how to control my money. I’ve never had this much liberty and freedom with it, and now that I do have it, I'm going crazy.
I don’t have to pay rent, I don’t have to pay insurance, I don’t pay for gas... I don’t pay for anything! And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe it is that I don’t have enough responsibility or serious things to worry about that will make me stop spending money like a mad woman. Maybe... that’s just what I need: responsibility.
In high school, I never paid for anything. I had a job my junior year at a retail store at the mall and whenever I got my pay check I would just spend it on clothes. My parents have always paid everything - my cell phone bills, gas money, food, etc. And even though that feels great, maybe it would have been better for them to give me a bit more responsibility when I was younger. Look at me now: I can’t even have a dollar bill in my wallet without spending it somehow. And believe me, spending money is not a good quality to have.
If I had bills to pay and more things to worry about, I would probably be more careful with my money and the way I spend it. I wouldn’t be going to the mall on shopping sprees every weekend, I wouldn’t be spending so much money on food, and I wouldn’t be spending money just to spend it. I would probably organize myself better.
If you’re in the same position as me right now, here are some tips from getrichslowly.com on money matters for college students:
1. Create a Budget. Limit your beer buying to one 24 pack a week.
2. Don’t get a credit card unless you absolutely need one. The guys at the sign-up table are not there to help you. They are there to make money.
3. Save and then splurge. If you decide you really want to buy the Wii, then save for it and pay it with cash. Don’t put it on a credit card.
4. Limit vices. Beer and cigarettes can get expensive. There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two on a Friday night, just don’t go overboard.
5. Learn the art of a cheap date. The student guide to cheap dates suggests:
· Take advantage of mother nature.
· Go for coffee.
· Attend campus activities.
Hopefully some of these tips will help us freshman who are going crazy with the concept of saving money. Let’s just hope that next time I actually make a deposit and not have a $.50 balance any longer.
Anyway, just to refresh our memories with what responsibility is... here’s a video by MxPx.
Money has always been an issue with me. If I have money, I spend it. If I don’t have money, I ask for it and then I spend that. Sadly, that’s just how I've always been. In college I’ve come to notice that lately, I spend a lot more money than I used to... and that’s just not cool.
In high school, I would survive for the whole week with an average of $12. I would buy lunch everyday, some candy and a couple of extra inexpensive supplies. On a regular day in college, I go to Einstein’s for breakfast, eat lunch at the food court, drink coffee at least twice a day and buy a magazine once in while. That all adds up to $20.00 or more a day. That means I’m spending more than $100.00 per week!
The funny part is that I actually try to save my money on a regular basis. I have an account with Bank Atlantic where I’m supposed to put my money and save it... the thing is my money never makes it that far. I usually spend it before I even get close to the bank to make a deposit.
I’ve noticed that I’m not the only freshman — or student, for that matter — that has trouble saving their money. A lot of students — especially freshmen — have trouble saving money because it is the first time that we are having a chance at monetary freedom. It feels great at first but for some, the consequences can be upsetting.
Toward the end of my high school career, my parents decided that I was “old” enough to get a debit card. I was stoked about the idea at first. I could not believe I finally had my name on a card... with money in it! When I went to the mall with the card for the first time, I attempted to control myself in the things I bought, but it was so hard to stop shopping. It was like suddenly, everything was a complete “must-have” and I could not resist buying them. When I went online and looked at my balance, I almost had a heart attack. I had spent more money than I actually had.
The problem is that as a freshman, I don’t know how to control my money. I’ve never had this much liberty and freedom with it, and now that I do have it, I'm going crazy.
I don’t have to pay rent, I don’t have to pay insurance, I don’t pay for gas... I don’t pay for anything! And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe it is that I don’t have enough responsibility or serious things to worry about that will make me stop spending money like a mad woman. Maybe... that’s just what I need: responsibility.
In high school, I never paid for anything. I had a job my junior year at a retail store at the mall and whenever I got my pay check I would just spend it on clothes. My parents have always paid everything - my cell phone bills, gas money, food, etc. And even though that feels great, maybe it would have been better for them to give me a bit more responsibility when I was younger. Look at me now: I can’t even have a dollar bill in my wallet without spending it somehow. And believe me, spending money is not a good quality to have.
