The title says it all: I am free for a whole month of papers, tests, reading, and work. Though it seemed as if I would never see the light at the end of the tunnel, I made it there yesterday at 2:30. Compared to many of my friends, my finals week was lighter. Though I only had two tests to study for, I was faced with the arduous task of writing two take home essays for my satire final. Luckily, I said goodbye to them on Monday night. I probably did not get A's on them, but I do not think I did horribly on them. My professor is a tough grader, so sometimes when I think I do well on papers for his class, I do not. Despite my doubts, I just tell myself that I put effort into these essays and I did the best I could. While I normally feel more confident about my ability to write papers than take tests, I felt great about both of my exams. However, I wrote a lot on my Composition Theory and Practice final that my hand hurt like crazy. I felt the soreness after leaving that exam and the next day when I had to write my essay for my history exam.
Well, enough about finals. I am DONE DONE DONE for a month and excited about break! On Friday I am going to Hawaii with my family, and I am looking forward to some much needed sun--something that Portland definitely does not have right now. When I return, I will have three weeks at home to relax, spend time with my friends and family, catch up with my old teachers, start looking at houses, organize my list of grad schools I want to apply to next fall, and cuddle with my beloved Lily.
I apologize for the lack of pictures in my last few blogs. Here are some pictures of the decorations in my room
My mini-Christmas tree: hopefully I will live in a house or apartment next year and can have a larger Christmas tree
Decorations outside our room. Snowflakes, courtesy of Kristen
Glee Christmas soundtrack from my friend Trever
Trever's mini Christmas tree
Sorry I have not posted anything for a while. I have been crazy busy, as you can imagine. Thanksgiving break does not feel like a "break" when I have two weeks of class plus two days of finals on the horizon. I also had a history paper to write plus a book to read. Despite the difficulty of writing papers at home, I got it done AND got a B+ on it. Luckily, I managed to get through them and only have two exams and one take home final before I am free of anything academic for a month. I am excited that for the first time in three semesters I do NOT have finals on Thursday. Well, I did, but I told one of my professors that taking the final earlier in the week would be easier for me travel wise, and said I could take it on Tuesday. Surprisingly, I am more worried about my take home exam than my in class exams. However, I made progress on it Thursday night, but my professor is a hard grader. Both of my exams allow the use of notes to some degree: I can use notes on my Composition Theory and Practice final and notes on the essay question of my history exam.
Last week, Moon and I went out for delicious sushi at Mio. After we went out for sushi, I hung out with Trever and we listened to Christmas music. On Wednesday, I had coffee with some of my fellow Writing Assistants and our professor.
Four more days until GLORIOUS FREEDOM!!
Sorry for the delayed update. I have been quite busy with the usual papers, reading, and work. Anyhow, I am looking forward to going home on Tuesday for Thanksgiving. In spite of my usual busyness, I had some opportunities that helped me look forward to the future.
1. Last Wednesday I registered for spring classes. Because I am a junior, I got to register on the third day of registration, which means I got all the classes I wanted! Next semester I am taking British Lit after 1945, Teachers in Film and Fiction, Self and Identity (last philosophy class!), Personality, and Dance. I really want to take a musical theater class, but I have to audition. I do not know when I will audition, but if I get into that class, I will drop my psych class.
2. On Tuesday I went to a post-grad service dinner. I have gone back and forth for a while about whether or not to go to grad school right away or take the year off to work or do service. I sat at a table with education majors or others interested in teaching, plus a professor who taught in West Ghana as a Peace Corps volunteer and the coordinator for PACE. PACE stands for Pacific Alliance in Catholic Education, and it is a program where you teach in a Catholic school and live with three to six other teachers. You take summer and online classes and earn your credential in two years. I also heard faculty and staff speak about their experiences in volunteer programs such as Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Peace Corps, and Americorps. Though hearing about their experiences were interesting, right now I want to go to a credential program right after I graduate in 2012. However, I may change my mind in what I want to do. That said, I am glad I went to the dinner and know about the options out there.
