Being Studious

Last year in the dorms, I lived in a very... academic setting.

Oh, who am I kidding? We were nerds. Due to the fact that there wasn't a lot to do, Sundays would be full on study days. The common room usually had everyone sitting around doing their homework, and many of us were getting a lot done. We pretty much had competitions to see who could get the most homework for the week done. Many of these times we would finish a whole week's worth of homework. Like I said, nerds.

Lately, I've been a lot less studious it seems. It's not to say I'm not getting my homework done- believe me, I am- but it's almost like my high school mentality wants to kick in again.

I suppose there are other reasons to my mentality change. Having to grocery shop, being away from a common study area, more social events in my life... Still, they're just excuses.

Another thing that might be affecting me is the lack of a support group. In the dorms, I could go out and study with others. Now, it's different. I'm in HUGE classes where I don't even see people I might know, and you have to actually make plans to meet for studying. I'll admit it- Even now into the second term, I still feel like I don't have a lot of friends. Sure I know people, but I don't know where I stand with people. I'm socially awkward to a fault, but that's a post for another day. The whole point is just another excuse.

Since I'm transferred here, I haven't done that much worse. I have done worse though, now that I look at it. At WOU, I got two A-s, three B+s, and one B. (I'm not including the summer classes) The rest were all As. Fall term, I got two As, and two B+s. Honestly though, if "worse" is a 3.5 GPA, I definitely think I'm okay.

Still, I don't want to slide. Being studious is what got me into this school. Being studious will help me get into the Journalism program (Though if is the GPA is 2.9 to get in, I still think I'm okay) Being studious can help me get scholarships. Hopefully.

And that's what I have to say about that! Another week begins. Let's make it a good one! Not sayin' this last week wasn't good, I just want another good week.

Were you studious in college? If you were, was it at the very beginning or near the end?

Game Day

It's another installment of Life as a Duck, because today was a special day. Today was Game Day.

At the U of O, it's pretty hard to get student tickets because they sell out very quickly. However this week? This week I had a ticket. I was ready to go to my first Duck game. Aw yeah.

Game day on colleges are usually all very similar, if you go to a school that's pretty big. People will be walking everywhere across town hours before the game, and plenty of these people aren't even students. Isn't this what always happens? Anywho, so traffic of course is not something you want to deal with. Students walking everywhere, and crazy fans in cars? It's madness out there, and half the time people are getting drunk to go watch the game at a house anyways.

Getting to the arena, and right before the game is the actual most exciting part. People are walking in droves, everyone is excited... It helps that our team is good. The energy that flows through the whole stadium is addicting.

As for the noise? Well, recently I read that U of O stadium is the second loudest college football stadium in the country. They were only beat by a school that caused a mini quake because of their noise. If you ever somehow end up watching a game with UofO, just listen. You can hear them.

Lately, our team has been very good, and it's almost expect that we're going to win. Tonight's game though... oof. Sure, it was close near the end, but we did not play well. So many dropped balls... Oye.

I apologize if I seem a tad incoherent, it's just I'm very tired. Truth be told, as soon as I got back into my apartment tonight, I knew I wasn't going anywhere. Don't worry, I was glad. I'm surprised I'm not asleep now... which is what I'll probably go do now. Goodnight.

Are you a big football fan?

Life As a Duck: Getting Accustomed to U of O

So, grump-a-lump Hannah is gone, and regular Hannah seems to have returned. Also, I need to stop with the third person crap. Ha, anywho...

There are times where I start to miss good ol' WOU. Mostly, it's for the people that I met there. I wonder if they miss me, or if they've moved on? Well, I still see people and think, "Oh that's So-and-so! Wait... Never mind."

However, I mention that first because in reality, I'm getting more and more accustomed to UofO. What do ya know, getting used to a place takes time! What a concept.

Here are just a few things that have made me appreciate this place:

There is always something going on. Today when riding over to an appointment, a commercial was being filmed with Puddles.

This is Puddles. He does Push ups.

Sure, it was just to send to alumni for the holidays, but there's always something to be entertained/interested by. Walking by the EMU? There's a person selling clothes there today. Oh look, there's a singing group performing. Seriously, I've seen some crazy things. Craziest probably being the zombie walk, which apparently happens every year. This year, they were the 99% at the same time. Weird mix? Indeed.