If I had bills to pay and more things to worry about, I would probably be more careful with my money and the way I spend it. I wouldn’t be going to the mall on shopping sprees every weekend, I wouldn’t be spending so much money on food, and I wouldn’t be spending money just to spend it. I would probably organize myself better.
If you’re in the same position as me right now, here are some tips from getrichslowly.com on money matters for college students:
1. Create a Budget. Limit your beer buying to one 24 pack a week.
2. Don’t get a credit card unless you absolutely need one. The guys at the sign-up table are not there to help you. They are there to make money.
3. Save and then splurge. If you decide you really want to buy the Wii, then save for it and pay it with cash. Don’t put it on a credit card.
4. Limit vices. Beer and cigarettes can get expensive. There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two on a Friday night, just don’t go overboard.
5. Learn the art of a cheap date. The student guide to cheap dates suggests:
· Take advantage of mother nature.
· Go for coffee.
· Attend campus activities.
Hopefully some of these tips will help us freshman who are going crazy with the concept of saving money. Let’s just hope that next time I actually make a deposit and not have a $.50 balance any longer.
Anyway, just to refresh our memories with what responsibility is... here’s a video by MxPx.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Will you marry me?
I’ve never been one to plan out my wedding and picture my prince charming, but I’ve always known that I definitely do not want to get married at a young age.
On the first day of school, as I was waiting to go in my astronomy class, I had the chance to encounter what turned out to be a very interesting conversation between two strangers:
“So, what’s your major?”
“Communications. What about you?”
“Same... oh is that a ring?”
“Yeah, I’m getting married.”
I could not believe what I had just heard! This kid did not look to be more than 20 years old and he was already engaged. Call me crazy, but isn’t that a bit irrational?
Back in high school, relationships were not taken that seriously. Sure, there were a couple of people who talked about getting married, but they didn’t actually make it together through graduation to make the wedding happen.
In high school, relationships were more of social thing. It was more about a 'who was going out with whom' kind of thing. It was never too serious and most relationships were probably over a couple of months later. I’ve noticed that in college, relationships are actually long-lasting, and many of them even get to the altar and have a wedding. All within eight to 10 months of “going out.”
That is what scares me the most in college when it comes to relationships. It’s not like I don’t want one, it’s just that it seems as if relationships in college get serious incredibly fast, and at 18 years old, I'm definitely not ready for that kind of commitment. I just want to have fun and meet cool people. I’m not necessarily looking to get married.
I understand the feeling of being in love and that sudden desire of spending the rest of your life with that special someone. But, some of these kids seem to be rushing into everything way too fast. Not only are they too young, but how can you know for sure that you’re truly in love with that one person and that you want to spend the rest of your life with them when you haven’t even experienced other relationships and other kinds of people? How is that possible?
On top of everything, it must be incredibly difficult to try to balance a marriage with school. One thing is to have a casual relationship with someone, but another is to be married. When you’re married you live together, there are bills to pay, there’s work to do, you have to go to school and you also have to make time for each other to “make it work.” How are kids doing that these days if there’s barely enough time in one day to work, study, rest and spend time with your spouse, all in 24 hours? It must be hard.
However, I must say that even though I might not agree with students getting married so quickly while in college, I actually do admire them for the courage that it takes to try to make ends meet and try to make a marriage work from so early on in their lives. Even though I don’t plan on getting married any time soon, it must be nice to wear a ring on your finger that symbolizes the love of your special someone.
Relationships in college still petrify me, though. But who knows, maybe that’s the fun part about them.
Anyway, here’s a cool video just to illustrate the whole topic on dating...
On the first day of school, as I was waiting to go in my astronomy class, I had the chance to encounter what turned out to be a very interesting conversation between two strangers:
“So, what’s your major?”
“Communications. What about you?”
“Same... oh is that a ring?”
“Yeah, I’m getting married.”
I could not believe what I had just heard! This kid did not look to be more than 20 years old and he was already engaged. Call me crazy, but isn’t that a bit irrational?