2. On Wednesday I met with a counselor at the Career Center. I told her about my thoughts for grad school and some of the career options I want to pursue. I learned that there are so many different opportunities outside of education, and right now my problem is figuring out what I want to do. A conversation with one of my old high school teachers inspired me to look at educational opportunities other than teaching. She told me that she does not like to stay in the same career, and as a person who likes change and new experiences, I could relate to that. I want to teach, but after a few years, I may want to do something else in education. Right now my plan is to get my teaching credential after I graduate, teach for a few years, and later get a degree in school counseling or college student personnel. Other career opportunities I am considering are working in a college admissions office or being a college counselor. The counselor gave me some handouts about graduate school and informational interviewing. When I have some time, I am going to contact people I know who have the kinds of jobs I would like to pursue and set up time to talk. I have also been researching different grad programs to see what kinds of studies I could pursue.
3. On Thursday I met with my former lit studies professor to talk about an idea for my senior thesis. I have to submit a proposal to the English department with three ideas that I could write about for my thesis in mid-February. My first choice for a thesis idea is to expand on the ten page Catcher in the Rye paper that I wrote about in this professor's class. Because I want to teach high school and that book is a regular staple in high school English classes, I want to examine what about the book or Holden appeals (or does not appeal to high school students). Writing about this topic would be beneficial in my future career so I understand how my students react to the book. My other two ideas are looking at books where the main character overcomes a mental illness or expanding on a paper about E.E. Cummings that I wrote about for my intro to lit class. Though the thesis will be a big undertaking, I am excited because I can write about a topic I am truly interested in and work closely with a professor. I am hoping to write it in the fall because I will take my last English class.
This weekend, I was able to leave the campus bubble. My fun weekend began when my friend Trever and I rented a Zipcar and went to Thai Ginger, a local Thai restaurant near UP. After enjoying delicious Thai food, we went back to campus to help my friend Moon celebrate her birthday. We had cake and visited with some of her friends. On Saturday, my friend Antonia and her mom drove up from Eugene to see me. Antonia and I went shopping at Lloyd Center (a mall about 15 minutes away from UP), while her mom visited a friend. Though I did not buy anything, I had fun shopping and catching up with Antonia. Getting off campus is always a treat, particularly when I get to go to yummy restaurants.
Although this week feels like the past few weeks--reading and papers galore, plus my counting down the days until I go home for Thanksgiving--I have some fun events on my horizon. Tomorrow night the English Society is having its monthly meeting; I spent yesterday evening making cookies. I register Wednesday night, and have a pretty good feeling that I will get the classes I want, given that it will be the the third day of registration. This coming Sunday, Caitlin and I are going to get our nails done.
15 more days until Thanksgiving break!!
Despite my not wanting to go back to Portland after enjoying the comforts and pleasure of home, I made it through my first week back. While I did not have any tests or papers to worry about, I had A LOT of reading. Even though this past week was uneventful, there were still some highlights. On Thursday evening, my friend Caitlin and I went out for sushi. We went to Mio Sushi, an amazing sushi restaurant. They make "sushi pizzas", which is seaweed topped with rice and seafood. When one lives on college food, eating off campus every so often is a necessity. Although I did not do anything big to celebrate Halloween, I did hand out candy to kids who trick or treated through the dorms. Residence Life invites neighborhood kids and their parents to trick-or-treat at UP. The kids have a blast getting candy from different dorms, even though I am not sure their parents are happy to see them get sugar high.This coming week I get to meet with my amazing advisor to plan my schedule for next semester. Okay, I know it's just an advising appointment, but I actually enjoy meeting with my advisor every semester. He takes the time to talk with me rather than just signing my registration form. I have been an English major for a little over a year now, but I still think about how incredibly lucky I am to have an advisor who cares about me not only as a student, but also as a person. As I write about my upcoming appointment, I cannot believe I am halfway done with the semester and that I only have three more semesters of college left.Seven more weeks left of the semester--let's see if I can make it through!