There are a lot more things to get involved with. At WOU, I tried to get into groups. I asked if they had a running club and they didn't. One of my friends and I tried to make a movie fan club type thing, but it didn't really work out. (We got information about forming a club too late.) Here on the other hand has plenty of things to get involved with, as you've heard me talk about. As for getting involved, that doesn't just mean clubs and intramural sports. There are more places to go, things to see, parties to attend. 'Tis a good thing.

Football is actually you know, a big deal here. Out of all of the sports to watch, I've talked about how I like to watch football. At WOU, I went to games quite a bit but it was kind of sad. There was no spirit section, most of the people in the stands were alumni, and our team was awful. It's cool when you get to a school that has the second loudest college football stadium in the nation. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the team is good.

Finally, it's cool to be at a place where almost everything has a little secret history to it. For instance, there's a weird guy who is always panning off his joke book in front of a bookstore on campus. Yeah, it's annoying like you would thing, but the other day I learned the story of Frog. That's what he's called. Apparently, he's been selling that joke book for decades, and he even was in a court case in the 70's debating if he was allowed to sell the books in the street like that. And apparently, he hella won that case. It's just weird little facts and tidbits that I keep learning that are quite interesting.

I'm sure there are other things that are making me like this town, but I'm not really sure what they are right now. Likewise, there are things that I'm still disliking or worried about. I'm terrified about grades, simply because I'm worried about being able to study abroad and getting into the J school here. Most of my classes are alright, but there are some... maybe it's just the classes, not the school. Probably. I think WOU just felt safer since the classes were smaller, meaning it was easier getting to know your professors and such. Then again, I'm a worrywart.

Gosh, I didn't do anything today... at least that's how it felt. I did make/go to some appointments, studied up on programs, just... I don't know. Should have worked on my essay more, but what can you do? I'll work on it more tomorrow. Besides, I've already looked at it for awhile.

What are some positives you can think of about the last place you moved to?

So About That Big News...

Remember how a few days ago I was talking about some exciting news? Well, I do have some news, and I personally believe that it's quite exciting.

The web cam and I? Do not get along.

I'm transferring to U of O next year.

I know that I go to a wonderful school, but I know it's not for me. The thing about my school is that because it's pretty small, there aren't a lot of options available for majors. And with the major that I'm now 95% positive that I want to go into, it's not available over here. I could go for another major here, but I don't think I'd be happy going for the majors here. They are terribly specialized in the main majors that they offer here, which is good. However, if you're not going for one of their main majors, you don't get much attention.

Another reason that I wanted to transfer is because the environment around here isn't for me. This is a beautiful campus, and the classes are fantastic. As for the weekends, there's not much going on. People usually drive home, or to Corvallis, or Eugene. If you do end up staying here, it's very lonely. Walking around is eerily quiet, like a ghost town situation. I'd like to be at a place where I could be in the action. I wouldn't have to drive pretty much back home. I know that a lot of people her go home for the weekends. I can't stand it.

This hasn't been a sudden decision. I've thought about it long and hard. This is what I want to do. All of my family members have been saying to me, "Oh, you're going to the same school as your sister! I bet you're excited about that." Honestly? That was almost a con. When starting school, I wanted to go somewhere that I could call my own, not my sister's school, or whatever. That was part of the appeal of WOU, it was going to be my school. Now, I'm okay that it'll be my school. I guess that it's my sister's school, but we'll have different parts of it be our school. My favorite places won't be her favorite places, and my classrooms that remind me of classes close to my heart will be different from hers. It may be her school, but I'll make it my special school.

Transferring is scary, but it's what I want to do. Some of the classes I've taken don't transfer as nicely, but I'll figure it out. (Some feel like a complete waste.)

I'll always love WOU. But I'm ready to love UO.

All of my family knows now, but I don't think anyone here knows officially that I'm transferring. How on earth do you break that news?

In other news, I've got to stop with the random dozing off! I think that this is why it's better for me to have more classes, because I've just been so lazy! It could just be this week though... Productiveness, full speed ahead!

Have you ever thought about transferring? What did you decided on, and how did you decide on doing it?