Back in high school, relationships were not taken that seriously. Sure, there were a couple of people who talked about getting married, but they didn’t actually make it together through graduation to make the wedding happen.
In high school, relationships were more of social thing. It was more about a 'who was going out with whom' kind of thing. It was never too serious and most relationships were probably over a couple of months later. I’ve noticed that in college, relationships are actually long-lasting, and many of them even get to the altar and have a wedding. All within eight to 10 months of “going out.”
That is what scares me the most in college when it comes to relationships. It’s not like I don’t want one, it’s just that it seems as if relationships in college get serious incredibly fast, and at 18 years old, I'm definitely not ready for that kind of commitment. I just want to have fun and meet cool people. I’m not necessarily looking to get married.
I understand the feeling of being in love and that sudden desire of spending the rest of your life with that special someone. But, some of these kids seem to be rushing into everything way too fast. Not only are they too young, but how can you know for sure that you’re truly in love with that one person and that you want to spend the rest of your life with them when you haven’t even experienced other relationships and other kinds of people? How is that possible?
On top of everything, it must be incredibly difficult to try to balance a marriage with school. One thing is to have a casual relationship with someone, but another is to be married. When you’re married you live together, there are bills to pay, there’s work to do, you have to go to school and you also have to make time for each other to “make it work.” How are kids doing that these days if there’s barely enough time in one day to work, study, rest and spend time with your spouse, all in 24 hours? It must be hard.
However, I must say that even though I might not agree with students getting married so quickly while in college, I actually do admire them for the courage that it takes to try to make ends meet and try to make a marriage work from so early on in their lives. Even though I don’t plan on getting married any time soon, it must be nice to wear a ring on your finger that symbolizes the love of your special someone.
Relationships in college still petrify me, though. But who knows, maybe that’s the fun part about them.
Anyway, here’s a cool video just to illustrate the whole topic on dating...
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Let's go Owls, let's go!
I had never been to a football game before – a college football game, that is – and I admit that going in the stadium, I had no idea of what to expect.
I’ve never been a big sports fan. They only sport that I’ve ever liked has been hockey. I still don’t understand the rules of football very well, but it is a whole different thing. I had just always thought of football as a bunch of sweaty guys with big helmets running down a field, tackling each other down ‘til they hit the ground. But going to the game gave me a whole new perspective on why college football games are so much fun.
For the first time in my life, I experienced a real football game. There were cameras, photographers, free t-shirts, big screens; I mean, it was the real deal. It wasn’t some silly game that everyone goes to to get trashed – although I’m sure a lot of people did. It was actually somewhat professional.
The energy was incredible. I never even knew FAU had that much spirit and enthusiasm towards the game. There were people passionately yelling out to the players, encouraging them and rooting them on to win (which, by the way, we did - 42-39). I guess I was surprised because I just never saw that kind of spirit in my high school football games. They were always so dead.
The only football game that I went to in high school was the homecoming game my senior year. I was excited to see my school play – even though I knew we completely sucked compared to other high schools. But that one night, I went to the game and unfortunately it turned out to be very disappointing.
But now that I’m in college, I feel like I want to go to every football game and support my team, the Owls!!! I actually want to get involved in the football games and be one of those die-hard Owl fans. For the first time since I’ve been here, I’m proud of being an Owl. I’m proud of our team and proud of our school. I just never thought I’d feel this way about FAU. I just thought I’d come here, study and get it all over with and not actually enjoy my time here.
Now I realize that FAU does have a lot to offer. I’m not only saying this because we won the football game, but because going to the game gave me a whole new perspective of what life at FAU is like. The game made me feel welcomed to the FAU community and like I was a part of this school.
I will definitely keep going to the football games now. Watch out for me next time. I’ll probably be the girl sitting in the front row, wearing all blue and red and yelling out “Let’s go Owls!” the entire game.
I’ve never been a big sports fan. They only sport that I’ve ever liked has been hockey. I still don’t understand the rules of football very well, but it is a whole different thing. I had just always thought of football as a bunch of sweaty guys with big helmets running down a field, tackling each other down ‘til they hit the ground. But going to the game gave me a whole new perspective on why college football games are so much fun.