Dear Fall Break,
Why do you have to be so short? You are wonderful, fun, and relaxing. I really do not want to be at school and do all the reading I have to do. Don't get me wrong, I have a lighter credit load and (usually) like my classes, but I would much rather be having fun. From home cooked meals to visits with friends and old teachers, every moment was fantastic. I really enjoyed going back to HNHS and helping Paula teach her psych class, as she had an enthusiastic group of students. I cannot wait to spend more time tutoring and helping teach lessons there, but that first great experience affirmed my aspiration to be a high school teacher. On Thursday, my mom and I saw "It's Kind of a Funny Story," which was my first movie in theaters I had seen in a while. I enjoyed the movie, as it had dynamic characters that go through tremendous growth. The day before I left I had a lovely lunch with Mindy, my old high school religion teacher. It was so nice to see her and we have awesome conversations.
Unfortunately, I recognize that all good things must come to an end and I must get back into school mode. On the bright side, I come home for Thanksgiving in a month AND my not having class on Wednesday (classes after 4 PM are canceled) allows me to come home Tuesday evening!
Yours truly,
Laura
This weekend has resulted in a hardcore studying, exhausted me. The title indicates the number of days I have left until fall break. Here are the highs and lows of this past week as well as the coming week
LOWS
1. Studying for my history midterm--I am doing well in the class, but there's a lot to know. Luckily, I am going to have a study part with some people in the class Wednesday night.
2. Working on my satire midterm. I have to write two 5-7 page essays by Friday. I finished my first draft of the first essay, but I am having trouble with my second essay. Right now I have a really bad case of writer's block
3. Missing the comforts of home, including my favorite restaurants and my beloved cat, Lily
HIGHS
1. Last week was my first official week of work. I really enjoy working at the writing center because I get to help students and learn about new topics. Though English and psychology are my specialties, I have helped students with English, history, communications, and theology papers.
2. Trever's 21st birthday party Friday night
3. The students who come to the writing center are required to fill out a conference report indicating their goals for the session. At the end of the session, I am required to indicate what we worked on during the session as well as suggestions for improvement. The report goes to the student, the professor, and the director of the writing program (my professor/boss). On Wednesday, my boss emailed me just to tell me that he likes the way I give feedback (positives before suggestions for improvement)
4. Performance for group voice on Friday. I will be singing "Hello, Young Lovers" from The King and I
5. FALL BREAK!! Fun stuff will be part of my week at home :)
Off to do laundry (and read my history textbook). Adios!
Our first English Society meeting was on Tuesday. We talked about our upcoming annual banned books week reading and other events we would like to see happen. Our banned books week reading is this coming Tuesday, and we are going to read passages from books over the years that have been banned or challenged. As president, I have been busy baking cookies to bring to meetings and events. Luckily, some of my friends are going to make cookies with me today. Being president is a lot of work, but at least I have wonderful co-officers and club members who I can count on for help.On another note, I started working in the writing center last week. I still do not have official hours yet, but I did see some students on my own time. All the new writing assistants have veteran writing assistants as mentors, which is nice for us to have someone we can to with questions and concerns. My mentor is my friend Moon, and I had the pleasure of observing her on Wednesday. I am really excited to start working at the writing center more, although I am naturally nervous about leading a student in the wrong direction.
Last night I went to the Anchor (our newest hang out spot on campus) where I heard some jazz and enjoyed fondue. The picture on the left is cheese fondue, while the one on the right is chocolate. There were graham crackers, marshmallows, fruit, and bread for dipping. As a foodie, I am going to put a fondue machine on my Christmas wish list.
Well, I shall conclude here as my history paper and Gulliver's Travels are calling me. Adieu!