For the first time in my life, I experienced a real football game. There were cameras, photographers, free t-shirts, big screens; I mean, it was the real deal. It wasn’t some silly game that everyone goes to to get trashed – although I’m sure a lot of people did. It was actually somewhat professional.
The energy was incredible. I never even knew FAU had that much spirit and enthusiasm towards the game. There were people passionately yelling out to the players, encouraging them and rooting them on to win (which, by the way, we did - 42-39). I guess I was surprised because I just never saw that kind of spirit in my high school football games. They were always so dead.
The only football game that I went to in high school was the homecoming game my senior year. I was excited to see my school play – even though I knew we completely sucked compared to other high schools. But that one night, I went to the game and unfortunately it turned out to be very disappointing.
But now that I’m in college, I feel like I want to go to every football game and support my team, the Owls!!! I actually want to get involved in the football games and be one of those die-hard Owl fans. For the first time since I’ve been here, I’m proud of being an Owl. I’m proud of our team and proud of our school. I just never thought I’d feel this way about FAU. I just thought I’d come here, study and get it all over with and not actually enjoy my time here.
Now I realize that FAU does have a lot to offer. I’m not only saying this because we won the football game, but because going to the game gave me a whole new perspective of what life at FAU is like. The game made me feel welcomed to the FAU community and like I was a part of this school.
I will definitely keep going to the football games now. Watch out for me next time. I’ll probably be the girl sitting in the front row, wearing all blue and red and yelling out “Let’s go Owls!” the entire game.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Hmm... that cheeseburger looks good...
A couple of months before high school graduation, all of my friends started talking about the Freshman 15: the dreaded weight you put on your freshman year of college. I thought it was pretty stupid, considering I was still going to live at home and the whole deal wouldn’t really affect me. Well boy was I was wrong. In fact, the “freshman 15” should now be changed to the “freshman 20” thanks to me. Yes boys and girls, I have officially gained 20 pounds.
I tried sticking to my diet. I tried to eat fruits and salads instead of bagels and frapuccinos, but Starbucks looks so good in the morning it is almost impossible to pass by. Not only that, but the new food court on campus is absolute heaven if you're into clogging your arteries and increasing cellulite. The new Wendy’s that is being built there is definitely not a good idea. It is already calling my name and it hasn’t even opened yet!
The good thing is that now there are on-campus Yoga and Pilates classes to burn off those unwanted calories. The bad part is that I never have time to go to the classes. I am beyond busy with my schedule and, on top of that, I have the obligation to keep up with my social life. Plus, sleep is always necessary after all of those all-nighters.
Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I haven’t tried to keep up with diets. I tried the cigarette and coffee diet, the “only fruits” diet, the run-your-butt-off-and-eat-six-small-meals a day diet, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and the whole vegetarian diet. The problem is that I can’t ever keep up with them. I’ll try them for a few days and before the week is up, you can probably find me at Einstein’s eating another bagel with cream cheese. I simply can’t help it.
Besides that, I have completely become a caffeine addict. Every time I’m stressed out, I drink coffee. If I haven’t slept, I drink coffee. If I’m hungry, I drink coffee. I think I’ve tried every single type of coffee at Starbucks and that’s just plain bad, considering each frozen drink has more than 500 calories... which could actually constitute as a small meal if my next meal were to be something healthy like a small salad with grilled chicken... instead of a cheeseburger with fries.
There are activities around campus that do help if you are looking to lose weight. One great activity that I recently found out about was this small club called L.I.F.T (Learning Initiatives for Team-building.) They focus on climbing and doing challenging activities that require physical and mental activity. For more information on L.I.F.T, you can go to: http://www.shs.fau.edu/ropes/
Another great thing that you can do around campus to lose some pounds (or just get some killer calves) is to walk everywhere as fast as you can. Believe it or not, the power walk does work when it comes to losing weight, and not only are you working out, but you’ll get to class early.
If dancing is your thing, hip-hop classes are also offered around campus. Not only do you get to work out in a fun way, but you can learn some new moves for the next time you hit the club.
Of course, you can always go to Pilates, which I highly recommend. They are fun, relaxing, and I assure you that with a bit of dieting, you will most definitely achieve that toned body you have always wanted.
For more information on Hip-Hop/Pilates classes, click here.
If you’re still unsure of how you want to lose weight and want a little bit more information, you can also always go to the Today & Beyond Wellness Center (located above the Breezeway Cafeteria on the Boca Raton campus in room 222). They have a lot of information on how to be healthy on campus and on losing weight the right way.
Don’t let the freshman 20 get you like it got me. If you’re really looking to lose weight, start eating healthy and leave all of those cheeseburgers behind. I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to let them go. Go out there and get some sun, run a few laps, and don’t forget to do the power-walk when you’re on your way to class. Trust me, after a few months, it’ll be as if those 20 pounds were never there.
I tried sticking to my diet. I tried to eat fruits and salads instead of bagels and frapuccinos, but Starbucks looks so good in the morning it is almost impossible to pass by. Not only that, but the new food court on campus is absolute heaven if you're into clogging your arteries and increasing cellulite. The new Wendy’s that is being built there is definitely not a good idea. It is already calling my name and it hasn’t even opened yet!
The good thing is that now there are on-campus Yoga and Pilates classes to burn off those unwanted calories. The bad part is that I never have time to go to the classes. I am beyond busy with my schedule and, on top of that, I have the obligation to keep up with my social life. Plus, sleep is always necessary after all of those all-nighters.
Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I haven’t tried to keep up with diets. I tried the cigarette and coffee diet, the “only fruits” diet, the run-your-butt-off-and-eat-six-small-meals a day diet, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and the whole vegetarian diet. The problem is that I can’t ever keep up with them. I’ll try them for a few days and before the week is up, you can probably find me at Einstein’s eating another bagel with cream cheese. I simply can’t help it.
Besides that, I have completely become a caffeine addict. Every time I’m stressed out, I drink coffee. If I haven’t slept, I drink coffee. If I’m hungry, I drink coffee. I think I’ve tried every single type of coffee at Starbucks and that’s just plain bad, considering each frozen drink has more than 500 calories... which could actually constitute as a small meal if my next meal were to be something healthy like a small salad with grilled chicken... instead of a cheeseburger with fries.
There are activities around campus that do help if you are looking to lose weight. One great activity that I recently found out about was this small club called L.I.F.T (Learning Initiatives for Team-building.) They focus on climbing and doing challenging activities that require physical and mental activity. For more information on L.I.F.T, you can go to: http://www.shs.fau.edu/ropes/
Another great thing that you can do around campus to lose some pounds (or just get some killer calves) is to walk everywhere as fast as you can. Believe it or not, the power walk does work when it comes to losing weight, and not only are you working out, but you’ll get to class early.
If dancing is your thing, hip-hop classes are also offered around campus. Not only do you get to work out in a fun way, but you can learn some new moves for the next time you hit the club.
Of course, you can always go to Pilates, which I highly recommend. They are fun, relaxing, and I assure you that with a bit of dieting, you will most definitely achieve that toned body you have always wanted.
For more information on Hip-Hop/Pilates classes, click here.
If you’re still unsure of how you want to lose weight and want a little bit more information, you can also always go to the Today & Beyond Wellness Center (located above the Breezeway Cafeteria on the Boca Raton campus in room 222). They have a lot of information on how to be healthy on campus and on losing weight the right way.
Don’t let the freshman 20 get you like it got me. If you’re really looking to lose weight, start eating healthy and leave all of those cheeseburgers behind. I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to let them go. Go out there and get some sun, run a few laps, and don’t forget to do the power-walk when you’re on your way to class. Trust me, after a few months, it’ll be as if those 20 pounds were never there.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
College Social Life 1101
“Excuse me, do you know where the BU (Barry Kaye College of Business) building is?”
“Ha, freshman.” That’s the response I got after asking an upperclassman where the BU building was.