This week has been busy with assignments, meetings, lunch/dinner dates with friends, and a little bit of work. Though I have not officially started tutoring in the writing center, I tutored one of the students from my freshman group (over Orientation weekend) on her English paper and read scholarship letters at thank you letter writing workshops on Wednesday. This coming week, I get to observe my friend/writing assistant mentor, Moon, at work before I start tutoring. I am excited to get my feet wet, though I am a little nervous that I might lead a student in the wrong direction.
Speaking of writing assistant related activities, I got to interview one of my English professors on Tuesday. This interview is an assignment for my writing assistant training class, and each of us has to interview a professor in one of our disciplines that we will be tutoring in to find out to educate non-majors about writing for that subject. I had this professor for my literary studies class in the spring, and he had some great insights about writing. I have to type a summary of my findings and present them to the class in a week.
Thankfully, I was able to have fun this weekend! On Friday night, I went to a reunion at the home of a friend/coworker who was in London the same time I was. She was in a different program, but we were in London together for four weeks. I was the only person from my program (humanities) who was invited, but I am friends with some of the people from the core program (the core/bio groups lived together), so they invited me. This was my first off campus party, complete with Shandys, biscuits, and London inspired decorations. On Sunday afternoon, my friend Caitlin and I went to a nearby Thai restaurant in the St. John's area, the neighborhood near UP. I really enjoyed spending time with her and not having to eat in the Commons for a change.
London inspired decorations and biscuits
Oh London...how I miss thee
Caitlin, Jen, and I
Lizz, our wonderful hostessUntil next week!
I just got back this afternoon from COLTC (Clubs and Organizations Leadership Training Conference). As the president of the English Society, I learned about student activities policies (fundraising, copyright laws for showing movies) and strategies for effective leadership. Being president is a big responsibility, so I am glad I have more knowledge about student activities policies and effective leadership strategies.
Last night I went to hear a band called Five Times August. Several times a year, the campus program board (CPB) brings in lesser-known bands to campus. I liked the music, and free food and coffee was another plus. You see, as a college student, free food is THE reason to attend clubs and other social events. Tonight I am planning on attending grocery store bingo, where the Residence Hall Association (RHA) leads a bingo night and gives away free grocery store items. Also, I am going out with a friend to Niccola's. Niccola's is my favorite pizza place here in Portland; the admissions office gives us free pizza coupons for hosting prospective students and I had dinner there with my friends freshman year. Though some of us may not get excited about going to restaurants as I do, eating dorm food for pretty much every meal makes you excited to take advantage of restaurants and home-cooked meals.
On another note, I found out on Wednesday that I did not get the NUCL internship. Though I was highly qualified (according to the professors who co-chair the conference), they wanted people who had not gotten a chance to be involved. Though I understand that the professors wanted to reach out to people who had not gotten a chance to get involved with the conference/English dept, I did not feel that this reasoning applied to me as I did not get the internship last year. However, with nine people applying for only three spots, getting the position was also a long shot. Hopefully, I can do the internship next year and that I can submit a paper and/or be a panelist.
Well, I have five hours until I am going out tonight, so I should probably start reading the article for my history paper due on Thursday. More later!
Though the adjustment has been slow, I am starting to get back into school mode. Luckily, I had some fun events to balance out my workload. The English Society had it's annual "meet and greet" on Tuesday. New and returning students got acquainted, and several professors came as well. Right now, I am trying to find a day that would work for monthly meetings. I also visited the workshop class (with whom I helped out over Orientation weekend) and talked about the writing center. Friday evening I went to a pizza party for FISH, the fellowship I just started attending. I enjoyed free food and good conversation. Saturday night I went out on a date with one of my guy friends. We went to a fish restaurant and came back to campus where we got gelato and hung out with his housemates.
Today I am interviewing to be a NUCL intern. For those of you who do not remember, NUCL (Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature) takes place in March and allows students from several Oregon universities to present their papers. Last year I was a panel chair, which means that I introduced the students presenting their papers and initiated discussion. While I applied to be an intern last year, I did not get the position (most likely due to being a sophomore and my lack of NUCL experience). Keep your fingers crossed for this year!