This past week, I’ve felt like a high school freshman all over again. It’s so funny because right before you get out of high school, you feel like the king of the world: you’re 18, you can drive, and you don’t have a curfew. Things seem great, right? Not after you start going to college and know absolutely no one. It’s not even like in high school, where you still knew most people from your eighth-grade class. Here, you actually know no one. At least that has been the case for me, considering most of my friends went to UCF or UF.
In high school, if you socialized with the people sitting next to you, you knew that you’d probably sit with them for the rest of the school year -- if not for the rest of your high school career. Here, even if you meet a good dozen people at a party, the next day they might not even say hi to you because they don’t recognize you from the previous night. You’d be lucky to get a high five if anything. That’s just how college is.
My whole life I’ve heard my parents say, “The College years are the best years of your life,” and “You’ll meet friends of a lifetime once you start college.” So, where are they? Where are those future classmates that I’m supposed to be friends with? Are they part of the newspaper? The student government? The radio? Or are they just regulars at Coyote Jack's?
At orientation, all the leaders kept saying that we had to get involved, that we had to make an effort to join clubs and organizations, go to social gatherings, etc. But, what if I actually don’t have time to do anything else? What if I have a job, take six classes and don’t live on campus? What am I supposed to do? Not have a social life for the rest of my college years?
There has got to be a way to meet people besides practically living on campus everyday. So, in my quest to try to find out how to make friends on campus, I decided to ask some of my friends in college how THEY made friends.
Many commuter students said that most of their friends were from high school and that they had met people in classes but hadn’t gotten to be friends with them yet. Students living on campus mentioned they had met other people in the elevators by simply saying hello, but like commuter students, most of their friends still came from high school. So, why are we holding on to our friends from high school and not socializing with new people in college? Why not say hello to the person sitting next to you?
My advice to all freshmen on campus is simply to be nice to as many people as possible, because the secret to having friends is looking approachable to others and smiling once in a while. Everybody seems to be preoccupied with work or school, but the next time you see somebody sitting alone at the food court, go up to them and start a conversation; you’d be surprised to see how many people you can meet that way.
But still, the best way to meet people is getting involved. I can honestly say that joining the University Press and getting involved in general have been the best things I could have ever done as a freshman. Not only has it made the transition from high school to college a bit easier, but I’ve met a lot of great people and haven’t felt as alone as I thought I would.
So, go out there, get involved in a club, join an organization, go to concerts or even start your own club if you want. Just make sure you talk to people. That’s the best advice I can give you. But if it helps, here’s a cool video…
“Ha, freshman.” That’s the response I got after asking an upperclassman where the BU building was.
This past week, I’ve felt like a high school freshman all over again. It’s so funny because right before you get out of high school, you feel like the king of the world: you’re 18, you can drive, and you don’t have a curfew. Things seem great, right? Not after you start going to college and know absolutely no one. It’s not even like in high school, where you still knew most people from your eighth-grade class. Here, you actually know no one. At least that has been the case for me, considering most of my friends went to UCF or UF.
In high school, if you socialized with the people sitting next to you, you knew that you’d probably sit with them for the rest of the school year -- if not for the rest of your high school career. Here, even if you meet a good dozen people at a party, the next day they might not even say hi to you because they don’t recognize you from the previous night. You’d be lucky to get a high five if anything. That’s just how college is.
My whole life I’ve heard my parents say, “The College years are the best years of your life,” and “You’ll meet friends of a lifetime once you start college.” So, where are they? Where are those future classmates that I’m supposed to be friends with? Are they part of the newspaper? The student government? The radio? Or are they just regulars at Coyote Jack's?
At orientation, all the leaders kept saying that we had to get involved, that we had to make an effort to join clubs and organizations, go to social gatherings, etc. But, what if I actually don’t have time to do anything else? What if I have a job, take six classes and don’t live on campus? What am I supposed to do? Not have a social life for the rest of my college years?
There has got to be a way to meet people besides practically living on campus everyday. So, in my quest to try to find out how to make friends on campus, I decided to ask some of my friends in college how THEY made friends.