The year is just starting to get busier. Therefore, I must conclude and put those final touches on my literacy narrative.
Hey All!
Sorry I have not written here for a while. I had an incredibly busy weekend with Orientation-related activities and adjusting back to school. Classes are going well, and I am relieved to be taking only taking 12 credits this semester. I dropped my social psych class because there were four tests (including the final) and no papers; four tests is a lot for an upper division class and I am better at writing papers. I switched into a theology class, but dropped that because the material was not interesting and the reading load was heavy (the reading for both my history and satire classes are dense). I replaced my theology class with jazz dance, which should be fun, a great stress reliever, and an easy A. The best part of my schedule is that I only have three "academic" classes because my group voice class is one credit and my dance class is two credits. Anyways, here is the rundown of my classes this semester.
Group Voice: Our class is down from 12 to 7 students, which allows us to get to know each other better and have more personal attention from the instructor. We have to learn and perform 2-3 songs, which I am excited about, as I have never sang a solo (aside from auditions for shows in high school).
Composition Theory and Practice: I know the name sounds sophisticated, but the class is simply the one I have to take to be a writing assistant. I don't actually start working in the writing center until the end of the month. Right now we are reading about writing centers and what makes strong writing. Our first assignment is to write a literacy narrative about how we became writers.
Modern France: History is the one of three remaining core classes I need to take. History has never been my favorite subject, but I really like this class so far! I love pretty much any and everything having to do with France, and my professor is excited about the subject. The reading is dense at times, but the workload is manageable. For example, our first assignment was to bring in an article about an issue in France for 25 points. Basically, I get to take a short visit to France two mornings a week (without leaving UP). :)
Jazz Dance: I start this class on Tuesday, so I will write more about that next time. Regardless, I'm excited about this class!
Satire: This is the class I have been looking forward to the most. We are currently talking about the genre of satire; the articles we have to read are not the most exciting, but we will read more interesting books soon. We watched a YouTube clip in class about the Iphone 4, and are watching Bananas next week. Oh yeah, I think it is safe to mention that this is my third class with Herman and it just keeps getting better!
Now that my reduced credit load allows me to have a life, I am excited about several nonacademic activities on the horizon. Yesterday was the Activities Fair, which is where clubs have booths set up around the quad and for people to check out. As the president of the English Society, I was able to get a good number of people to sign up for the mailing list (and hopefully get a good number to come to events). I am excited to start working at the Writing Center, and am also hoping to do some occasional babysitting for one of my professor's kids.
More later!
Hey all! I have not officially started classes yet, but I have been back in Portland for three days now. Why would I be on a quiet college campus when classes do not start for six more days? Well, I am an Orientation Assistant so I had to be back on campus Sunday to start training on Monday. Tomorrow is my last day of training and then Orientation is from Thursday to Sunday. These past few days of training have been informative, but overwhelming as there is a lot of information being thrown at us. On the bright side, we get done at 3 pm tomorrow and I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. During Orientation I will be helping incoming freshman and their families in several ways: co-leading a home base group (20-40 students who share a class together), helping students move into their rooms, checking students in at Orientation headquarters, and ushering families into the stadium (Chiles Center) for Convocation.
Anyways, I am absolutely in love with my new dorm! Fields/Schoendfelt are the newest dorms on campus. Fields is the female wing, and Schoendfelt (or Padre, as Fr. Schoendfelt was a priest) is the male wing. Even though our living quarters are separate, we share common areas such as the entrance area, basement, lounges, and study rooms. What makes my dorm experience amazing is that I am in a suite! Kristen (my roommate) and I are in a huge room and the two of us share a bathroom with two other girls in a connecting room.
Our side of the bathroom
View outside my window
My desk and my smaller closet (I have a bigger one when near the entrance)
Me on my bedMore later, and enjoy reading!