Many commuter students said that most of their friends were from high school and that they had met people in classes but hadn’t gotten to be friends with them yet. Students living on campus mentioned they had met other people in the elevators by simply saying hello, but like commuter students, most of their friends still came from high school. So, why are we holding on to our friends from high school and not socializing with new people in college? Why not say hello to the person sitting next to you?
My advice to all freshmen on campus is simply to be nice to as many people as possible, because the secret to having friends is looking approachable to others and smiling once in a while. Everybody seems to be preoccupied with work or school, but the next time you see somebody sitting alone at the food court, go up to them and start a conversation; you’d be surprised to see how many people you can meet that way.
But still, the best way to meet people is getting involved. I can honestly say that joining the University Press and getting involved in general have been the best things I could have ever done as a freshman. Not only has it made the transition from high school to college a bit easier, but I’ve met a lot of great people and haven’t felt as alone as I thought I would.
So, go out there, get involved in a club, join an organization, go to concerts or even start your own club if you want. Just make sure you talk to people. That’s the best advice I can give you. But if it helps, here’s a cool video…
Friday, August 24, 2007
The Real Dirt on Freshman Orientation
Earlier this summer, I had the luxury (if you can call it that) of attending Freshman Orientation. Since this is an accredited university, I may as well grade the event. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it deserved anything higher than a C.
You see, for a freshman, orientation is the big step before classes actually begin. It’s supposed to be the place where you meet future classmates, find out where your classes are going to be, and have an overall view of what life on campus is like. But at my orientation, it seemed that the goal was to bore the freshmen with repetitive information, and basically make us all go to sleep every time we were in the auditorium.
In the beginning, orientation wasn’t that bad, and seeing all of our orientation leaders walking down the aisles of the auditorium to “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West was definitely a plus. I was definitely awake by then.
But things seemed to slowly deteriorate by the minute. After sitting in the auditorium for an extra 15 minutes to listen to our leaders introduce themselves and tell us their majors, we were finally separated into groups according to our colleges to go on a tour of the campus.
Let me just mention that it was incredibly hot and humid outside, and the tour of the campus was complete torture. It was so hot that I don’t think anybody even paid attention to what our leader was telling us. We were forced to walk the whole campus under the burning hot sun of Florida with no water, no air and no golf carts to take us around. They should have given us little fans and bottles of water to at least refresh ourselves a bit. They should definitely do that next year, or otherwise this horrible trend of making all the little freshmen suffer through a campus tour under the sun will make people abandon orientation before completing it. Things couldn’t get any better.
After the 90 minute tour under the hot sun, we were finally led inside to get some A/C. We were all supposed to go to what our leaders called “sessions” – which were little meetings about specific things on campus. The first one that I went to was one called, “Be smart and be healthy!” On my handy brochure, it said that we would find out about how to become a peer educator and the fun ways that you could get involved in the campus community, and also how to build your resume and make a difference during your college years. First of all, they never even mentioned how to become a peer educator. Second of all, they never said anything about how to build our resume. All they did do was tell us the same information we have known since 6th grade: Don’t eat too much junk food, wear condoms and prevent yourselves from STD’s. All I heard was Blah, blah, blah; as if we didn’t know that stuff already, how many more times did we have to listen to that? Next time, I think they should actually focus on the description that the brochure says, or maybe come up with more entertaining games other than playing jeopardy on how to be healthy. What a waste of time.
The next session that I went to was one about how to get involved on campus, which I must say was the best session that I went to. Not only were they actually telling us things that we all might be interested in, but they were giving us a little bit of insight on how to meet people, how to get involved, and just how to have good, clean fun on campus by joining organizations and/or clubs. I actually think I learned something from them, which was good, considering I had felt like I had wasted my time the whole day.
After attending all the sessions, we were all supposed to go back to the auditorium and sit back down to meet up with our leaders. But what we didn’t know is that they had actually prepared something for us – a series of skits that could have not been any funnier. They touched on subjects like racism, relationships and parties. They were all entertaining and actually helpful when it came to situations such as the ones they portrayed. To be honest, the skits were the best part of orientation.
Day two of orientation however, was not quite as pleasant as the first. I should have just brought a blanket and a pillow with me to the auditorium. Not only did they make us sit there for an hour listening to the “oh so, very important" meeting called “Money Matters,” but they kept repeating the same things over and over again. Half of the freshmen there were in deep sleep listening to their iPods and not even caring about what the counselors there had to say. If that meeting was meant to be for the parents, then they should have let THEM listen to it. Not us.
Overall, Orientation was helpful but incredibly boring. They should have tried to interact more with the audience, instead of giving us too much information about everything at once. The only good part about it was finding out that there was a Starbucks on campus. Other than that, I think I could have cared less about what all the people there had to say.
You see, for a freshman, orientation is the big step before classes actually begin. It’s supposed to be the place where you meet future classmates, find out where your classes are going to be, and have an overall view of what life on campus is like. But at my orientation, it seemed that the goal was to bore the freshmen with repetitive information, and basically make us all go to sleep every time we were in the auditorium.
In the beginning, orientation wasn’t that bad, and seeing all of our orientation leaders walking down the aisles of the auditorium to “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West was definitely a plus. I was definitely awake by then.
But things seemed to slowly deteriorate by the minute. After sitting in the auditorium for an extra 15 minutes to listen to our leaders introduce themselves and tell us their majors, we were finally separated into groups according to our colleges to go on a tour of the campus.
Let me just mention that it was incredibly hot and humid outside, and the tour of the campus was complete torture. It was so hot that I don’t think anybody even paid attention to what our leader was telling us. We were forced to walk the whole campus under the burning hot sun of Florida with no water, no air and no golf carts to take us around. They should have given us little fans and bottles of water to at least refresh ourselves a bit. They should definitely do that next year, or otherwise this horrible trend of making all the little freshmen suffer through a campus tour under the sun will make people abandon orientation before completing it. Things couldn’t get any better.
After the 90 minute tour under the hot sun, we were finally led inside to get some A/C. We were all supposed to go to what our leaders called “sessions” – which were little meetings about specific things on campus. The first one that I went to was one called, “Be smart and be healthy!” On my handy brochure, it said that we would find out about how to become a peer educator and the fun ways that you could get involved in the campus community, and also how to build your resume and make a difference during your college years. First of all, they never even mentioned how to become a peer educator. Second of all, they never said anything about how to build our resume. All they did do was tell us the same information we have known since 6th grade: Don’t eat too much junk food, wear condoms and prevent yourselves from STD’s. All I heard was Blah, blah, blah; as if we didn’t know that stuff already, how many more times did we have to listen to that? Next time, I think they should actually focus on the description that the brochure says, or maybe come up with more entertaining games other than playing jeopardy on how to be healthy. What a waste of time.
The next session that I went to was one about how to get involved on campus, which I must say was the best session that I went to. Not only were they actually telling us things that we all might be interested in, but they were giving us a little bit of insight on how to meet people, how to get involved, and just how to have good, clean fun on campus by joining organizations and/or clubs. I actually think I learned something from them, which was good, considering I had felt like I had wasted my time the whole day.
After attending all the sessions, we were all supposed to go back to the auditorium and sit back down to meet up with our leaders. But what we didn’t know is that they had actually prepared something for us – a series of skits that could have not been any funnier. They touched on subjects like racism, relationships and parties. They were all entertaining and actually helpful when it came to situations such as the ones they portrayed. To be honest, the skits were the best part of orientation.
Day two of orientation however, was not quite as pleasant as the first. I should have just brought a blanket and a pillow with me to the auditorium. Not only did they make us sit there for an hour listening to the “oh so, very important" meeting called “Money Matters,” but they kept repeating the same things over and over again. Half of the freshmen there were in deep sleep listening to their iPods and not even caring about what the counselors there had to say. If that meeting was meant to be for the parents, then they should have let THEM listen to it. Not us.
Overall, Orientation was helpful but incredibly boring. They should have tried to interact more with the audience, instead of giving us too much information about everything at once. The only good part about it was finding out that there was a Starbucks on campus. Other than that, I think I could have cared less about what all the people there had to say.
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